Tell me something controversial - Page 72

fmstlr · #**1066** 08-18-2012, 10:55 AM

the green lantern logo is our social model. a permanent upper class and a permanent lower class, and a middle class that is churning in a vicious cycle trying to get to the upper class while fearing the fall to the lower class. Those few who do managed to jump classes, are magnified to either maintain the fear, or to demonstrate that YOU can do it too.

35ft6 · #**1067** 08-18-2012, 11:12 AM

^ And that's fine. A middle class, historically speaking, never arises naturally. Life is full of anxiety and uncertainty, so why should trying to control what social class you're in be any different?

Asharak · #**1068** 08-18-2012, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 35ft6

I guess it depends where you live. That is certainly true of my Dad, but not so much for my friends on the coasts. I see what you're saying, but those "nasty, appalling" things are carefully crafted narratives and ideas created by right wing think tanks, repeated incessantly for the past 30 years, hammered into the brains of the masses. How successful has the indoctrination been? Even poor, sick, hungry people start foaming at the mouth when they hear about "socialized" medicine, or programs designed to help the poor. You know, "them."

Well, I was referring more to "middle America" rather than people who live on the coasts. Much of the support for the Tea Party movement also comes from the middle class, contrary to the belief that they're all a bunch of hillbillies.
And unfortunately, yes, it is true that even poor people can be cruel to each other (a homeless guy who begs for spare change at a bus stop isn't exactly going to get positive responses).

Quote:

I would like to see the studies that show that the middle class, as a group, are the voters most responsible for standing in the way of such policies being instituted. It seems lower middle and lower class people are some of the most emphatically pro god, pro war, and anti-socialist policies.I think they've just been brainwashed. US propaganda is generally acknowledged to be the best in the world, it's amazing how they're convinced so many millions of Americans to support policies that act directly against their own interests.

Here where I live, we had a ballot initiative to institute a half-cent tax to improve mass transit (I wondered why the initiative was needed since we also received a bunch of federal stimulus money for improving mass transit, but that's another story). It was voted down, of course.
Lower-income voters can be a conservative bunch, I agree, but I'm not so sure if they're voting against their own interests considering quite many of them have quit voting altogether.

Quote:

Think about it, among all the stories about welfare moms buying fur coats and spending their checks on crack, have you EVER, IN YOUR LIFE, read or heard a news story about the people who used welfare to get through a rough patch, only to emerge as a productive, law abiding, job holding member of society? Probably not.

The "welfare queen" urban legend is one I've never bought since I have relatives who were/are on welfare and they're not exactly living it up.

Quote:

The top 1% can pretty much include people making $300,000 a year. Comfortable to be sure, but not king makers. I guess they could have said the 99.78% or something, but not as catchy.

I believe the cutoff for the 1% is $343,000 a year, so there are people making slightly below that who are still wealthy despite not being billionaires.

puppy fields · #**1069** 08-18-2012, 12:09 PM

I don't think the Rich are the problem, it's the top 100 Billionaires that are, they seem to prefer chaos over stability.

atomicscissors · #**1070** 08-18-2012, 12:22 PM

I think white people are the problem.

wnoodle · #**1071** 08-18-2012, 01:22 PM

lulz

Asharak · #**1072** 08-18-2012, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by puppy fields

Living in a safe neighborhood with great schools as well...

As evident by Paul Ryan's rhetoric and voting record, it's okay to "starve the beast" for other Americans, except for the ones that will vote for you.

Guy is such a piece of shit.

Indeed, it's not socialism when they're getting the goodies, it seems. Even his Medicare plan is really all about making sure the current elderly (especially the white baby boomers) get what they want while sticking it to the younger generations. So he does want to throw Grandma off the cliff....40 or so years from now.

He's also an utter hypocrite on fiscal restraint, having voted for both TARP and the auto company bailout. What's more, he asked for stimulus money and then got caught lying about it.

premium · #**1073** 08-19-2012, 07:15 AM

so, hey don't vote for him and stop talking about him. start talking about someone that you believe has the real, right answers and spread good news instead of bad. just an idea. not directed at anyone specifically, but to the whole world in general. kill the 2 party monster and vote for someone that reflects your beliefs and not MSM endorsed talking points. vote for who embodies your heart and mind and not for who you think will WIN. it's not an auction or a popularity contest, it's a measure of public opinion.

i miss the old days when the candidate that got the most votes was president and the candidate that got the second most votes was vice president.

premium · #**1074** 08-19-2012, 07:29 AM

(yes, i'm a hypocrite. I realize this.)

puppy fields · #**1075** 08-19-2012, 09:02 AM

We're all human.

premium · #**1076** 08-21-2012, 09:45 AM

for every $4 gallon of gas we buy, exxon externalizes $12 in actual cost

we are stealing from our future by pretending our lifestyles are sustainable