In past eras, people took jobs, that today, they wouldn't dream of taking and most assuredly NOT for the same wages, working conditions, and no benefits. During the PANICS and DEPRESSIONS, prior to the one in 1929 ( and even then ) there was no such thing as unemployment insurance and the Dole ( yes we used to have that, as well as " workhouses " and poorfarms ) joblessness wasn't nearly as well reported as it has been in the later part of the 20th century and today.
No, we did NOT have a nation, earlier, when " even marginal people were able to make it " . People starved to death, they froze to death, their children worked, just so that there was food on the table. As late as the late 1960s, there were households that didn't have indoor plumbing and a pump in the kitchen sink. instead of faucets.
What standard of kiving are you talking about, that permitted high school grads to support families in and when ? People didn't used to think that they absolutely had to have certain things, unless they could afford them and did without. Most families lived with far fewer ammenities, than they think they deserve to have today.
You are claiming that medicare is being cut off by President Bush and that isn't so. Besides which, you are really all over the place; espousing Socialist programs and slamming them at the same time. Before medicare, the elderly went into debt, for the treatments they got, or just died, or both. Medical care is so expensive today, because of many reasons; not the least of which, is that the UNIONS forced businesses to " give " it to their workers. Because people were nolonger paying for their own health care, they abused it. Medicine has advanced and that advancement costs big bucks. Law suits and insurance against these mostly frivilous suits costs even more.
The media is NOT controled by five corporations. You're spewing unmittigated tinfoil drivel, baseless twaddle, and hyperventilating all over the place.
The standard of living, if anything, has risen hugely, for the past 100 + years. Your lack of historical and economics, is appaling and shameful.
Public schooled, are you ?
LOL!!!
Yes, the standard of living has risen to meteoric heights... How ironic, that as the standard of living has increased, so have the taxes, as well...
Were the generic "public" educated on things such as the Laffer curve and its' implications, they'd be screaming for tax-rate reductions, and crucifying the liberals- whose last vestige of hope is to add more bums to the public dole...
Of course, in the good old-days (which, as you have so clearly described, weren't so good), people also had a sense of shame, and pride in their abilities to pull themselves up by the bootstraps... Those that failed...? Died. A Darwinian model, if there ever was one...
My personal assessment of the economy is that it's far worse than they're letting on- it's like the old joke, "you gonna' believe ME or your lyin' eyes?" :-\
The new word on the lips of most educated economists... is deflation. And if it gets as bad as some indications seem to suggest... Then we may follow Japan into the financial toilet.
I hope- dearly so- that I'm wrong... But something tells me it's going to get a lot worse, before it finally starts to get better... :-|
FReegards,
In Bush' first year he cut real medicaire payments to doctors for all procedures by 5% across the board. In his 2'nd year he cut many procedures by more than 5%, up to 30% even, the cuts were uneven, but just as significant. Many doctors now refuse to take medicaire patients as a result. Everyone who knows anything about this medical industry understands that it is in crisis because we as a society are becoming unable to afford it. Even the lowest technician feels this in his gut. And that is exactly what I said in my statement above. When you deny these obvious facts, then you're showing us all how you're just plain in denial. Bush cheerleaders have a higher priority in their politics than america's welfare. They think about beating the democrats. They think about elevating their idol to a super-human level. They do not care about america.
The poverty rate in america registered it's first increase at any time outside the 1930's in 1968. This was 1 year after the 'war on poverty' began. The poverty rate continued to go up until the early 1980's. Then we made gains again in bringing poverty down under Reagan. Then, when the first King George came in, poverty went up again. Today it is still higher than what it was in 1965. The fact that it has been taboo to talk about this in the media ever since 1970 should speak volumes to the american sheeples.
Decisions were made throughout the 1970's by our government to destroy industry after industry with regulation. The people who ran those industries tried to tell us horror story after horror story after horror story about run-amok regulations from washington that senselessly killed these industries frequently with no gain at all to the environment. Just senseless killing of industry by government. Classic example was the nuclear power plant construction industry. We can't build nuke plants in the US any more because of stupid regs, unlike all other countries on earth.
Sheeples cover their eyes, cover their ears, cover their mouths, see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil. Even while the government steps on them and their progeny. The sheeple can't figure out what's happening. They worship bush and they crave more, like an S&M pervert.
Nobody contributed more to this downward trend in american incomes than the first King George. That man imposed regulations on our economy that couldn't have been made by an intelligent group of people unless it was their goal to destroy our standard of living. That's how bad the first Bush was on the economy. So, I storngly suspect on this board that worship for republicans and george bush is the key reason why some are in denial.
you're simply wrong fellow. In 1965 even the marginal possibly mentally retarded fellow, even the drunkard, even the lazy bum, could get a decent job and buy something in the economy with the money, much better than today. We didn't have nearly as many homeless then. We didn't have people begging on street corners. Nobody would ever stand on the street corner looking for a job back then. Employers actually begged for workers back then. In 1962 unemployment was 2.2%. And we didn't have people starving to death in 65, this is foolish sheepleness to think that we did.