Universal, anyone-can-do-it solution to wealth inequality

**Greebo** · 10-07-2011, 01:49 PM

Originally Posted by Nishu

Did you happen to see this on the page you posted?

I did specify that I was looking at their *forums*, remember? And if you read the post you just quoted, I said *A* moron.

**HappyMama** · 10-07-2011, 04:42 PM

Sorry couldn't resist....LOL

Since you all are talking about Occupy Wallstreet.

A new group has joined the mix due to twitter- the Muppets and now it is Occupy Sesame Street

Twitter: Who Needs Wall Street? Occupy Sesame Street!: Gothamist

‘Occupy Sesame Street’ Takes Off - Deal Journal - WSJ

The Muppets Occupy Sesame Street and Michelle Obama Tries To Get Into The Guinness Book of World Records | Trending Now - Yahoo! News

On a serious note love all the discussion. Would say more but don't want to get all political...lol

**Nishu** · 10-07-2011, 05:00 PM

I love Ron Paul. If he does not win the Republican nomination, I will write him in. Here he is, guys. A conservative, someone who believes in small government, less war, less taxes, less spending, and fewer entitlement programs, addressing the issue that our current system unfairly favors the rich.

I know the "income inequality" complaint sounds like a big joke to a lot of people, conservatives especially, but we have every right to be ticked about this. It is a huge problem. The best and fairest solution would be to eliminate the opportunities for the rich to nurse off of the government and take advantage of the poor and middle class. Does that make me a communist? Do you think I'm some kind of liberal pansy because I see a problem with wealth distribution? People need to step back and think. Blaming individuals for crappy circumstances is helping no one.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8ECtPUDW64]Ron Paul: The System Is Biased against the Middle Class and the Poor - YouTube[/ame]

**Nishu** · 10-07-2011, 05:07 PM

On another note, Herman Cain scares the living hell out of me. The idea that that man could be president is absolutely terrifying.

**grneyegrl** · 10-07-2011, 05:28 PM

hermen cain is a coward.. he has a hard time with civil right workers from the 60's..he feels they should have just gone along with the program..ie if told to move to the back of the bus just move to the back of the bus..i have a real problem with that..

members of my family worked very hard to see to it that their children didnt have to do this because they knew how demeaning it was and they didnt want anyone else to feel that.

african americans of his age greatly benefited from the new laws passed..if they had not herman cain would be delivering pizza instead of being ceo..which would not have been possible if the country had not been forced to change.

**Greebo** · 10-07-2011, 08:08 PM

Originally Posted by Nishu

I know the "income inequality" complaint sounds like a big joke to a lot of people, conservatives especially, but we have every right to be ticked about this. It is a huge problem. The best and fairest solution would be to eliminate the opportunities for the rich to nurse off of the government and take advantage of the poor and middle class. Does that make me a communist? Do you think I'm some kind of liberal pansy because I see a problem with wealth distribution? People need to step back and think. Blaming individuals for crappy circumstances is helping no one.

The problem isn't wealth inequality, its how the wealth inequality is created and maintained.

Wanting to make the playing field *fair* doesn't make you a communist. Eliminating special deals for corporations, government endorsed/run monopolies, etc - that's a step in the right direction.

**227melissa** · 10-09-2011, 11:39 AM

look everyone has to pay their fair share. When you have 2 stupid wars going on you everyone even the so called job creators ( where's the jobs?) have to pay for them, when you roll back regulations and the banks go wild, they should have to pay for it not us. The fact is the banks never lost their stride and are richer than ever and where are we the tax payers ??? Broke !!!! Student debt higher than ever, these kids will still be paying off these when they are in their forties and here's the kicker they have a degree and can't find a job. Our government is bought and paid for by Corporations, they don't care if we have clean water, food, or air it's all about the profits. Middle class is being pushed down into poverty because of inflation and stagnated wages, while the rich get richer. Now I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, but that's just not right !!!! It's time for people to stand up and demand fairness and if we would quit listening to rich people like the Koch bothers ( too all the tea party people) same with the left, and join together things would change and yes we would have to work out the details, but so did our founders. This is what the ows stand for or what their primary message is, everything else just details. You get more accomplished by working together than standing apart.

**227melissa** · 10-09-2011, 11:52 AM

One more thing someone said something about restaurants only making .04 cents on the dollar. My DH is a general manager at a McDonalds they make a whole lot more than that, by paying their employees an unlivable wage and encouraging them to get government assistance.

**Nishu** · 10-09-2011, 03:32 PM

Originally Posted by 227melissa

One more thing someone said something about restaurants only making .04 cents on the dollar. My DH is a general manager at a McDonalds they make a whole lot more than that, by paying their employees an unlivable wage and encouraging them to get government assistance.

Hey you know what the most profitable menu item is at fast food joints? Soda. You know why it's so profitable? Because the primary ingredient, high fructose corn syrup, is so cheap. You know why it's so cheap? Corn subsidies.

The government is effectively subsidizing the fast food and junk food industries.

**rebecca** · 10-09-2011, 05:54 PM

Totally agree with you.

**khaski** · 10-10-2011, 08:24 AM

Originally Posted by 227melissa

I agree it's not that simple, when millions of jobs have went overseas and none created in it's place. How do you get a job then??? Go to work at McDonalds ??? Lets see how much you can pay for on 7.25 an hour. Invest in this stock market no way, up 248 one day down 400 the next and so on. Living below your means totally agree with this one and live it. Since 1974 we have been shipping jobs overseas and now we pay the price. The corporations, banks and their cohorts in congress, senate and yes in the white house, have all benefited, but not us. GOODBYE MIDDLE CLASS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HELLO POVERTY!!!!!!!

I recognize your point there, but is $7.25 an hour better to live on than $0 an hour, without a job? You work 2-3 MckyD's jobs while searching for something better, patching it into one livable salary. Its not forever, it's for now. some folks get REALLY hung up on this 40-hrs- a week, 1 job thing....sometimes you have to expand! and no one 'has' to invest in stocks, it is ppossible to simply BANK the $ and watch it grow over time, people need to stop blaming the Wall St mess for their lack of net worth.

I have not followed the 'occupy' groups closely, but from what I see on the news I'm NOT impressed. One 22 year old moron was whining 'People have no control over their lives any more'. I couldn't help but think people might get more 'control' if they moved their rumps out of their tents and started looking for work instead of complaining.

I feel bad for the kids coming out of school with mountains of debt, but THEY are the ones who chose to sign up for it all, instead of going to community college or starting our part time while working part time as well to pay the bills. Alot of 'gimme gimme' going on in the bits I've seen aout Occupy Boston.

**kita** · 10-10-2011, 08:53 AM

Originally Posted by khaski

I recognize your point there, but is $7.25 an hour better to live on than $0 an hour, without a job? You work 2-3 MckyD's jobs while searching for something better, patching it into one livable salary. Its not forever, it's for now. some folks get REALLY hung up on this 40-hrs- a week, 1 job thing.....

Yes, but it can be difficult to find 2-3 MckyD jobs, orchestrate that schedule and look for work at the same time. I have done it...worked as a caregiver while also working for the census. My caregiving company was flexible, my clients were flexible and I was allowed to set my own hours for the census as long as I worked more than 20 and no more than 40. My goal each week was to work a total of 60 hours.
My niece has a janitoral job where she started at min. wage. The wage is livable only because I give her a cut on the utilities and provide her with a bus pass at 50% of usual cost because it is a benefit of my job. Her job is hard enough that she lost 40 lbs in the first few months. When she started and was working nights transportation added at least four hours to her day because she got off at 2:30 am and buses didn't start running until 4:45 am. Not sure how she was supposed to look for work or add another job to that.
She knows it is temporary and has plans beyond this job but it isn't all that simple.

**Greebo** · 10-10-2011, 09:07 AM

Small point of order:

Invest doesn't mean "invest in the stock market" - I said INVEST (stock market, real estate, whatever)

That said, if you DO invest in the market, do it for the long term. If the day to day up and down of the market scares you, you don't belong there. That kind of "investing" isn't investing, it's gambling. It's 5+ years that you need to plan on when going into the market, and you don't do single stocks, you do mutual funds, for diversity - good ones with long track records of success despite recent short term downturns.

People that jump in and out of the market cause they get scared when it goes down are like farmers that pull up all their crops a week after they were planted cause it didn't rain that day.

**khaski** · 10-10-2011, 10:26 PM

I like to think of stock market holdings as siilar to my hosuing value...the only time the vaues REALLY matter is 1) the day you buy and 2) the day you sell and in between #s are 'just pretend' (assuming of course, you don't need the 4 in the next few years).

Kita- of course it's hard,and miserable, but people do it all the time to support themselves. IMO, it's far better to 'make do' working multiple jobs to bring in enough $ than to whine and complain places don't payig 'living' wages. I don't disagree they don't, my point is some people work 1 job, 40 hours, complaining they don't have enough $, all the while refusing to take on more hours or another job.

**craftypam** · 10-10-2011, 10:57 PM

My house is paid for. So I am not in the predicament that many are finding themselves in, upside down with nowhere to go. My posts are just empathy and sympathy for some because I know that they weren't responsible for a crashed economy and yet they are living with the results of it all the same.

Just wanted to say I so agree with this!!! Also what never seems to be mentioned in posts about living beneath your means is when you do have health insurance and you have an ongoing medical problem you have deductibles and copayments and add that kind of debt to your already bills that is no ones fault either. Add that to the economy and just trying to put food on the table, have a roof over your head and pay for utilities. And insurances like car and homeowners and/or renters