Politics

Out of context: Reply #13098

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  • utopian0

    The Middle Class in America Is Radically Shrinking.

    • 83 percent of all U.S. stocks are in the hands of 1 percent of the people.
    • 61 percent of Americans "always or usually" live paycheck to paycheck, which was up from 49 percent in 2008 and 43 percent in 2007.
    • 66 percent of the income growth between 2001 and 2007 went to the top 1% of all Americans.
    • 36 percent of Americans say that they don't contribute anything to retirement savings.
    • A staggering 43 percent of Americans have less than $10,000 saved up for retirement.
    • 24 percent of American workers say that they have postponed their planned retirement age in the past year.
    • Over 1.4 million Americans filed for personal bankruptcy in 2009, which represented a 32 percent increase over 2008.
    • Only the top 5 percent of U.S. households have earned enough additional income to match the rise in housing costs since 1975.
    • For the first time in U.S. history, banks own a greater share of residential housing net worth in the United States than all individual Americans put together.
    • In 1950, the ratio of the average executive's paycheck to the average worker's paycheck was about 30 to 1. Since the year 2000, that ratio has exploded to between 300 to 500 to one.
    • As of 2007, the bottom 80 percent of American households held about 7% of the liquid financial assets.
    • The bottom 50 percent of income earners in the United States now collectively own less than 1 percent of the nation’s wealth.
    • Average Wall Street bonuses for 2009 were up 17 percent when compared with 2008.
    • In the United States, the average federal worker now earns 60% MORE than the average worker in the private sector.
    • The top 1 percent of U.S. households own nearly twice as much of America's corporate wealth as they did just 15 years ago.
    • In America today, the average time needed to find a job has risen to a record 35.2 weeks.
    • More than 40 percent of Americans who actually are employed are now working in service jobs, which are often very low paying.
    • or the first time in U.S. history, more than 40 million Americans are on food stamps, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture projects that number will go up to 43 million Americans in 2011.
    • This is what American workers now must compete against: in China a garment worker makes approximately 86 cents an hour and in Cambodia a garment worker makes approximately 22 cents an hour.
    • Approximately 21 percent of all children in the United States are living below the poverty line in 2010 - the highest rate in 20 years.
    • Despite the financial crisis, the number of millionaires in the United States rose a whopping 16 percent to 7.8 million in 2009.
    • The top 10 percent of Americans now earn around 50 percent of our national income.

    Article: http://tinyurl.com/26e7wx5

    The 22 statistics detailed here:
    Charts: http://tinyurl.com/2uvnqlt

    • I guess it didn't trickle down.Josev
    • so whats the solution more regulation or less? isnt that the big question with oh no! problems
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    • Let's see, we've had thirty years of less regulation, you tell me deathboy.TheBlueOne
    • I'm sure he believes that ANY regulation is what created this problem.Josev
    • lets just increase the minimum wage 50%, and mandatory employer health insurance that will work it all out
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    • and 30 years less then what. the last 40 years. if the 40 years represented -100 is the last 30 -90?
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    • i dotn qutie get the perspective youre coming from with the last 30 years, but i get its popular to say
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    • Since 1980. Reagen. 2010-1980=30. Do some fucking math.TheBlueOne
    • you need to go back to mid 30s until today. and also look at other factors besides tax/wealth.
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    • its easy to think one simple comparison that supports what you want works. but its never that simple
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    • you are broke as a joke too.DrBombay
    • broke compared to a lot. but the most content with the least has the most. in that area im pretty well off
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