Kend ~ No, I didn't drink last night; however, being St. Patrick's day I am now drinking. Happy St. Patrick's Day! Cheers!

Slaves had it better off economically is right. I've put a lot of thought into this so please don't simply brush off the idea. To answer your other question, I'm from the Bay Area of California. Oakland to be precise. The poorer, middle class, area of Oakland. The conditions here by no means reflect the rest of the nation, however, they are typical of California. Since we have one of the largest populations in the country--growing every day--they are a valid petri dish to measure the state of the Nation--IMHO.

Don't misunderstand my comparison to slavery. As far as human and civil rights are concerned slaves had the worst conditions of any group in the short history of this country. Please allow me to clarify, there is no question about that fact. Economically, however, they were better off than any minimum wage earner today. Before you reply, ask yourself if you know any minimum wage earner--even one with two full time jobs--that has full medical coverage, a pension, and a house provided as part of his compensation. If you know of no one, I humbly rest my case!

DAnneMarc, I agree, we need Loren's insights as often as possible. That said, I'm sure many don't have a lot of spare time. I'm in that category, but I think any effort sharing ideas is time well spent.

~cont~ One other thing. This is not a popular comment, but if you think about it, you'll find it to be 100% accurate and extremely disturbing. Slaves had it better off than we do.

That's right. They had no freedom to be sure. They also had no savings. However, they were always 100% free from debt. They also had job security. At the same time they had housing, medical care, and food provided by their masters. They were also cared for in old age. Somethings that many workers today lack. Why, because their services were long term investments instead of hourly ones.

Consider that when you boast your "American Dream" myth.

Am I suggesting that we return to slavery? Absolutely not! I'm mearly using the facts of history to illustrate how bad the American lifestyle is today. When you rent a slave rather than own one there is less incentive to take care of it. Just like renting a car instead of buying it opens the door for all kinds of abuse of equipment. Why take care of the car? After all, if you break it, you just take it back and get a new one, right? The same thing is true of labor, make no mistake!

I might suggest a sophisticated mingling of the two economys--one that presents a vested long term interest in the well being of workers. I suggest contracted labor. Workers who perform hourly work and are free to leave at any time; but, who have written contracts with their employees that gaurantee certain rights and benefits as well as job security, wages and encentives for safety and jobs well done. Of course this sounds like a labor union. However, there is no reason that the government cannot intercede in the work place and mediate these contracts. After all, it is the government who must eventually enforce the terms of these contract anyway, right. Who better can administrate the negotiations on the part of the employees. The government also has a vested interest in the well being of the company as well. What better entity to protect the sovancy of the company against organized abuse of employee rights. Each company's body of employees can constitute a voting subcommitte in the entitiy that can draw up terms for their own contracts under the jurisdiction of the government entitiy.

This way, long term care for workers rights would fall on the shoulders of the government where it belongs. There is no greater "labor union" possible than We the People! With the government overseeing workers protection in the work place you can kiss good buy the days of immigrants taking away American jobs as well. That would be a natural consequence of this plan.

I also have a name for the Federal Organization that would perform these duties--The Workers Rights Administration. WRA for short.

MMmmNACHOS Wrote ~ "You wanna know why they call it the American Dream???Because you have to be asleep to believe it!"

Well put NachoMAN!

I'd just like to add one thing. When I was growing up my father just started a typically decent paying middle class factory job. We rented a large one bedroom apartment that came with a basement and garage. We paid $56/mo rent and he earned about $250/wk. Minus taxes that means we paid our rent with less than two days of labor. By the end of the week most of the monthly bills were paid. The rest went for food and savings. That was in the sixties.

By the nineties, when I started out with my decent paying middle class service job, the rent for a typical one bedroom apartment was $800/mo. I earned about $400/wk. Minus taxes that means my rent was paid with over two weeks of labor. I had to scrimp and save every penny of the remaining week and a half wage to pay all my other bills and was quite fortunate to break even at the end of the month--NOTHING WAS SAVED!

That is a taste of the hopeless situation that today's kids face. I was very fortunate, I had an education that enabled me to get a highly skilled technical job. Someone working in the fast food industry could never afford my meager existence. It is a shame that the older generation of this country has managed to leave such a pathetic legacy to their children. We should all be ashamed of ourselves. The "American Dream" is no longer reality. It is a children's fairy tale with an unhappy ending.

klentz ~ My friend! Mexicans aren't coming here for the American Dream. Obviously you haven't toured Mexico and have no immigrant friends. (I'd be surprised if you have any friends; other than me, of course.)

The first waves of Mexican immigrants came here after WWII seeking a quick buck to buy property and businesses in Mexico so their family's could get ahead. That was the Mexican dream. When greedy local Mexican businesses learned that many families had members who were earning good money in the States they jacked up prices in the pueblos and cities to take advantage of the new revenue. Gradually run away inflation gripped Mexico. Workers in Mexico couldn't keep up with the cost of living; so, gradually, more and more family members had to make the ultimate sacrifice and move to the States to send enough money back to their families so they could have a decent existence. Now Mexican and Southern American Immigrants don't come here seeking an "American Dream"--they come here to support their families down there. If you ever want to take the time to go into a Mexican market here you might want to notice the huge line in front of the window of the money wiring department. It's usually right next to, or a part of the liquor department. Sending your hard earned money away to never be seen again and Alcohol go hand in hand.

So my friend you see, Immigrants aren't coming here seeking the "American Dream" myth. That's a load of crap. They come here because the same problem that exists in this country exists on Steroids in their country. Moreover, if we as Americans don't do something about this international monetary disparity, we can be assured that it will gradually get so bad everywhere--including here--that you will see a drastic fall in immigration. Perhaps even a decrease in Latin demographics as legions return home in droves. That will be the sign that American has turned into less than a third world country. At the rate we are going, we won't have long to wait. Just imagine a future where your children's family will have to share an apartment with two other family's. That's where it's going buddy. Don't say I didn't warn you!

My whole life was an honest endeavor to succeed, to do well just have enough to get by, though upon reflection of past and current political events it becomes more evident that those political persons that dominate the law making are for the most part responsible for the high cynicism in a failed American dream. Please the media persons, Thom the exception, are key player that help all along to strangle that dream.

There by affecting the economics of living it is obvious politico people entrenched in today’s new “money is free speech” deliver a nomothetic wigger image sending a message that reflects a sham beyond any wild dream being only disappointing. The supreme beings of America in the highest court pounding out a preposterous declaration that money is free speech are insane. Beside only the five, not the familiar at Fox news five, but the Supreme five by appointment, appointed Bush to run America each time that developed each war Afghan and Iraq producing the cynicism America is embellished with today. This again establishing the cultural direction America is taking. Whereas the only way out and into a golden age for America is when America will banish the current Bush Cheney Republican party from all politics this time forward.

Democracy is failed in America right now, so with that said how could there be any reasoning to suggest that Americans can have an optimistic good possible wonderful dream. Here pointing out that word “usian”.

I never heard of it before and looked it up in the urban dictionary highly and likely similar to wiki developed by full time political combat people. But catchy and interesting that links to wigger and shortys. From my view it wreaks of sedition, an antithetical constitution, induce racial sluring, and billions in corrupt money that promotes the very destruction of the American society. The prefect Wahhabi algorithm to destroy America.

Shortys also in the links, being young black men introduced to the “system”. Some in deliberately deceived by adults to play out gang life styles. Yes the chemistry of the young person male or female is deliberately contaminated deceived, punked, and guided into a golden ratio of economic chains, a believe that torture is good, and military style weapons are the necessity of existence in a regular society, quick money at that young age is the most compelling that perpetuates the sadness currently blessing America.

There is a cure...like all bad dreams there is way out. Tell the truth Mr. and Mrs Media.

Good luck moving all those Walmart stores, fast food jobs, all those nursing homes, all those postal jobs, defense jobs, etc. etc. to CHINA. C'mon Kend, to begin with the Republicans bend over backwards in support of outsourcing, of course FOX doesn't tell you about that. Outsourcing is all about greed and lack of respect for the common man who spends his life enriching the unregulated individual who lacks self control. For anyone to feel good about creating unempolyment here while making lots of money off the misery of slaves in China, that person needs to surrender his American citizenship, and relocate to Beijing.

And you wonder why all the jobs are going to China.

A dream come true for the 1%! It should be noted that the richest 1 percents share of national income has more than doubled between 1980 and now. This has helped make us one of the worlds most unequal countries. It also should be noted that during this same time the top marginal income tax rate dropped from 70% to 35%.

This drop in tax for the rich has BRANDED the REPUBLICAN PARTY as the party of TAX INCREASE for the working class. Let me explain. We all have to live in a habitation somewhere which means you pay property tax, directly for home owners, indirectly for renters, but we all pay. So as the rich get tax breaks the revenue from the Federal and State Governments gets slowly choked off to the local goverments. This means all locally mandated school and county programs are faced with either insolvency or skyrocketing property taxes. Well guess what, it's been skyrocketing property taxes for most of us in the working class. You can thank REPUBLICAN trickle down economics for this. The rich get a tax break and you get forced off your property. It all sounds kind of feudal doesn't it? Buy a shack if your income is flat, because thanks to the REPUBLICANS, property taxes will not stay flat, and that's the REPUBLICAN BRAND. Slash the income tax for the rich, and tax the workers out of their homes. This way the rich can buy them and rent back to you. A win win for the 1%

I love this post and the pictures are funny. I and I imagine to be in pictures, I think I would have a great time. Click here

On August 23, 1971, Lewis F. Powell, later appointed toi be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, wrote a memo to the then president of the U.S Chamber of Commerce outlining the steps required to change a society into a set of wage slaves. This included taking over the U.S government legislative powers by controlling the media, newspapers, magazinesm radio networks and television networks, and the U.S education system and Universities. These are the opinion makers and by financial power comtrolling the public by teaching that altruism is bad and that greed is good, thereby justifying the dictatorial power of wealth and position. This means that government powers, instead of beinbg for ALL the peoiple should be only for the few, the oligarchy, the one-quarter of one percent. I

f education at the prekindergarten through the doctorate levels are properly controlled to think and believe, bow down amd worship the golden calf, that nirvana is possible. Now we are finding out tat the government has been taken over, that education has been subverted, that thr people think it is useless to vote any different than what the popular media tells them, that intelligence is bad, those in power can do anything they desire. Those having sufficient cash could endow chairs in Law Schools, Plitical Science departments and Economics Departments in prestigious universities to promote ideas supporting their goals. They must ignore theological truths, philisophical truths, Economic truths and mathematical or logical reasoning if it promotes their ends.

Therefore they must control the Supreme Court so that laws against their position could be declared unconstitutional and those interfering with their gaining the necessary powers of government necessary to support their goals would be declared unconstitutional while those assisting the the oligarchical control would be declared constitutional by changing accepted definitions.

They have done that!