They hate you
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ThatOwlWoman
Leftist Vermin
We give the Fourth Estate a wide leeway in this country in the interests of freedom of speech. That being said, a lot of lying wannabe-journalists have been successfully taken to court and punished for their blatant lies. Alex Jones is a good example. The National Enquirer has also been successfully sued for publishing false stories about various celebrities.
Matt Dillon
Semolina comes from wheat
That makes sense..
Stop that!
The flow of what you're talking about could be easier on people if the government wasn't exacerbating the situation.
It requires 50-100% more of a week's income to pay for a month's housing now. That's due to local municipalities charging too much in taxes, especially on rental property.
Apparently they wanted to "Stick it" to the landlords and they did..the government makes more off of rental property than the owner. A lot more, around twice as much, even.
Of course the unintended consequence is that the cost of housing has gone up for tenants just so the landlord can break even.
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The NYT was available in NYC way back then. Today its available worldwide. Huge difference.
No AP either so local papers carried local news almost exclusively. HUge difference.
Read Bernie Goldberg's book.
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T. A. Gardner
Thread Killer
That makes sense..
Stop that!
The flow of what you're talking about could be easier on people if the government wasn't exacerbating the situation.
This is due primarily to two qualities of government:
1. It is a bureaucracy and bureaucracies are all about maintaining the status quo. Because of this, government is slow to change, and often the last to change.
2. Government's 'solution' to most problems is either to outlaw it or regulate it. This means change is actively going to be fought against.
The biggest stumbling block to housing is zoning and building code. Property taxes by comparison are a small issue. In California, particularly if you live in an area controlled by the Coastal Commission, it can take years and tens of thousands of dollars just to obtain a building permit for the simplest of things.
Only smaller landlords. Big corporations and the rich can afford to navigate the byzantine labyrinth of government to operate. They have the resources. The small guy operating on a thin margin doesn't have that capacity.
This one?
He may as well; his own are blocked on Amazon.com
yes, that was the first. showed how superstars like Edward R Murrow and Uncle Walter were bastions of bias despite everyone thinking they were real journalists.
Brad** playbook: Troll.
1) You are missing the point.
Back then - the newspapers were the ONLY source of news.
Some dude living in Iowa in 1899 had NO other way to find out what the fuck was going on - short of word of mouth.
If you honestly believe that a news source that had a complete monopoly over news had little power?
Than you are clearly not as bright as I gave you credit for.
Because that falls under the 'well duh' category...no offense.
And almost NOBODY but Boomers or rich wannabes read the Times/newspapers today.
2) And which book?
From some fucking arrogant, Silent Generation, superficial lib/con/libertarian/whatever whom is DESPERATE for attention whom writes books telling the world what everyone already knew. After spending all that time taking 14 Emmy's for running the same bullshit reporting that he then cashes in on squealing about?
The media is liberal bias was his big revelation in one book.
Well duh...almost everyone with a decent IQ already knew that dude.
Or his 100 people that he hates or whom are 'screwing up America'.
Yeah...that is DEEP, intelligent journalism.
Pass.
I give you stats with links and you give me some lame ass, cop out, semi-troll answer.
I expected better from you.
I won't next time.
It's cool...one less person to spend energy on.
We are done here.
Good day
Well said...and some of it I agree with.
But this 'technology is killing jobs' argument has been going on since the Industrial Revolution.
And the unemployment rate proves that it - with respect - is somewhat overstated.
But many feel as you do - so you are not alone.
The unemployment rate in 2019 was 3.9%.
https://www.thebalance.com/unemployment-rate-by-year-3305506
That is lower than every year in the 1950's but 2.
Yes, the U-3 has changed.
But it's hard to argue that the middle class is losing out due to technology when employment is still pretty strong.
Yes, the factory jobs have largely gone to the Far East.
But that is little to do with technology...just - principally - cheaper labor.
The middle class, American male can no longer do all his factory pay used to do 60+ years ago for three, primary reasons.
1) America basically was GALACTICALLY more powerful (economically) after WW2 than anyone...by MILES. Every, other major country after the war was either destroyed and/or broke and/or communist/soon to be communist. So, for the 20-30 years it took the other countries to rebuild - America had the field to themselves.
So, naturally, every American whom had a decent job was going to be a relatively, powerful person (in comparison to almost all other citizens of the world).
But, by the late 1960's, that advantage was ending.
And now it is almost completely gone.
2) women entered the work force in 1960 and gaining equal rights.
https://www.dol.gov/agencies/wb/data/lfp/civilianlfbysex
As you must know, in 1950, hardly any women worked.
And those that did usually had nothing jobs.
Not today.
Today, women have careers (which I think is fab).
And when they have children?
They toss them in daycares (which I think is HORRIBLE. They should raise them until school age.) and continue their careers.
And that should mean more money for middle class families.
And it did - for a while
Until...
3) the Federal Reserve (and all, major central banks)
It's a long story...but basically, after Japan's 1989 crash and subsequent Lost Decade?
Their central bank went nuts trying to prop up the economy (and largely failed, IMO).
Other central banks got the bright idea that they could intervene in their countries economies.
And from 2000...they did.
And after 2008?
They now RUN the economies. In ALL medium/major economies.
What did that mean?
a) it meant historically low interest rates and TONS of cheap credit.
So now every schmuck with a pizza delivery job could get a credit card/line-of-credit.
Result?
Hidden inflation.
Shit loads of cheap money flooding the planet raised the cost of everything.
But since inflation is largely measured on relative buying power compared to other currencies? And since ALL the other countries were 'printing' shit loads of money as well as America? The US dollar stayed as strong RELATIVE to other currencies.
The inflation was hidden.
b) and consumers went along with it.
Look at an iPhone?
Top of the line iPhone 3G w/16G memory cost $387.18 in 2021 dollars.
Top of the line iPhone 13 w/1TB memory costs $1,599 dollars.
Yes, it is a far, better phone.
But the new SE w/128G at $449 is all most people will ever, really need.
(especially if Apple put a frigging, expanded memory port in their phones.)
Yet over 80 million people will probably buy the iPhone 13...in Q1 2022 alone!
https://telecomtalk.info/apple-iphone-13-sales-q1-2022-estimate/479794/
Look at the the base Ford Ranger pickup.
In 2000?
It started at $18,748.71 in 2021 dollars.
https://www.autobytel.com/ford/ranger/2000/
In 2022?
It starts at $25,500.
https://www.ford.com/trucks/ranger/?gnav=header-trucks-vhp
Again, it is a much, nicer vehicle.
But for a work truck, all the digital dash with fancy head unit and extra toys means nothing to the guy who wants to buy a couple of work trucks for his business - for as cheaply as possible.
My point is that consumers are paying FAR more for the staples in their lives.
They have been subtly conned into paying shit loads more cash for the same, basic thing with more bells and whistles on them.
But since everyone just charges it?
The payments sound so low that few notice/care.
And what about real estate?
c) the Fed not only lowered rates to near nothing. But they also started QE (in many versions/names).
Basically, they have thrown over $7 TRILLION dollars at the economy since 2008.
https://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/bst_recenttrends.htm
And almost all of it went to propping up the equity markets.
And who owns stocks?
Not the middle classes.
And certainly not the poor.
The wealthy do.
The Dow has risen well over 500% since early 2009.
https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/.DJI
And the wealthy have taken that money and thrown it into real estate.
But only in wealthy areas.
That is why my brother's home outside San Francisco has risen by about the same as the DOW since 2009.
Whereas in Iowa?
It has not risen remotely as much.
The Fed is making the big banks/corporations and wealthy MEGA rich.
And the middle class is getting left COMPLETELY behind.
But the MSM talks about the low U-3 (unemployment rate) and the great, stock market numbers?
And how real estate in San Francisco and New York and other wealthy areas is skyrocketing.
And Trump and Biden talk about how 'great' the economy is.
And the ignorant masses just assume that everything is great.
When all the time, it is ONLY great for the wealthy.
The rest are getting left behind.
With respect, it is not technology that is killing the American dream for the middle class dude.
It is women entering the workforce/daycares, cheap overseas labor, America losing it's post-WW2 edge and the Fed causing massive inflation...but (until recently) doing a great job of hiding it.
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T. A. Gardner
Thread Killer
I wasn't saying technology was killing jobs. I meant that technology is changing what jobs are available. At the onset of the Industrial revolution, something like 80 to 90% of the population worked in agriculture and lived in rural small towns. That shifted to something like 80 or 90% of the population moving to large cities and working in factories or office buildings.
Well, that's shifting again. It's entirely possible that most people will move to smaller towns and work remotely in the future, as one possibility. Already, many old large, dense, cities are depopulating to lower density cities or to smaller towns. Electronics has made it possible to do many jobs from anywhere you happen to be. Companies like FedEx and Amazon can move virtually any product or any sort of physical information to wherever you are in a matter of hours to days.
With things like trades, sure people have to live where they work, but they get paid a butt load of money to do that trade as professionals. So, the plumber or electrician that comes to fix your apartment is likely making more than you are as a tech worker. At the moment, there is a serious shortage of such professionals, so they get a higher wage just to stay with a company.
What is obvious is that the low skill, low education, factory worker of the Industrial age is a dying breed. There is less and less need for someone doing a single, simple, repetitive task on an assembly line. The money is in programming the machines or in fixing them when they break. In many cases, that's becoming one job and the same.
Well, that's shifting again. It's entirely possible that most people will move to smaller towns and work remotely in the future, as one possibility. Already, many old large, dense, cities are depopulating to lower density cities or to smaller towns. Electronics has made it possible to do many jobs from anywhere you happen to be. Companies like FedEx and Amazon can move virtually any product or any sort of physical information to wherever you are in a matter of hours to days.
With things like trades, sure people have to live where they work, but they get paid a butt load of money to do that trade as professionals. So, the plumber or electrician that comes to fix your apartment is likely making more than you are as a tech worker. At the moment, there is a serious shortage of such professionals, so they get a higher wage just to stay with a company.
What is obvious is that the low skill, low education, factory worker of the Industrial age is a dying breed. There is less and less need for someone doing a single, simple, repetitive task on an assembly line. The money is in programming the machines or in fixing them when they break. In many cases, that's becoming one job and the same.
1) You are missing the point.
Back then - the newspapers were the ONLY source of news.
Some dude living in Iowa in 1899 had NO other way to find out what the fuck was going on - short of word of mouth.
If you honestly believe that a news source that had a complete monopoly over news had little power?
Than you are clearly not as bright as I gave you credit for.
Because that falls under the 'well duh' category...no offense.
And almost NOBODY but Boomers or rich wannabes read the Times/newspapers today.
2) And which book?
From some fucking arrogant, Silent Generation, superficial lib/con/libertarian/whatever whom is DESPERATE for attention whom writes books telling the world what everyone already knew. After spending all that time taking 14 Emmy's for running the same bullshit reporting that he then cashes in on squealing about?
The media is liberal bias was his big revelation in one book.
Well duh...almost everyone with a decent IQ already knew that dude.
Or his 100 people that he hates or whom are 'screwing up America'.
Yeah...that is DEEP, intelligent journalism.
Pass.
I give you stats with links and you give me some lame ass, cop out, semi-troll answer.
I expected better from you.
I won't next time.
It's cool...one less person to spend energy on.
We are done here.
Good day
you are making my point. that guy in Iowa had virtually no access to any media outside his area.
the media tried to have influence in the areas it served but that was quite naturally very limited. As media firms began to consolidate and radio became a thing that began to change. But not until then.
Okay...well I agree with all that.
But you did start your post with:
'The Middle-Class is losing ground for the same reason it did in the early Industrial age. There is a revolution in technology going on right now and that hasn't sorted itself out yet. We are into about a century of the Electronic Revolution right now. It's likely going to be another century before things really settle down again. Where that will go is anybody's guess at this point.'
So, I commented as to why I thought the middle class was losing ground.
BTW, I think it's fantastic that America/the West is losing those repetitive, factory jobs.
They are TERRIBLE.
I worked in a Ford plant for a SHORT time.
On a classic assembly line.
Fuck...it was awful.
And everyone else seemed to hate it also.
Doing the same fucking thing over and over and over and over again.
It destroys the soul.
Yeah, the pay was good.
And the benefits were amazing.
And it was literally, almost impossible to get fired (once you were in the union).
I knew a guy who took a whole week off work, never even called in.
He showed up the following Monday with no excuse whatsoever (I think he was subconsciously trying to get fired).
And all they did was put him on probation...which meant nothing.
I could have had a 'career' there.
NO THANK YOU!!!
I would literally, rather deliver pizza (which was the job I quit for) full time for 1/3 of the pay than do that awful job.
So I am HAPPY that those hideous jobs are going overseas/being lost to technology.
Fuck 'em.
