I'll start by stating that this is the redux of a thread that I started over a year ago. So, in light of the election and increased income inequity I thought that it might be fun to post it again!
The last thread had over 170 replies, let's see if the asshole fuckwits hop on board again, shall we?
So...
The expectations of many Americans today are radically different from 30 years or even 20 years ago. These people, anywhere from 50-65% (Based on income and educational attainment) have little faith (or should have little faith) in both employers and Government, they have little faith in Pensions and Job Security. Why is this?
Many reasons I suppose. Perhaps the dramatic change in the American Working Population over the last 30 years is a big reason. In the 50’s Union membership was around 35%, enough to gain some parity within the Economy. Now it’s about 12%, although I believe 2002 was the greatest increase in new members in 30 years, and businesses don’t hesitate now to push decreases in Benefits and Wages (this is a fact, look it up). The leverage of the working population has been severely diminished.
Why would that matter? Mainly because the 50’s-mid 70’s gave the “average” worker the ability to maintain a single paycheck household with enough income and benefits; They could send their kids to college. This is primarily because some 40% of American workers
were Manufacturing something, anything. Manufacturing firms are simply easier to collective bargain with. So the spouse and children (Teens) didn’t have to work. Since the decline of organized labor, and Manufacturing (I believe only 10% are making any tangible consumer products these days), this has changed that relationship. More women
and teens entered the workforce and they, being supplemental household income, were able to work for less per hour and rely on the chief wage earners employer’s benefits, like health insurance, to cover them. This is the system where Walmart became the #1 US employer, and biggest wage depressor, replacing General Motors a wage increaser.
The manufacturing jobs are going, going, gone as far as supporting the middle class. Sure the outsourcing started in the 70’s, increased in the 80’s, but reached a fevered pitch with NAFTA (and the soon to whollop us over the head the FTAA). First the jobs left for Mexico, now the jobs in Mexico are going to China. India? Sure enough. Worse yet state universities are becoming price prohibitive for many of the interested lower income students (Pell Grants have now been reduced!), many states are also cutting back on financial aid, and increases of 14% across the board are
not helpingThis new unbalanced employee/owner relationship is creating a two tier system. In my opinion the primary difference in these two tiers is simple, a college degree. And even THAT is not necessarily a gaurantee anymore!
What’s left that can’t be outsourced for the HS Graduate? Restaurants, Retail (Walmart), Construction (Florida, especially after the Hurricanes this year. However I know for a fact that wageshave not gone up), Sales (Some great-Most Aren’t), Bars, some Local Government work, Child Care workers, Elder Care workers, hospitals, etcetera. These are all proximity safe jobs, they can’t be taken away so easily. They also pay less on average than the old manufacturing jobs and often have fewer benefits like Healthcare/Pensions (Some do, there are some responsible companies out there, but not on the whole...especially with Walmart employing 900,000 people. That said COSTCO is a prime example of what CAN be done).
The university graduates/professionals have a different outlook. Professional services like Accounting are going nowhere, same with Engineering (To a point, even they're being outsouced now), Medicine, managing other people’s money, Marketing to the masses, managing the retail/service companies, most professional fields are safe as well. Basically if you’re working off your degree, or secured a profession due to a degree, you’re relatively safe. This doesn’t include all Tech jobs though, they are BEING outsourced, except ones that require full knowledge of the work/target environment. Anomalies abound but for the most part it stands.
That’s the new paradigm (I love mispronouncing that word) which is chiefly defined by those with, and without, an “education” and a family that can give them "careers" or a nice Inheritance. I will state again that there are always anomalies so spare me the grief.
As of March 2002: 26.7% of American adults over 25 had a Bachelor's degree or more.
Is it reasonable to suggest that with graduates that fail, and non-graduates that excel, that the percentage of top tier workers will be around 30-35%?
That leaves a whole lot of the
“bottom” tier.
54% of all US households have less than a $50,000 income!!!
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features/000774.html“Adults age 18 and over with a bachelor's degree earned an average of
$50,623 a year in 2001, while those with a high school diploma earned
$26,795 and those without a high school diploma averaged $18,793. Advanced degree-holders made an average of $72,869 in 2001.”
2:1 in income for the graduates. 2:1 in numbers for those without. This doesn’t even take into account the CEO to worker ratio: “In 1970, the average CEO made 41 times what the average manufacturing worker made. In 1997, according to Business Week magazine, this ratio was 326 to one.”
Lastly the bottom tier’s situation is only going to deteriorate. Healthcare and other benefits will disappear as “Competition” with monopolistic piranhas like Walmart kill the companies that want desperately to be good to their employees. Housing costs are skyrocketing
http://www.nlihc.org/oor2003 / and more Regressive Taxation will be needed to fund society with the Progressive Tax system getting crashed by the lunatics in DC.
Can this possibly last very long? I doubt it. Something will have to give.
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