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Education? Ya, I have a master's degree and I was working for $7.25/hour ($6/hour after taxes) for a while after I got out of the military. It acted as a gateway to a better job. And that better job acted as a gateway to a better job. And that acted as a gateway to a better job. And now I have an future employer begging me to come work for them at a pay rate that I'm finally going to be happy with until I reach social security age, at which time, I'll just stay there until I die because I'll be means tested then and I won't get any social security payments because it wouldn't be fair to all the whiny little $%^&*'s who complained their whole life about how unfair life is.

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If you didn't like working for $7.25/hour then you really wouldn't want to live on social security. I wouldn't be envious of anyone who has to live on social security if I were you.

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Reality Internet Personality

Man!

There's a party going on in here.

I especially like the maps that Pravda... whoops, I mean the laim-stream media... whoops, I mean the main-stream media, whoops, I mean PMSNBC has been flashing on the screen with Ed the sled head laughing his butt off.

Law of supply and demand? We Americans are completely ignoring the laws of supply and demand more and more. And Obama wants to do completely away with them to make it fair for everyone. Law of supply and demand... hmmmph!

Education? Ya, I have a master's degree and I was working for $7.25/hour ($6/hour after taxes) for a while after I got out of the military. It acted as a gateway to a better job. And that better job acted as a gateway to a better job. And that acted as a gateway to a better job. And now I have an future employer begging me to come work for them at a pay rate that I'm finally going to be happy with until I reach social security age, at which time, I'll just stay there until I die because I'll be means tested then and I won't get any social security payments because it wouldn't be fair to all the whiny little $%^&*'s who complained their whole life about how unfair life is.

Dude... ya know I can't critisize you for choosing a career path that promised steadier, longer pay over higher risk/higher pay-off short-term jobs. There's nothing wrong with that. But Obama is destroying those who choose to try the higher risk/higher pay-off short-term ventures. With out those kinds of people, we are doomed as a nation to lose our status as an economic power house in the world. If that's what you want for this nation, fine. I see what's coming. I'm not sure you (and several others in here) see what's coming.

Look the truth right now is that north Africa and the middle east is on fire, we remain in the worst economic situation since the great depression, we are now continuously inflating the dollar at $40B/month, institutions are going on strike, and the country remains divided.

And if you look at the polls, (if you believe them) Obama is going to get re-elected. Whoo Hoo! (I get to donate $50 to seti@home because of a bet I made with Ex!)

And if you look deeper at the polls, it looks like the house is going to lose some republicans, but not the majority and the senate is going to gain some republicans, which means, the republicans will DRAG Obama into doing things that won't destroy this country as fast, and Obama will take full credit--JUST LIKE WHAT HAPPENED TO CLINTON and his last three congresses.

America likes a split government for some reason.

But the good news is, you liberals only need another 3 or 4 percent of the population to get addicted to government handouts, to start believing that they CAN'T do that, to fall prey to the idea that the only way for us to progress is to rely on free government checks, to get infected with the cancer of liberalism, and YOU WILL HAVE THEN TOTALLY WON!

Then the real problems will begin and it'll be too late for you liberals to do anything to reverse it once you've realized what you've done.

You'll still see that some people HAVE more than others because they've seen what's coming and have prepared for it and you'll still see people lined up at the welfare office complaining about how racist and unfair this country is.

When the price of a loaf of bread shoots up to $25 and the government handout to a family of four drops to $200/month, what are you going to do then? Riot in the streets? Ya, that works.

I'm ready for what's coming. Are you?

Aside from a very short stint during the Clinton Years, we've added to the Debt since the Nixon years. To paraphrase an AA slogan. Blaming Obama for the Debt is like blaming the Caboose when the train hits you. Get it right. the blame is 100% Reagans. Do the math. look at a chart. THe national debt increase logorithmically since he instituted his policies. He turn a myth(supply side economics) into a dreadful reality. We are now stuck. Either get the wealthies tax rates back up around 45% or the whole place is doomed to come down around us.

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In a rich man's house there is no place to spit but his face.
Diogenes Of Sinope

Yes, but employment depends on the job market. How many highly qualified people (technicians, tradespeople, engineers etc.) are working at McDonalds or Walmart merely to survive because there are no jobs available in their chosen field ?

Choose wisely.

(I'll let that simmer for a while)

I don't disagree with that statement.
I could have chosen several career paths that higher paying jobs but had the risk of long term layoffs and intermitent work. I chose a field where I knew there would be work and opportunities to grow into when I was ready to move up.

I often wonder why people are suprised that job offers aren't flying in after they get Phd in Ancient Babylonian monetary systems. Like you said Choose wisely

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In a rich man's house there is no place to spit but his face.
Diogenes Of Sinope

In Australia, an Arts degree is considered the main qualification required to be a taxi driver. :-)

Most of 'em in the UK behave as if they had one :-)))

What you have to look at is that if you are an unemployed "tradie" it's always possible to pick up a bit of work for "cash in hand". This is much harder if you are an unemployed Economist or Physicist.

In Australia, an Arts degree is considered the main qualification required to be a taxi driver. :-)

T.A.

So, for all young people, if you want to get ahead early in life a master's is almost essential.

Actually, the best rates of pay are in the trades. The law of supply and demand has kicked in and because young people were encouraged to go to university rather than trade school there is a shortage of plumbers, carpenters, electricians etc. Here in Australia, such "tradies" can get up to $75 per hour while their university educated brethren are lucky to get half that.

T.A.

I was going to mention that but didn't think that it was the right time, as over here, the construction industry isn't doing very much at the moment. Reports say it is a much as 10% down year on year, at the moment.

And in southern Europe construction industrial machinery can be picked up at rock bottom prices.

TA -- and in Australia, if you are fluent in Chinese, you can earn a lot more....

Very few vacancies in that line of work though and most of them are taken by English speaking Chinese rather than Mandarin speaking Westerners.

The demand for tradespeople is a lot higher than for translators. In BHP-Billiton and Rio Tinto there is only one CEO position. Both hire quite a lot of electricians and metal workers though. :-)

T.A.

Yes, but employment depends on the job market. How many highly qualified people (technicians, tradespeople, engineers etc.) are working at McDonalds or Walmart merely to survive because there are no jobs available in their chosen field ?

Choose wisely.

(I'll let that simmer for a while)

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TA -- and in Australia, if you are fluent in Chinese, you can earn a lot more....

So, for all young people, if you want to get ahead early in life a master's is almost essential.

Actually, the best rates of pay are in the trades. The law of supply and demand has kicked in and because young people were encouraged to go to university rather than trade school there is a shortage of plumbers, carpenters, electricians etc. Here in Australia, such "tradies" can get up to $75 per hour while their university educated brethren are lucky to get half that.

T.A.

INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY - New Normal: Majority Of Unemployed Attended College

Out of 9 million unemployed in April, 4.7 million had gone to college

Bloomberg - Low-Paid Grads On Tight Budgets Switching to Discounters

The number of waiters and waitresses ages 18 to 30 with college degrees increased 81 percent from 2000 to 2010, to 159,645, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures. Educated bartenders, dishwashers and file clerks in that age group doubled. The number of janitors with college degrees rose 87 percent to 20,475, and the number of maids climbed 52 percent to 10,930, the data show.

Hate to say it, but the opportunity for a post-secondary education is different from being capable of succeeding in its pursuit. How many easy majors are there? How many departments look to my department and expect us to be gatekeepers, failing those not ready for a college education? How many get through, anyway? Ignore those numbers a moment. What is a college degree really worth these days? Soon, a master's degree will be worth the same as well. It's already begun.

Got to agree with you there. Going by the numbers, parents and politicians want over 50% of school leavers to go into higher education. Therefore the implication is that, without more info, a graduate is average.

So, for all young people, if you want to get ahead early in life a master's is almost essential.

INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY - New Normal: Majority Of Unemployed Attended College

Out of 9 million unemployed in April, 4.7 million had gone to college

Bloomberg - Low-Paid Grads On Tight Budgets Switching to Discounters

The number of waiters and waitresses ages 18 to 30 with college degrees increased 81 percent from 2000 to 2010, to 159,645, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures. Educated bartenders, dishwashers and file clerks in that age group doubled. The number of janitors with college degrees rose 87 percent to 20,475, and the number of maids climbed 52 percent to 10,930, the data show.

Hate to say it, but the opportunity for a post-secondary education is different from being capable of succeeding in its pursuit. How many easy majors are there? How many departments look to my department and expect us to be gatekeepers, failing those not ready for a college education? How many get through, anyway? Ignore those numbers a moment. What is a college degree really worth these days? Soon, a master's degree will be worth the same as well. It's already begun.

INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY - New Normal: Majority Of Unemployed Attended College

Out of 9 million unemployed in April, 4.7 million had gone to college

Bloomberg - Low-Paid Grads On Tight Budgets Switching to Discounters

The number of waiters and waitresses ages 18 to 30 with college degrees increased 81 percent from 2000 to 2010, to 159,645, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures. Educated bartenders, dishwashers and file clerks in that age group doubled. The number of janitors with college degrees rose 87 percent to 20,475, and the number of maids climbed 52 percent to 10,930, the data show.

Half the people are on minimum wages. Is THAT fair ?

Are they given the opportunity via free public education to learn a trade that pays more than minimum wage?

Yes, but employment depends on the job market. How many highly qualified people (technicians, tradespeople, engineers etc.) are working at McDonalds or Walmart merely to survive because there are no jobs available in their chosen field ?

The US unemployment rate is 8%, but that only counts people without a job, it does not count people with jobs that are well below their qualifications.

We had the same situation in Australia in the 90's. The joke going around was that Australia had the most highly qualified unemployed in the world.

Edit: The most overlooked thing is youth unemployment. Even if they have the paperwork, they can't get a job because they have no experience, they can't get experience because they can't get a job (and the circle just keeps going round).

Edit#2: A friend of mine in the States who is a qualified technician was working for IBM repairing PC boards. The pay rate was $8/hour.

T.A.

Classic tactics -- if you can't appeal to a populations economic self-interest, appeal to their ethnocentricity.

Could the southern border have something to do with that?

But it is strange isn't it Mitt claims that the 47% are not going to vote for him yet a large proportion of that 47% live in the states that do vote Republican, usually.

Could the southern border have something to do with that?

But it is strange isn't it Mitt claims that the 47% are not going to vote for him yet a large proportion of that 47% live in the states that do vote Republican, usually.

Speaking of "leeches" didn't I just see a stat that starting in 2013 SS will pay out more than each person puts in over their lifetime. Think that makes all Americans "leeches." Obviously this type of ponzi scheme will collapse.

Glad you noticed that it has been talked about within the UK and most of Europe for decades, under the name of "demographic time bomb". I remember discussions back in the 1970's, wondering how the goverment was going to fund the UK's state pension, purely from a personal view you understand as I was one of the first of the post-WWII baby boomers, retired last year.

Interesting map. The states with the highest percentage of people not paying income tax are solid Republican states.

Be careful with that, California ranks 16 in non-payers and is super democrat.

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When the Teapublicans first came out with this 'not paying taxes' rant, they used 'not paying taxes' -- and not 'not paying Federal income taxes'. Gradually, that has been corrected if only by a large number of folks pointing out the very significant difference between 'not paying taxes' and 'not paying Federal income taxes'.

Even now, some Teapublicans get ticked off then their ongoing misstatement of fact gets fact-checked. Of course that makes sense, Teapublicans and facts are often very much at odds.

Then stick to Federal taxes. Don't include state, county, city, school district, water district, sanitation district ...

So lets see about those Federal taxes. There is the luxury import tax ... I'm sure lots of poor people pay this one ... Oh but there is the sin taxes ... lots of poor people buy booze and tobacco ... huge tax maker that must be. Oh wait, the big part of those taxes aren't federal but state and local.

As to a tax, if Obama Care isn't a tax then FICA isn't a tax. You see democrats hate to be fact checked as it would be impossible for them to say "Obama care is the largest tax increase in the history of the country."


Speaking of "leeches" didn't I just see a stat that starting in 2013 SS will pay out more than each person puts in over their lifetime. Think that makes all Americans "leeches." Obviously this type of ponzi scheme will collapse.

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