Exactly what happens when the gutted middle class American golden goose gives up the ghost?

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

You know what? I don't care how much money you make. But by the time you pay for:

shelter (mortgage or rent)
food
health insurance
cars (transportation)
gasoline
utilities (cable, phone, tv)
Property taxes
homeowners insurance
401K (cause we're funding our own retirements now baby! No defined benefit for you!)
clothing
tuition
entertainment (what's that?)

You're pretty much done for. The only "disposable income" is make believe dollars that people take from their credit cards or their equity lines.

There is NO "disposable" income!!!

This does not bode well for a society that has hitched its wagon to "consumerism" as the economic engine.

We're not just golden geese, we are also domestic cows that are milked and milked and milked in order to pay for:

health and homeowners insurance that does not cover us when we need it
Probably triple what we should pay for utilities if they were regulated as a common resource as they should be
gas prices that seem to have absolutely nothing to do with supply or demand
the gigantic disproportionate "wages" (how about "theft of corporate assets") paid to the upper tier

Folks, I am just plain sick and tired of this!! It is time to stand up! It is time for a new FDR or Teddy Roosevelt. The pendulum didn't just swing - it left the whole frigging clock casing.

I don't want to hear about those stupid right wing talking points about small government and de-regulation. We've done it and it's just about sucked us all dry.

[kestrel91316]

1. What's the matter with you? There is PLENTY of disposable income

among the only folks who count.

Who cares if the Little People suffer? Let them eat dirt. (said in my best Leona Helmsley imitation)

[havocmom]

2. Many can't even handle the list you made

But cheney thinks they should just put more into savings. A lot of employers think employees are already overpaid, while the employees see less and less bang for their buck and their buck not keeping pace with cost of living, let alone what the bosses are hauling in.

But, cheney thinks they should just put more into savings.

The banks would be happy.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

3. Don't forget he told us we can make money off e-Bay too!

Thanks a bunch, Dick. :(

[EVDebs]

4. 'Co-housing' seems like the onlywayout for the coming generation

and they don't know it yet.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

6. Communal living will have to come back for the boomers and others.

[mcscajun]

10. Co-housing's looking pretty good for retiring boomers, too. I'm one

and I've been trying to drum up interest among my 55+ friends. Separate living quarters and shared common rooms/equipment seems the wave of the future, IMO. It's still too radical an idea, though, even for old hippies, particularly those with grandchildren (those of children who've moved away, particularly.)

[corkhead]

5. You must have not gotten the memo. Our "democracy" is being patterned to that of Mexico

oligarchy

[bridgit]

7. that is what Reagan laughingly referred to as: Taking control of your own destiny...

via, presumably, the advent of 'human resources'

[TexasProgresive]

8. The tiny super rich class will shout for joy

because they will have what little wealth and power there is and there will be plenty of cheap labor to take care of their houses and fields. I believe that's the plan.

[Adsos Letter]

9. Well...perhaps the elite should read LeFebvre's...

..."The Great Fear"... it could become relevant for them...

[druidity33]

11. how about this?

from Dennis Kucinich's A Prayer For America(pg 8):

"Trifling with social issues evades our responsibility to face economic issues, diminishing the potential for economic issues to rally popular support. The basis of genuine reform is economic reform. We can solve economic problems if we refuse to be distracted. The failure is one of courage among reformers to attempt to mobilize popular support for basic economic issues, which challenge the economic interests of big business. The substitution of social issues in place of economic issues (far from offering an alternative route to progressive policies) trifles with people's problems, and offers false solutions such as integration of schools which are so bad that you wouldn't want your kids to go to the schools in any case."


(emphasis added)

we are being Distracted! I may get flamed for saying it, but if you're "sick of this" and want REAL change, then i would be signing up for campaigning for Kucinich (or maybe Edwards). Someone whose intent is to TRULY strengthen the working class of this country.

my 2 cents.

:shrug:

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

12. Kucinich and Edwards are the only ones even attempting to address

the issues of the middle class and average Joe.

I'm on record as those 2 being my guys and I will vote for one of them in the primary assuming I'm given the chance to. (Except if Gore comes in.)

[earth mom]

13. I SO agree. K & R. nt