We have this already in the U.S., except they don't work....

[StickyBun]

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/sto...e-children

Its absolutely insane that we are going down this slippery slope.

[Guest]

It's interesting how things go with the times. I know some of it was pandemic related but part of it is due to the changing world. Hopefully things shift and balance out again 

[Guest]

and yet businesses are closing because they cant find help.....

[Guest]

It’s just the symptom of the corruptness in our institutions.


Our society has destroyed the American dream.  We used to have a plan laid out for us.  We’d go to school.  We’d get a job that wasn’t perfect, but wasn’t
horrible and use that money to buy a house and start a family.  That’s dead now.  The amount of income you need to own a home
or even to rent a home is vastly outpacing people’s ability to earn money.  For many people, there is no amount of
working that will buy them a home.  What’s
the point of getting a job when the money from the job can’t buy you what you
need.


We used to live in a world, where there was some amount of
respect by the elites where they would acquire all the wealth, but we wouldn’t
notice because prices were still affordable. 
The gloves are off now.  They’re no
longer concerned with our well-being to the extent that the illusion can be
maintained.

[Guest]

@medaille said:
It’s just the symptom of the corruptness in our institutions.


Our society has destroyed the American dream.  We used to have a plan laid out for us.  We’d go to school.  We’d get a job that wasn’t perfect, but wasn’t
horrible and use that money to buy a house and start a family.  That’s dead now.  The amount of income you need to own a home
or even to rent a home is vastly outpacing people’s ability to earn money.  For many people, there is no amount of
working that will buy them a home.  What’s
the point of getting a job when the money from the job can’t buy you what you
need.


We used to live in a world, where there was some amount of
respect by the elites where they would acquire all the wealth, but we wouldn’t
notice because prices were still affordable. 
The gloves are off now.  They’re no
longer concerned with our well-being to the extent that the illusion can be
maintained.

When are you talking about?  Just curious, when in history are you talking about?  I think it's more wistful thinking.  We are a capitalist "society", you always had to have an angle or leverage to get ahead.  Is it the American dream that we all get there together or "I" have a way to get ahead and have more than you.    

[Guest]

The younger generation is getting squeezed out of the American dream. It is impossible to afford that dream. There is also the romanticized idea of the American dream, that gets a lot of mileage politically. I don't believe so much that there was respect from the elites but that blatant disdain is out in the open now. The elites exploited suffering during the pandemic and have gone into overdrive with that. The future generations are pushing back. Change is needed 

[Guest]

Don't worry,  Newsome just passed a bill raising the minimum wage for fast food workers in CA,  that should help things,  at least for the people that make the self serve ordering kiosks and kitchen robots.

This isnt about the uber wealthy IMO as much as it is policy making,  artificially low interest rates pushed home prices through the roof,  wages have forced manufacturing costs to say rocket,  regulations on fuel production and use,  as well as hours of work have made trucking expemsive as hell which makes everything more expensive, the list goes on, and people/families are also guilty of trying to live beyond their means which creates more hardships.  Sure the rich have gotten richer,  thats how it works and if all the costs of goods have gone up,  why wouldn't the people at the top of the food chain get richer,  they invest in all the companies that make everything and you elect the politicians that make the rules to support their investments.

[Guest]

@BigAl99 said:

@medaille said:
It’s just the symptom of the corruptness in our institutions.


Our society has destroyed the American dream.  We used to have a plan laid out for us.  We’d go to school.  We’d get a job that wasn’t perfect, but wasn’t
horrible and use that money to buy a house and start a family.  That’s dead now.  The amount of income you need to own a home
or even to rent a home is vastly outpacing people’s ability to earn money.  For many people, there is no amount of
working that will buy them a home.  What’s
the point of getting a job when the money from the job can’t buy you what you
need.


We used to live in a world, where there was some amount of
respect by the elites where they would acquire all the wealth, but we wouldn’t
notice because prices were still affordable. 
The gloves are off now.  They’re no
longer concerned with our well-being to the extent that the illusion can be
maintained.

When are you talking about?  Just curious, when in history are you talking about?  I think it's more wistful thinking.  We are a capitalist "society", you always had to have an angle or leverage to get ahead.  Is it the American dream that we all get there together or "I" have a way to get ahead and have more than you.    

I think you probably have a more narrow definition of what
the American Dream is, one that is akin to mansions and Bentley’s, etc., like
that we all can become Elon Musk or Bill Gates or whatever.  My definition, which I think is pretty
typical, is that anyone who wants to work can live a comfortable life, own a
home, vacation, have a family, pursue their own happiness, etc.


There’s a large stretch of time where Americans were able to
live the “American Dream”, but it’s been slowly disappearing over time.  In the 50’s any man could go be a laborer in
a factory and earn enough to support his family. Then when we went off the gold
standard and started doing fractional reserve banking with entirely fiat
currency, we started inflating the currency, which mostly went into the pockets
of the already rich.  We got 2.5% raises
to match 2.5% inflation and their stock portfolios went up 8% a year, mostly
fueled by the new money that was created.   Fractional Reserve Banking means that new
money is created when someone takes on more debt, so there is a downward spiral
that happens where society has to get more and more indebted to create the money
to pay of the interest payments from previous debts.  Then feminism happened, and women entered the
work force, but instead of both adults in a family doing half as much work or
potentially the man staying home while the woman worked, somehow it meant that both
members now needed to work full time to earn enough to support the household,
but mortgages were reasonable, but as we go up the inflation/debt curve which
is exponential, each generation needs to take on more and more debt to stay
afloat.  We used to have 10-15 year
mortgages, then 20, then 25, then 30, and we’re now at the point where new
generations can’t take on enough debt to make it work.  Things cost so much that now you have to live
with your parents who are paying a mortgage from 20 years ago or pack more income
earning adults into the same households.

[Guest]

The "American Dream" to me was being raised on the farm and being so self-sufficient that we only needed to go to town once, maybe twice a month.  Usually for clothes or things we couldn't make or raise on the farm.  It was a good life with the farm being homesteaded by my great grandfather.

[Guest]

The American dream to me is my parents coming to this country and busting their asses for us to have a better life. They sacrificed so we could have opportunities beyond what they had. They left everything behind and basically started over. They learned another language and had to find their way. It absolutely amazes to this day what they went through to get here. I am so grateful for my family