The Decline of the American Civilization

[MizMotown]

Look Who the Folks Who Took Down ACORN Are Targeting Now

Right-wing operatives with links to big retailers going after worker centers like the Restaurant Opportunities Center.
http://www.thenation.com/article/179...-targeting-now

[Papasito]

Income Inequality?
More like ... the vanishing entrepreneur.


This is the reality to the great divide of wealth in this country:

President Obama focuses on the “wealth gap” as if that were the nation’s pressing economic issue. So long as there’s a disparity of ability, determination and luck, some people will be better off than others. The alarm to raise is not about the good fortune of some, but the bad fortune of the vanishing entrepreneur.

He’s rarely seen these days as hope for economic rebound fades. The bitter facts lie in the findings of a survey by the Brookings Institution that the nation’s entrepreneurial spirit is dying. The vision of Sam Walton, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and their kind has been punished to the point of extinction.

Strangled by endless spools of red tape and beaten down by taxes and government fees, businessmen are losing their zeal to convert an idea into a startup business or expansion of one already operating. It’s too much work and risk, to get approvals and comply with laws written by bureaucrats with no spirit or vision. Such rewards as there may be are consumed by taxes. That’s why there are fewer jobs to feed growth.

The Commerce Department had to borrow a microscope to see the minuscule 0.1 percent “expansion” in the economy in the first quarter. The Labor Department reported a productivity decline of 1.7 percent in the same period, meaning factories are less efficient, while unit labor costs rose 4 percent. Taken together, this means many businesses will continue to struggle to stay alive.


Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...#ixzz31XLWO7B0
Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter

[rb336]

Really? utter bullshit from the only news source that has been shown to be less reliable than Fox.

According to the Global Entrepreneurship Research Association, entrepreneurship [[AKA startup businesses) was relatively flat from 2001-2005, when it started a decline that, with a slight upward blip in 2007, lasted through the Great Recession. Starting in 2010, entrepreneurship rose from its lowest point of the century to its HIGHEST in just two years. Growth in entrepreneurship has slowed its increase, but is still increasing over the last year.

[Papasito]

Really? utter bullshit from the only news source that has been shown to be less reliable than Fox.

AS IF any media outlet isn't bought and paid for as a propaganda machine. Left or Right. Don't hand me that attack the source crap. Besides, you didn't source anything in your response post.

How about the costs involved with a start-up software development company?
http://www.softwarebyrob.com/2009/01...ng-a-business/
Here's another brief rundown of some business start-up costs
http://www.papefinancial.com/info/startupcosts.htm
And they barely touched on Government costs, such as Obamacare, Worker's Comp, or even Local or State taxes, fees and regulations. What about liability insurance? What about cost of compliance to regulations? Meeting OSHA standards? Passing a Fire Inspection? And On and On and On....


Top these start-up costs of your local yokel trying to get on his 2 feet with banks that aren't lending.
These same banks that were so quick to take Government bailouts are being stingy with business and mortgage loans, which is stalling the economy to this very day and beyond.


This nation has become anti-entrepreneur. Your local mom and pop stores are disappearing at an alarming rate and are being replaced with Big Giant Box Stores and Franchises.

The big Box Store Juggernauts are the only ones left who have the money and power to wield in order to stay in business, and it REQUIRES sending lobbyists to Washington as well as fat campaign contributions to stay on the "good side" of those who run the show.

[Papasito]

Pretty Much America 2014

[rb336]

Pretty Much America 2014

America 2014 is, far more accurately:
Where the gutless are elected by a small percentage of a population that by and large doesn't understand a thing about government in campaigns paid for by the wealthiest who then pressure those "servants of the people" to write laws greatly consolidating their wealth and power at the expense of the hardest working segment of society and then pass the blame to the most vulnerable, least powerful segment of society

[old guy]

America 2014 is, far more accurately:
Where the gutless are elected by a small percentage of a population that by and large doesn't understand a thing about government in campaigns paid for by the wealthiest who then pressure those "servants of the people" to write laws greatly consolidating their wealth and power at the expense of the hardest working segment of society and then pass the blame to the most vulnerable, least powerful segment of society

Good post.

[Papasito]

First and foremost, Let me say I believe Republicans and Democrats both suck.
Big Time.
That being said, I was recently checking out a site page called "The Other 98%", a parrot page for the Liberal talking point of the week. These type of pages do their job for the Left and the Right alike to rile up the base, point out issues and talking points and morph the situation into the belief that the voter can bring about a solution for it by voting for the candidate of their political party. Which in most cases is B.S.

Here's my evaluation of some current talking points, and how I feel pushing them is B.S. :

• Increasing the Minimum Wage / Income Inequality -

This is a gigantic load of nonsense. To start with, there is a large group of people in this country, which includes many in high Government positions, that feel America has been too high on the horse for far too long. They feel the USA is conceited, corrupt, creates too much pollution, and has been constantly on the wrong side of history, and that it needs to be taken down a few notches. That it should not be a leader in the world, and just a member of a pack of non-exceptional nations.

Free Trade agreements have been signed with 3rd world countries left and right, and this has put our U.S. market in DIRECT competition with these 3rd world markets, as if we were economic equals.
When this happens, the standard of living in the advanced nation goes down, and the lesser nation goes up, until they eventually become equal. This is what's happening. American society is intentionally being degraded.

If we truly want to raise the wages of American workers, we can not continue this system. If American workers are going to make more than workers in other areas of the world, and earn a so-called "livable wage", we need to be the shining city on the mountain -- Free Trade agreements that are not beneficial to the U.S. would need to be ABOLISHED.

So ... if the Liberal movement truly wanted to accomplish higher wages, they would be fighting against Free Trade agreements with China, for example. China is abusing the Trade agreement forged with them. They produce unsafe products from dog food to sandals, from drywall to foods for human consumption. Their safety violations and poor products are too many to name, caused injury, disease and death, and they should have had their Free Trade status REVOKED years ago.

If not for their human rights violations and unsafe products, then for their flagrant disregard of the environment.

Look at the cause and not the effect. Problems must be repaired at the root of the problem. Anything less is a temporary patch while ignoring the true problem. It's grandstanding. And that's what's going on here.

• Reducing Carbon Emissions -

What a load this is! Our Government is crippling the energy industry while we ship megatons of fossil fuels to China and around the world. They can use it but we can't? Why?

Are we to believe that any reduction in our Carbon emissions will impact on a global scale when China is constantly building dirty, polluting power plants at an alarming rate?

And how can we trust a Government, that has run the EPA since 1970, to clean our air when they have been incapable of cleaning our rivers, streams, lakes and oceans? Why not prove they can start with cleaning pollution on the ground and in the water before they claim they can save the air?

Prove competency by cleaning the Pacific garbage patch, or imposing a more strict national recycling policy, or making the rivers that flow through our cities drinkable and full of fish again before handicapping our nation over bogus claims they will change the temperature of the planet through cap and trade and high energy bills for all people, rich and poor.

I think this is grandstanding that will only cost us all on our monthly bills and through the cost of products and services.... while wages remain stagnant since 1995.

____________________________________________

I could go on and on about a dozen other issues.
But I would get writers cramp and carpal tunnel.

My point is that both political parties have failed us. They put party above people, and only give the illusion of good intentions when in reality if they could lose half the people in the country it wouldn't cause them to bat an eye if they themselves were fine.

People on the left and right keep making excuses for their pathetic leadership instead of calling them out. There hasn't been a true President since JFK. A man who knew the Fed was our country's worst enemy, that secret societies and puppetmasters were a bad thing for humanity, and our liberty was in jeopardy. He paid the price for telling the truth and making his own decisions in the back of a car in Dallas.

Look past the politics and the hype.
Call out your leadership when they are blowing smoke.

We've got to be smarter than this.

[Papasito]

As much as Democrats and Republicans pretend to be at odds in front of the public and the camera, they buddy around at the private clubs and extravagant get-togethers arm in arm behind the scenes, all on the same team - theirs.

[rb336]

The difference between Democrats and Republicans? Dems want to throw the rest of us a bone, the repubs want to charge us twice what we make for the bone

[lpg]

The difference between Democrats and Republicans? Dems want to throw the rest of us a bone, the repubs want to charge us twice what we make for the bone

So we lose either way.

[MizMotown]

The US cannot continue to support rising illegial AND legal immigration of those who cannot speak the language [[and are not being encouraged to), are under-educated and are coming to this country to have children and collect food stamps and disability. They are claiming disability and receiving benefits based on the fact that they cannot speak the language and cannot get jobs. There are folks that know how to abuse the system and they get paid to figure out a way for these folks. This is taxing the taxpayers and only continues.

[lpg]

The US cannot continue to support rising illegial AND legal immigration of those who cannot speak the language [[and are not being encouraged to), are under-educated and are coming to this country to have children and collect food stamps and disability. They are claiming disability and receiving benefits based on the fact that they cannot speak the language and cannot get jobs. There are folks that know how to abuse the system and they get paid to figure out a way for these folks. This is taxing the taxpayers and only continues.

But once these people become citizens via political trickery, who will they vote for ? The party that kept them here, or the one that tried to remove them. Several million votes will sway any election.

[Jimaz]

[Danny]

America is becoming like Romans... War for blood and hedonism today. Collapse and suffering by foriegn invaders tommorow.

[oladub]

The US cannot continue to support rising illegial AND legal immigration of those who cannot speak the language [[and are not being encouraged to), are under-educated and are coming to this country to have children and collect food stamps and disability. They are claiming disability and receiving benefits based on the fact that they cannot speak the language and cannot get jobs. There are folks that know how to abuse the system and they get paid to figure out a way for these folks. This is taxing the taxpayers and only continues.

MizMotown, I agree that the influx of illegal aliens now being encouraged taxes the middle class and drives down wages and employment among our own unskilled and walls off our students from employment opportunities who then have to take out larger loans. This attack on middle class and working class Americans has at least two other equally important components. One is shipping our jobs abroad under negotiated agreements such as NAFTA. The other is allowing too many legal aliens into the US to perform jobs, such as IT jobs, for lower salaries. It is difficult to persuade American youth to major in challenging engineering or IT curriculums if they have to compete at green card worker wage levels upon graduation.

[Zacha341]

Well stated D. Further, the immigration 'politic' is revealing the hands of the dems and the repubs. Both are for it, while claiming otherwise [[some of the repub talking heads that is). Both parties and interest groups want gain, vote, favor and cheap labor. Then there are so-called conspiracy theories of other agendas. Black people will not do any better with a mass influx of immigrants, yet some endorse as the issue is perceived as something the repubs don't like or want.

Again 'checkers level' thinking as we are idiotized to believe low information, pseudo news -- when in fact we have tri-level chess power brokering here.

America is becoming like Romans... War for blood and hedonism today. Collapse and suffering by foriegn invaders tommorow.

[Zacha341]

Yep. Sowing and reaping one can argue. 'Course the Native American will do no better if our borders are thrown wide open and we're all her together, but I was thinking I'd relocate to France... well, no.

[gazhekwe]

For those arguing that everyone must speak English immediately or be disparaged as inferior interlopers:

Boozhoo, Niji! Ojibwemdaa!

Ulihulisdi!

Hokahe!

Ya at eeh!

[rb336]

For those arguing that everyone must speak English immediately or be disparaged as inferior interlopers:

Boozhoo, Niji! Ojibwemdaa!

Ulihulisdi!

Hokahe!

Ya at eeh!

good point.

[Zacha341]

I hear that. Yet pluralism of languages has to have balance and we need a common, agreed upon language in certain areas. I'm glad there's a consensus of using one language [[English) in aviation for example, relative to traffic controllers and pilots internationally.

For those arguing that everyone must speak English immediately or be disparaged as inferior interlopers:

Boozhoo, Niji! Ojibwemdaa!

Ulihulisdi!

Hokahe!

Ya at eeh!