Angry cries of America's 'outsourced' middle class

The Arizona Republic ^ | 03.09.04 | E.J. Montini

[valkyrieanne]

America has plenty of food. We won't starve. We probably won't be homeless. Unfortunately, many of us face or have faced having to move into our parents homes and live on minimum wages for as far into the future as we can see. That future looks very bleak.

Yes, I agree that "starve" was used rhetorically. In reality, the downsized, outsourced working poor aren't going to starve - if they do meet an early demise, it's going to be because they no longer have any medical insurance. (If anyone's looked recently, COBRA for a family is over $1000 a month. That's about the size of a month's worth of unemployment.) Middle-aged people without health insurance *can* find themselves in a life-threatening situation. "Starvation" is easier to understand, compared to slowly sickening and dying from untreated diabetes or kidney disease.

[valkyrieanne]

That and $2.00 plus unleaded will gurantee a demorat victory. Unfortunately that will just accelerate the coming depression and make it worse than if the pubbies were in charge.

Well of *course* it will make it worse. That's why people like myself - who's voted Republican for almost 30 years - are so upset. It's not enough to be blindly loyal to a man or party. There *is* such a thing as principle.

I don't want to see Kerry win the election, but if the alternative is to tell everyone that I think outsourcing is great; the middle class has never done better; the federal government should run the public school systems, etc. I'd be lying through my teeth.

The Republicans are selling the middle class down the river, just more slowly than the Democrats. The only way Bush is going to win is if we have another direct terrorist attack, or if enough disgusted Republicans like me go out and collect signatures to get Ralph Nader on the ballot in all 50 states, thus siphoning off some Democrat votes.

[Beck_isright]

" The Republicans are selling the middle class down the river, just more slowly than the Democrats."

You do realize that statements like that can get you zapped here, I hope? The bots report everything to the RNC central control...

[k2blader]

Keep in mind your social security check is not a right either. Don't sit around blabbering when you're 80 years old that someone isn't handing you a social security check

No worries there. At the rate we're going hopefully folks like me will be the last ones to dole out our heard-earned moolah to greedy geezers demanding their SS checks.

[k2blader]

Hard-earned, that is.

[SCR1]

Well it appears the attacks in Spain have shown clearly what the effect of having a pure democratic type government and how the MOB mentality of the people can be swayed. I fear our own Republic has strayed too far from the principles of Liberty and therefore we too are very vulnerable. Make no mistake, the bombings in Spain and the subsequent removal of the government is a message to Bush and Blair.

[FrankR]

"alot of people starve here in the US"

I, too, would like to see some figures on that...

I highly doubt that statement, as knowing the mainstream media's penchant for shoving pain and suffering - not to mention anything negative they could conjure up against Bush - I see that statement as liberal upchuck

The liberal media would be ablaze with a "starvation" story...there would be endless interviews and camera in-yo'-face episodes about this.

The press would gnash and wail about the people who are without food, probably "due to the mean-spirited Republicans", etc.

There would government investigations and every handout organization in the United States would be buying a plane ticket to fly to where ever this "starvation" incident happened...they would form a line across America to be the first ones to donate food, clothing...etc...especially if there were "cameras" present....(ahem).

Take this claim and file it under "reparation"...