US Features
By Chris Cermak Apr 28, 2009, 1:38 GMT
Economic crisis dominates Obama's first 100 days (News Feature)
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Older Talkback
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Americans will be happy however to learn that not everybody is hit by the crisis as the corporate tycoons are carving the pie in order to make sure they stay on the receiving end of it:
://digg.com/d1qA5k
Here is the jist of it. Back when Slick Willy Bill Clinton was in office he passed a bill....the FOREIGN TRADE act...since then one by one company by company has been going overseas and down south to produce and manufacture their products. Credit agancies and billing agencies and many different types of business that can be conducted by phone as well.
State by state this went on for over 10 years until finally it caught up to bring us to the condition the country is in now.
The absolute TRUTH is...if those companies never laid anyone off and stayed here state side...it's people would have money...there would be jobs because there would be work.
But GIANT business saw they could pay a Chinese worker 20 bucks a month to do the same labor as an American who was getting 10 dollars an hour for. Add it all up....and here we are.
BUY AMERICAN means it was made in the USA. NOW? JOE SCHMOE is hoping he'll hit some lottery numbers.
BRING BUSINESS back to the USA employ the people you laid off by the millions and we'll be back on track.
Until that happens...which it won't. We're all just working class poor hoping we're not next.
Should stop being the United States.
Yes we should now call our country. The southern part of North America
S P N A . In all fairness..I want to move to Australia because it it more like the USA that I learned about in school when I was a kid.
And their Prime Minister has more guts than Obama. Harry Truman is rolling in his grave right now. So are FDR and TEDDIE.
When the dust clears and the Last Big business that moved to China realizes that Chines people can't afford their products that is when They will start to see the forest for the trees. They'll say to themselves
Oh MY GOD! What did I do to the USA ? !!!!
No wait...I thought of a better one..THE ASS END of AMERICA the ASA
ASA ASA ASA
America's economy is doing great!
Mr. President. lol
Same over here. Many companies have relocated call centres and customer support services to India. From their point of view it's a plus; particularly as people who are calling to complain often can't understand a word the 'service advisor' is saying and just give up!
America should just appoint a Prime minister and defer to Great Britain and lets all live under the Monarchy again. At least this way..our welfare system and social security will improve 100 fold. G.B . at least is a country that knows how to care for the working class poor.
When an American loses his job he loses his house and his car and his pride and his dignity and his wife and his family and his respect. Being that times are so tough...nobody is hiring. So the only thing a person in that position can do is....Carbon Monoxide...or a gun.
RE:
Sorry to disappoint you, but loss of house, car, and self respect are not confined to the US: And it gets worse. In addition, we have created a huge sub-class of people who can't get work because they are too ill educated and limited in their aspirations even to know how to go and look for it, and don't want it anyway. Social provision has backfired badly in my country. There are many people on sink estates who have never worked in their lives because they are, quite literally, unemployable. Three generations of single mothers, all under forty-five, on anti-depressants and cheap booze; with a floating population of transient fathers moving in and out of their lives and houses, adding another kid doomed to a life of squalour, ignorance and criminality as they float by.
Life in these places revolves around dodging the cops, 'reality' TV, cheating the benefit authorities, drugs, gratuitous violence, all day binges, routine domestic abuse, muggings, the occasional murder or suicide, and a deep, sullen hatred and frustration born of an inchoate glimmer of self-awareness. A vague sense that something is horribly wrong. An inarticulate feeling of utter inadequacy and resentment of those who are 'in authority,' and a consequent overcompensating posturing bravado.
Yet these are people of normal intelligence, equipped with their full quota of human feelings. The 'system' has betrayed them. Above all, in the matter of a good basic education, the teaching of respect for others and themselves, and some concept self discipline: By posing f*ckwitted middle class socialists with their theories of progressive and egalitarian societies.
Nothing much can be expected of little Darren. Oh no! He's from a 'disadvantaged' background. His ignorance must be 'respected.' Little Darren is living proof of our 'unequal' society, like a bloody badge or token to be displayed. Can't correct him if he behaves badly. That would be 'destructive of his self esteem,' which is 'sooo important, ya.' Can't have children streamed or graded in sets, or allow competitive behaviour, either academically or in sports, that's 'elitist.' Everyone must always come first, or those who don't will be 'traumatised,' poor things!
So little Darren, uncurbed, without experience of any authority he can respect, taught nothing except that he is a victim and that nothing is his fault, that anything he does is good enough, and that he has many 'rights,' but no responsibilities, comes a bit unstuck. Gets bored, plays hookie, and gets 'excluded' from school because he's disruptive. But that's OK because he learns some solid, practical skills on the street. At 12 he's hot wiring cars. His mam and stepdad, Sharon and big Darren don't give a flying f*ck. They had the same education. At 14 or 15, little Darren and his girl, Kylie, produce their 1st kid. Their lodestone is a council flat. And anyway, Kylie wants a 'baybeee.' For three days she'll be the centre of attention. For the next 15 years, producing brat after brat by at least three different men will be her route to more state handouts, bigger houses and the justification for her existence. Within the incredibly narrow horizons her upbringing has allowed, she can envisage no alternative. Bring on the next generation!
No, my American friend. I would not advocate that you go our way.
Well it appears that it's not going to get better anywhere. If this is going on across the pond thenwhat do we Yanks have to look forward to?
You're living it.
There's always hope, Mac.
That is what the people I was talking about above have had stolen from them without their even knowing it. Yet even their plight, and that of their equivalents in the US is not entirely hopeless. Yes, I believe the state must play a short term role in supporting those who have fallen on bad times. We do over here, though it is not a luxurious existence. It shouldn't be, should it, or how many more would not bother to try to support themselves?
The problem of the 'underclass,' perhaps 2 million of them in the UK, is that they are unable to perceive the essential sterility of their own lives. They see no other way. This is above all an educational deficit rather than just an economic one. The other 58 million or so of us are still very much alive and kicking. As I know you Yanks will be! As we say over here, 'make the best of it, and something will turn up!'
F*ck the recession. It'll end.
As it stands. They cut my hours at my plant to 32 per week. I could not afford my bills on 40 per week. I was fine and making ends meet when there was overtime at my place but now we're down to 32 hrs. I am told '' consider y'self lucky you were not one of the lay offs ''...If I can't pay my bills...How is that luck?
Nobody out there is hiring. This depression/recession/economic crisis whatever PC name you give it eqals one thing.
It's not ending and it's not getting better. It's just going to be more of the same for a long time. Unless the rich stop taking the largest pcs of pie. That simply will not occurr
pardon me....( Equals )
I know Mac. I'm on a salary. I work 'til the job's done. Last year I hit targets and made about (at the then exchange rates) $20,000 bonus which is what makes the job worthwhile. I haven't seen, or even got a sniff of bonus this year. The targets are just too high to reach and the company sodding well knows they are: But I'm still working the same, or even longer hours for what amounts to a 30% pay cut. Tough, isn't it? At least I'm still in work. Keep your powder dry, Mac, and your chin up! The rich, grabbing b*st*rds that they are, like death and taxes are always present. Wish I was one of them.
I'm off to buy my lottery tickets. You never know! Fingers crossed!
Godspeed and God save us all.
Oh boy and now we have a Government mandated healthcare system that I have to pay taxes into but since I make too much to be considered poor I can't take advantage of it. Goody. Long live the King!!!
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