How "Healthcare for the Rich" Is Killing Many of Them
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Most Americans Are Getting Poorer. How "Healthcare for the Rich" Is Killing Many of Them
by Paul Buchheit
http://www.commondreams.org/views/2017/04/03/most-americans-are-getting-...
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Evidence for the Financial Collapse of the Great Majority of Americans
The poorest 90% of Americans lost nearly $2 trillion in wealth in 2015-16, an average of $8,500 per adult. Every sector of society lost money except for the richest 1%, whose members gained an average of $1.5 million in that single year.
Wealth is down in part because income is down. Median household income is about $2,000 less than it was ten years ago.
There's much more evidence for the decline of all sectors except the upper class. Almost three-quarters of American consumers die with debt. Anywhere from two-thirds to 80% lack the savings needed for unexpected expenses.
Pew Research recently found that major U.S. metropolitan areas experienced significant growth in upper-income and lower-income households since the year 2000, with a dramatic dropoff in-between. Two out of every five middle-income households, as reported by the New York Times, have dropped out of the middle-class income range, becoming either upper-income or lower-income. If WEALTH is considered rather than INCOME, it becomes evident that most of the middle class is heading DOWN rather than UP, because the total net worth (home and financial assets minus debt) of the richest adult in the bottom 70% of North Americans is only about $150,000 (Table 6-5).
And that 'growing' job market? A Princeton study concluded that a stunning 94 percent of the nine million new jobs created in the past decade were temporary or contract-based, rather than traditional full-time positions. There are a lot of high-tech jobs with six-figure salaries available today, but those jobs are out-of-reach for most of the new members of a swollen lower class.
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Median Household Income Is
Median Household Income Is Falling Because People Are Working Less
The pattern between the two is quite close; they rise and fall together and at very nearly the same rate. This suggests that any struggles by the middle class are not the result of unfair pay practices or too much income going to corporate profits, but rather are related to the amount of work being done.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffreydorfman/2014/12/03/median-household-...
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Lol
Lol
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ________
A shovel operator in a strip
A shovel operator in a strip mine in the 50s was making as much as a Dr.
what happened?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: _
>> what happened?
>> what happened?
I'm no economist but global free trade opened up new markets. Coal/minerals are fungible and it's cheaper to import them from a country with lower wages and safety/work standards. So there is less demand for domestic miners and their pay is cut.
Services aren't fungible, people want to go to their local doctor and want the best care and are willing to pay for it.
Also, we broke the back of unions.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Oaksterdam Dan
In 2013, there were 14.5
In 2013, there were 14.5 million members in the U.S., down from 17.7 million in 1983. The percentage of workers belonging to a union in the United States (or total labor union "density") was 10.8%, compared to 20.1% in 1983.[1][2] Union membership in the private sector has fallen under 7%[3] — levels not seen since 1932. From a global perspective, the density in 2013 was 7.7% in France, 18.1% in Germany, 27.1% in Canada, and 85.5% in Iceland, which is currently highest in the world.[2]
In the 21st century the most prominent unions are among public sector employees such as city employees, government workers, teachers and police. Members of unions are disproportionately older, male, and residents of the Northeast, the Midwest, and California.[4] Union workers average 10-30% higher pay than non-union in the United States after controlling for individual, job, and labor market characteristics.[5]
Although much smaller compared to their peak membership in the 1950s, American unions remain a political factor, both through mobilization of their own memberships and through coalitions with like-minded activist organizations around issues such as immigrant rights, trade policy, health care, and living wage campaigns. Of special concern are efforts by cities and states to reduce the pension obligations owed to unionized workers who retire in the future.[6] Republicans elected with Tea Party support in 2010, most notably Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin, have launched major efforts against public sector unions due in part to state government pension obligations along with the allegation that the unions are too powerful.[7][8] States with higher levels of union membership tend to have higher median incomes[9] and standards of living.[10] It has been asserted by scholars and the International Monetary Fund that rising income inequality in the United States is directly attributable to the decline of the labor movement and union membership.[11][12][13]
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But the stock market is up 3
But the stock market is up 3 trillion in fake money
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>> fake money
>> fake money
How's the gold working out for you?
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I own no precious metals. Do
I own no precious metals. Do not confuse me for someone else.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Briank
I'm not sure that I see the
I'm not sure that I see the value in using the median as a marker. The mean, sure, but using the figure that's in the dead center of the high and low?
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>> The mean, sure, but using
>> The mean, sure, but using the figure that's in the dead center of the high and low?
The mean would look worse for the progressive argument. Wages are rising, just at the top. If you show average, instead of median, it would just show that wages are rising over time.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Briank
Except for the top 20%, that
Except for the top 20%, that graph shows flat wage growth. Not sure if the numbers have been adjusted for inflation. If not, it's pretty dismal that the bottom 80% are making the same as they did 50 years ago.
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>> Not sure if the numbers
>> Not sure if the numbers have been adjusted for inflation.
They have. It says "in 2012 dollars".
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Briank
I read goodly, huh?
I read goodly, huh?
My maths must be bad too, because I add those numbers up to 105%. Those Commie stoners at Mother Jones must be fucking with me!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: _
>> My maths must be bad too,
>> My maths must be bad too, because I add those numbers up to 105%.
They do add up to 105%, but that's not a error. They just chose to show top 5% as an extreme. They could have just charted only top 1% and bottom 1%, for example.
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Maybe you should ask the
Maybe you should ask the people that were ready to cash in their 401ks in 2008 if the money was real.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: An organ grinder’s tune
housing would be 50% + of my
housing would be 50% + of my income if i was single.
yeah, we're doin' fine...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: jon
oh, when i started reading
oh, when i started reading this i thought...... "brian needs to be here...."
i was glad to scroll down to see you posting..... hi buddy.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Briank
Jon, making every effort to
Jon, making every effort to trash Viva with your lame trolling? If you want, post your email and I'll send you a dik-pic to jerk off to, and that way you can stop fucking up every thread with your shit.
Even better, just hook up with JR. He wants your ass really bad. Now that I posted , he'll be along shortly to suck your virtual cock.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: jon
still in melt mode i see.....
still in melt mode i see.....
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: jon
lol, reading your post for
lol, reading your post for the second time reveals a deeper stage of melt....
ouch buddy...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Briank
No, just sick of your douchy
No, just sick of your douchy trolling and trustafarian attitude. Play it off as a melt, but it doesn't change the fact that you've become a useless asshat. I post and you come at me. Yawn.
Seems to me that you're the one melting. Go back to your stupid cats and inane banter. It better suits you.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: jon
your the name caller, and the
your the name caller, and the one having issues here.... what have i done?
when are you going to send the dick pick again??? dude you have big issues... good luck to you!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Briank
Dude, if I post in a
Dude, if I post in a political thread you comment on me posting, not the post itself. In general, that's what you do on political threads. Am I telling you something you don't know?
My issue is you trolling me. No trolling, no issues. Why you need to troll is the real issue. Just another nobody with nothing to say, so you act like a dick to people who do care and do have shit to say. That's called trolling. The troll is always the one with the issues, and the troll always tries to put it on the trolled.
No dick pic for you. You can't handle it.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: jon
lol.
lol.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Briank
You didn't even chuckle
You didn't even chuckle silently.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: _________
Saw plenty of down and outs
Saw plenty of down and outs as well as Empty store fronts in Santa Barbara on State st today - many are Hurting it just makes me Sad.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Oaksterdam Dan
I here ya with the down and
I here ya with the down and outs. Try driving around Stockton, Oakland & parts of San Francisco it's heartbreaking to see. Third world America but lets buy more military bullshit.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: jeff
A free tarot reading might
A free tarot reading might get you back on track Brian k. I'll ping Jill for you.