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Originally Posted by Bill O'Rights
What is an "American" standard of living? Seriously. I'm interested in hearing your viewpoint on that.
I see waaaay too many people trying to maintain a standard of living, that is beyond their means, by way of debt. How long did those people suppose that that was sustainable?
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Affordable healthcare, the ability to have the necessities in life, the knowledge that if your car breaks down or something happens you won't be missing payments or have to worry about it, the ability to afford utilities.
I am no fool the vast majority of people are going to live paycheck to paycheck because our society is built that way.
A family pretty much needs an internet (doesn't mean they need the newest most expensive computer... that's where Dell comes in), a family pretty much needs a car unless they live in town on a bus route, a family needs to know they can afford to fill their tank up, pay the electric and gas bill and still be able to afford food.
People need to live in an environment where they feel safe, where they feel secure and where can save money.
Extending credit and not raising wages is stupid to say the least. All you produce doing that is people severely in debt with no savings that are borderline on default.
I just think our country is fucked up in our thinking. If someone wants to put forth 40 hours of work a week and works hard, there is no reason on God's green Earth that a company cannot reward that person with a decent paycheck that allows that person to feel wanted and appreciated. There is no reason for that person to have to worry about making ends meet.
Now, we also have a problem where if you want a decent job you need a college degree and you need loans to achieve that. So by the time you hit the work force you are severely in debt and basically paying off a mortgage to begin with. Companies aren't paying and aren't recognizing this, yet they can pay their CEO's more and more every year.
The Neocons like to say there is a class war and the Dems are the cause. I believe there is a class war in this country, but it is the rich warring against the poor and middle class. The average hard working American just wants a life better than their parents, the pay should be, the conditions should be, the safety and job security should be..... but the managements don't believe so. The managements like to threaten, keep wages down while increasing theirs, fight any benefits to the worker yet prepare their golden parachutes and will sell out or move if they see a buck to be made.
This causes the double edged sword. If I feel unsecure in my workplace and that I am just a number, why am I going to give loyalty? If you tell me that I'm just a number and there are replacements out there to work cheaper and yada yada yada... then you really aren't giving me positive incentive to work to the best of my ability... instead I'll do just enough to not get in trouble. What happens then is there is no pride in workmanship and in the end you put out shit quality causing a decrease in sales.
The workers aren't going to care because they are just a paycheck, you give them just enough to live and you make them feel you don't even want them to have that. Management doesn't care because they'll just sell out or move.
But the spiral continues to go out of control and it continues to be fed by the Neocons who want to blame the workers and Dems for wanting too much and the Dems who blame management for not caring.... and management doesn't care. Should they? Yes, because people will spend a little bit more if the product they buy they trust the quality of. In order to get quality you need quality workers, in order to get quality workers you need to give them pride and a sense of safety and job security, as they need to give commitment to doing their best. And most importantly you need to share in the wealth, pay the people decently, because in today's society it's all about the pay and feeling that you make enough to live.