What is wrong with society

When I was a kid, we lived in a nice house, had an in-ground swimming pool, my parents traveled every year, took my brother and I on a trip to Disney world and 3 Caribbean cruises all before I turned 16. My mom was a homemaker and my dad worked hard at a modest wage. Now days, I look back and wonder... Interest rates for mortgages are the lowest they will ever be, everything is made in China and as inexpensive as it will ever be. Why is it that my wife and I make in the $95,000 a year mark, and live in an average house and struggle to give my kids the kind of life that I remember growing up?
How are my kids ever going to make it?

If you haven't noticed there is a war on the middle class. Wages haven't kept up with inflation for the last 30 years. Then you have to count the toys that we think we have to have like a tv in every room and a phone in every pocket.

Times are tough man. I can relate.

The dollar is not worth much anywhere in the world now and we are falling behind in education (#17 and falling) and economy.

About 15 years ago, when I traveled through Europe extensively, the Euro was about $0.80 and now it is about $1.50 U$ just to buy one. - That is a big shift, especially since oil costs are pegged to the worthless dollar, energy costs in the U.S. are higher than elsewhere since other companies do not use dollars, but use their more valuable currency that is uniformly converted.

None of the toys and TVs are made in the U.S. China is probably the world's largest auto producer (and market), but does not export cars because of the their domestic demand. The top imports into China are Mercedes and BMW. India refuses to import goods into the U.S. because it is better to consume them domestically, even though they have a small 4 door AC sedan that can be bought for under $3000, but the production is limited even though the producer (TATA) could buy GM, but chose to buy Jaguar and Rover from Ford (to avoid the bail-out complexity) for many billions in CASH. Renault (French) bought Volvo heavy trucks and are going to make them in the Mack plant in PA. The Volvo car production and name may have been sold to a Chinese company.

It is a complex situation.

Dick

Look at where it goes and who all gets you to pay them every month.
I used to have a phone at home and return my calls at night. I'd have to go to the gas staion to use the pay phone occasionally but I didn't know any different.
TV was free.
Then my dad got a pager for the business.
What used to cost me $25.00 a month has morphed into...
Land line for long distance and other reasons so I can't give it up,
Two cell phones, 4 when the kids were home,
Internet connection, fast too,
Television costs money now, who woulda thunk,
Yellow page ad,
But the yellow page ad don't cut it so there's the...
Website,
Domain name,
Search engine support,

From $25.00 a month to... care to guess?

But at least I can call the customer from his front porch if he's in the shower.
Oh yeah, and I can play solitaire any dang time that I want. Couldn't do that before.

When I was child every one in the area live like a family but now time changes no one has time for anyone. Everyone is only running for money and forgot the value of people in their life.

Underdog said:

Look at where it goes and who all gets you to pay them every month.
I used to have a phone at home and return my calls at night. I'd have to go to the gas staion to use the pay phone occasionally but I didn't know any different.
TV was free.
Then my dad got a pager for the business.
What used to cost me $25.00 a month has morphed into...
Land line for long distance and other reasons so I can't give it up,
Two cell phones, 4 when the kids were home,
Internet connection, fast too,
Television costs money now, who woulda thunk,
Yellow page ad,
But the yellow page ad don't cut it so there's the...
Website,
Domain name,
Search engine support,

From $25.00 a month to... care to guess?

But at least I can call the customer from his front porch if he's in the shower.
Oh yeah, and I can play solitaire any dang time that I want. Couldn't do that before.

Click to expand...

You forgot the new computer, printer ,cartriges and every other new Ipadiddle they come out with in a month. Oh yeah...and all these batteries cost cha-ching every time they change out tool designs.
Oh well. Time to go feed the horse, and grease the buggy.

inspectorD said:

You forgot the new computer, printer ,cartriges and every other new Ipadiddle they come out with in a month. Oh yeah...and all these batteries cost cha-ching every time they change out tool designs.
Oh well. Time to go feed the horse, and grease the buggy.

Click to expand...

I stand corrected... you make my argument very well.

inspectorD -

Now you also have to "pony" up for an orange triangle for the back of the buggy.

Makes me want to sell most of my belongings, take my ATV (that I bought to keep up with my buddy) and drive off into a bush somewhere and wherever I run out of gas, build a little cottage and live off the land... If I could just give up my fancy new truck (that I had to buy to out-do my brother) My 60" HDTV (just so i could have the biggest) my Xbox 360 and all my fancy power tools (all DeWalt of course... cheap tools would work for the most part, but why buy cheap twice when you can buy expensive once, right?). I suppose I'm stuck being a slave to the machine of big business, jacking up prices on EVERYTHING, cause people will keep buying, and if they can't afford it, just finance it.

Go back and look at the lifestyle your parents really lived. How many suits did Dad have or Mom's wardrobe? How many other toys beyond the basics? My Dad bought cars for cash, not credit. They owned everything outright, not interest expenses to the bank. No expensive cruises, only "stay-cations" in town . . . No season tickets to the football team. They used to put all their loose change in a 5 gallon bottle. It was play money at the end of the year. You name it.

Can you still get TV for free? Sure but not CATV.
Do you "have to have" a big-*** wide screen TV? No, especially if it is new.
Do you "have to have" the latest 5-G telephone? No, avoid the two year contract by buying a phone outright. And Verizon sucks, so dump them for something cheaper.
The list goes on and on.

Clean up your lifestyle, save for vacations, kill your on-going debt, you'll do better.

mudmixer said:

inspectorD -

Now you also have to "pony" up for an orange triangle for the back of the buggy.

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But on the plus side,,,,I have alllll that manure.

How are my kids ever going to make it?

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Lower their standards, and learn Mandarin.

Raise the standards to other county's standards.

Learning a different language is a waste of time. English or American is universally accepted in almost every country due to the prominence of the internet and WWII.

In India, there are 17 different languages/dialects and when two people cannot understand each other they shift to English and sometimes American. They do not export merchandise or materials to the U.S., but my last 2 doctors went back to India after 20 years in the U.S.

Same for China where there are many different languages due to the huge size of the countries. Most of the automated and technical equipment there is shipped from the U.S. with instructions in English. - Later it is copied, improved and made more economical without using cheap labor since they have the technology to not rely on cheap labor and have really abandoned rickshaws many years ago except for old movies and travelogs.

Dick

mudmixer said:

Raise the standards to other county's standards.

Learning a different language is a waste of time. English or American is universally accepted in almost every country due to the prominence of the internet and WWII.

In India, there are 17 different languages/dialects and when two people cannot understand each other they shift to English and sometimes American. They do not export merchandise or materials to the U.S., but my last 2 doctors went back to India after 20 years in the U.S.

Same for China where there are many different languages due to the huge size of the countries. Most of the automated and technical equipment there is shipped from the U.S. with instructions in English. - Later it is copied, improved and made more economical without using cheap labor since they have the technology to not rely on cheap labor and have really abandoned rickshaws many years ago except for old movies and travelogs.

Dick

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I really want to argue with you, but I find your arrogance in the face of certain doom to be too amusing to hinder.

It seems now all this country values is the financial manipulators, arbitragers, speculators and all thise people who do not add value to the economy. I just saw a st udythat said that pay for CEO's has gone up over 700% since 1978 and wages for workers have gone up 5%. We need to start making things and educating people. Without good schools (and roads and airports for that matter) we are no better off then any third world country. I am tired of hearing people whine about how we can't compete with cheap Chinese labor or we can't afford to do this or that. Nonsense. this is a great nation and if we decide we are going to rebuild our manufacturing base and put a real emphasis on education (and make public school teacher the kind of prestigious job it is in many countries) we damn well can do it. All this whining about how factory workers here ask for too much. Phoey. German factory workers get big $ great healthcare, and six weeks of paid vacation. (!!!) every year. and they somehow manage to export more then anyone.:2cents: and then some

Always: Do you have your doomsday shelter all stocked up with food and guns? I agree with Asbestos, the only thing that trickles down from the rich is BS and fear.

nealtw said:

Always: Do you have your doomsday shelter all stocked up with food and guns?

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Yes... and a Mandarin in Ten Minutes per Day audio course

There are two things that keep the econimy working. When everyone thinks life is good and spend money they don't have or fear of what ever, I guess we know which side your on.

nealtw said:

There are two things that keep the econimy working. When everyone thinks life is good and spend money they don't have or fear of what ever, I guess we know which side your on.

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Absolutely, wasn't it great when so many people bought houses they couldn't afford? I know it helps my family's finances when we spend money we don't have.

nealtw said:

Always: Do you have your doomsday shelter all stocked up with food and guns? I agree with Asbestos, the only thing that trickles down from the rich is BS and fear.

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Amen again... after all, who ever remodels for the rich? I only work for poor people. And when people buy cars, the best thing to do with the old car is to give it to the cash for clunkers program and destroy it.