Oops, I missed this:
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Originally Posted by pan6467
Yes we are all interconnected and it shows more in turbulent times than it does in prosperous. I think our differences here maybe the fact I blame the top 5% class for their greed and making the problems we have by not paying the worker what the worker needs to survive.
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I can't tell you how glad it makes me to read you saying that. I totally agree. The top 1%, the developing oligarchy, are out of control and its about damned time that we have things like executive pay limits imposed in order to
force the ultra-rich to allow their money to trickle down to the hard workers that they build their fortunes on. I'm not against hard workers getting paid for their hard work, but I'm against the working class getting ripped off. So I'm totally with you so far.
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Originally Posted by pan6467
It's easy to tell a worker "live within your means" while the CEO and upper management rape the company for all it's worth and get bonuses when they layoff people or golden parachutes when the company they ran goes into the dumpster.
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I think that's a different issue, though. There's the issue of vast wealth inequality, which is an issue of fairness, and there's the issue of living within one's means, which is an issue of pragmatism. Am I making sense? I say we should fight tooth and nail to make sure hard working people aren't getting ripped off, but until we score that glorious victory it's up to us to ensure that they don't break us (though now that I think of it, I'm probably not one of the "us"s because I'm pretty comfortable). Every time a minimum wage earner wastes money he or she needs just to stay afloat, they're supporting the vampiric debt industrial complex that further enslaves them financially. Every time someone borrows money they can't pay back in this country, the "ruling class" earns another indentured servant. That's a bigger threat to the poor than the corrupt, golden-parachute-wearing pricks that enjoy an outrageous salary made off the poor. The poor should avoid debt like it's the plague. They should avoid wasteful spending. It's not about me judging them, either. I'm speaking from my own experience. I made it. I was poor from the day my dad first moved our family so he could go to the seminary to the day I got my job after graduating from college. I want everyone to have the opportunity to taste the sweet taste of success.
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Originally Posted by pan6467
People are people. If they saw an opportunity to buy a house and were told they could afford it, then of course they are going to. Government knew what was going on so did the banks... they knew there would be a bubble bursting and they did nothing. So who is to truly blame. I can't blame the people for wanting a chance at a better life. I blame government for not protecting the people and the banks for knowing what they were doing but not caring. If the rates hadn't gone up, if gas hadn't ballooned, a lot of the housing would have been ok. The rates going up I still have to hear good reasons for.
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There's more than enough blame to go around. Congress, Clinton, Bush, banks, and yes, the people that put their John Hancock on the mortgages; they're all to blame. I get that real estate isn't simple. I had an interesting adventure buying my house from a family member that I might retell someday. Still, I didn't walk into it blind at all. No one should.
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Originally Posted by pan6467
True. I think that's a NeoCon right way to scare people. Scare tactics work.
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Scare tactics are used to control. What's needed is proper education. These people walked into a trap and didn't have a clue. It's time for people to wise up and learn about these things before signing papers.
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Originally Posted by pan6467
Agreed 100% here as I stated a free market with restraints and regulations. I don't think that the top 5% are evil as a whole. I think greed takes one over as they acquire more and greed affects rational thinking.
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Glad we're on the same page.
