When plunder is confused with profit - all of society looses

originally posted by: Aazadan
a reply to: DigginFoTroof

Is it plunder? I think you just outlined that US workers are less competitive than overseas workers. If you want to live in a country that has a strong currency, you need to deliver proportional value. That means that to be competitive, one American needs to be worth 30 Chinese.

right...uh-huh, because they are SUCH similar economies, and social structures....c'mon sparky, at least do some homework, in an effort to sound credible

a reply to: jimmyx

All factors in why US workers are uncompetitive. Either change industries to a sector where you can compete, or come up with a way of doing things where you can compete.

originally posted by: Aazadan

originally posted by: surfer_soul
How do you propose one American worker can deliver the equivalent output of 3 let alone 30 Chinese workers? Or are you suggesting that Americans should seek work in China?

Be more productive. Better educations will allow you to better solve problems.

it doesn't matter about productivity....look at the history of said productivity in America....if it's high, no wage gain, if it's low no wage gain.....in the last 30 years, productivity has had no effect on wages....well, except for those at the top.

if so, show the charts and produce the numbers.

a reply to: jimmyx

That’s a different issue. The companies are making money, what you’re referring to is the distribution of wages.

originally posted by: Aazadan
a reply to: jimmyx

All factors in why US workers are uncompetitive. Either change industries to a sector where you can compete, or come up with a way of doing things where you can compete.

make the wealthy financially responsible for losses in what they invest in, and legally (prison) responsible for corporate crimes.

example:....the European union fined google 2 billion dollars for not paying taxes...make larry page, sergey brin, eric Schmidt, and sundar pichai...the biggest individual owners, and the ones that have the control, PAY THE WHOLE FINE out of their own bank accounts...no write offs, and no breaks.

example 2:....20 year prison terms for the "top dogs" in the financial industry that created the downfall in 2008...no leniency and no breaks.

a couple of these, and you would see changes

but, since the wealthy are already in control, nothing like that will happen....remember that the federal government borrowed 1.2 billion dollars, so they could give the wealthy a massive tax break.....America will soon become a third-world nation of authoritarian rule by the wealthy, and subsistence living for the common people.....poor people are not heard in congress, nor do they write in national publications, and they don't own any broadcast or national cable TV stations....so their economy is never heard about, and if it is, quickly dismissed

originally posted by: Aazadan
a reply to: jimmyx

That’s a different issue. The companies are making money, what you’re referring to is the distribution of wages.

not wages, profits

originally posted by: jimmyx
example:....the European union fined google 2 billion dollars for not paying taxes...make larry page, sergey brin, eric Schmidt, and sundar pichai...the biggest individual owners, and the ones that have the control, PAY THE WHOLE FINE out of their own bank accounts...no write offs, and no breaks.

That goes against the legal concept of a corporation though. If they're going to be personally responsible for their company, then they're assuming a lot of risk, which would in turn justify them taking an even larger chunk of the profits. Furthermore, if we extend this down to smaller corporations, you'll see a tiny restaurant go out of business over a food poisoning incident.

It puts absolutely immense levels of liability on company owners and that's before you even get into the issue of shareholders who may vote for something that the largest shareholders/company founders don't even want to do.

example 2:....20 year prison terms for the "top dogs" in the financial industry that created the downfall in 2008...no leniency and no breaks.

Prison terms for doing something that wasn't against the law?

so their economy is never heard about, and if it is, quickly dismissed

They have no economy. The bottom 50% in the US combined own less than 1% of the wealth. They could all disappear tomorrow and the only impact it would have on people day to day, is that they would have to bag their own groceries.

a reply to: Aazadan

there are 160 million people employed, so you think there are 80 million people doing work that has no impact on the economy. spoken like a true 1 percenter

a reply to: jimmyx

There are. 80 million people (actually, more than that) make subsistence wages and perform low skill tasks that can be automated. Combined, those 80 million people make up less than 1% of wealth, and about 1.6 trillion or 8.2% of gdp.

As far as the economy is concerned, they essentially don't participate in it.

That's not to say that I believe that's how things should be, but that's how they are and it's not helped by the fact that a huge portion of the US population has an entitlement mentality and refuses to learn how to perform jobs that are of higher value to the country.

a reply to: Aazadan

They have no economy. The bottom 50% in the US combined own less than 1% of the wealth. They could all disappear tomorrow and the only impact it would have on people day to day, is that they would have to bag their own groceries.

I’m not sure what to say to that... you really think 50% disappearing would have no negative impact on the economy? Your names not prince Philip by any chance?

they are and it's not helped by the fact that a huge portion of the US population has an entitlement mentality and refuses to learn how to perform jobs that are of higher value to the country.

You know I hope that huge portion of the US learns how to perform your job and bring your pay grade down to minimum wage. You know, Supply and demand..

I’m sure you secretly think most people are incapable of doing your job though as you think you are better than everyone else. You do claim to be 20 times more productive after all.

Here’s a tip, life’s really not about who makes the most money or who dies with the most toys. Life’s meant to be lived.

originally posted by: surfer_soul/
I’m not sure what to say to that... you really think 50% disappearing would have no negative impact on the economy? Your names not prince Philip by any chance?

Things would have to rebalance a bit, but yes... 50% could disappear tomorrow and our GDP would barely feel it.

You know I hope that huge portion of the US learns how to perform your job and bring your pay grade down to minimum wage. You know, Supply and demand..

I’m sure you secretly think most people are incapable of doing your job though as you think you are better than everyone else. You do claim to be 20 times more productive after all.

Doesn't bother me one bit.

And no, I don't think I'm better than anyone... I firmly believe that anyone can do my job. They might need to spend some time learning how (I certainly did), but I'm pretty stupid, and honestly not very good at what I do. Anyone who wants my job could get to that point in less time and do better.

The people I'm 20 times more productive than? They're somehow even worse than I am.

Here’s a tip, life’s really not about who makes the most money or who dies with the most toys. Life’s meant to be lived.

For some people. We all have goals in our life, mine happen to not align with the typical goals people have. And no, just getting paid isn't one of those goals. The fact that I'm paid anything at all, for a job I would be willing to do for free, just goes to show how absurd the whole employment situation in the US is.

a reply to: Aazadan

How is being paid for something you would willingly do for free absurd? Or reflect how absurd the employment situation is in the US?

It just means you like your work, good for you. Maybe tell your employer you will work for free if that makes you happy about the situation and then work another job as well to support your needs.

You just think people are lazy and entitled. That might be true for some but the majority just want to and are willing to work hard for a living wage.

originally posted by: surfer_soul
You just think people are lazy and entitled. That might be true for some but the majority just want to and are willing to work hard for a living wage.

No, I don't think people are lazy. I think people make bad career decisions. There is a very big difference between the two.