proof. lol. what, you lack eyeballs? you must live some sheltered existence.

I actually live below the poverty line atm, being an adult student is a bitch. Regardless, your claims are provably idiotic. The average American is not massively struggling just to get by. The average American is fat, dumb, and extremely happy that way.

Right, that's what I thought. Just look around, it's obvious!!! is basically conceding the argument. It has about the same weight as, it's common sense!!! Name calling is just proof of a poster who has no ability to maintain his position.

wouldn't you like to go to Berkeley for free? Why cant you anymore?

quality of life for the average American has dropped significantly since you could. so how can you make the claim that we've never had it better than now. that's absurd.

no. I just thought your post was dumb.

You do realize quality of life is something that is measured right? Prove that quality of life was better in the 60's (lolol) than it is today.

http://thinkprogress.org/economy/201...iminalization/

and I agree the average American is dumb. we are a reflection of the people we elect. like these balloon heads up here.

measure my dick.

when the average family got by on one salary, had savings and little debt.

now it takes two salaries and credit cards to get by. with no savings and enormous debt

I think your ruler is broken.

I wish I shared your optimism. but when corp interests and that of the people are so different and corps are so influential. I just don't see it.

Being poor sucks even though poor Americans are better off than in other places. Poverty rates have flattened, but poverty is still a real issue and our safety net isn't what it should be.

The recession has sucked, middle class income improvement has stagnated, and mobility is becoming an increasing issue. None of that changes the fact that being middle class in America is pretty awesome.

for sure awesome. and if you happen to be white. its like awesomeness squared.

and bout the safety net. gotta go after those "welfare queens" with their caddys and ****.
20 years later we have some concrete data on how that's worked out

http://thinkprogress.org/economy/201...ailure-record/

http://www.thenation.com/blog/169788...how-it-failed#

We live in a time of prosperity and peace unheard of in human history. Things aren't perfect, but they're better than they've ever been and getting better.

It really is that simple.

Citizens United and things are getting better? Obama negotiating the TPP and things will get better? Further drilling and pipelines ruin the environment and things get better?

how did you come to this better conclusion?

and that prosperity is not making its way into joe working stiffs pockets. that's all going to the 1%. Do you expect any of that to change with the amount of corruption in DC?

Of course not everything is better everyday on every issue. But if you get to appear in the life of a random person in this country (or moreover world) on any day in human history picking today is the correct choice.
I don't think DC is corrupt just

my old man had it pretty good. in the 1970's as a Mason in Las Vegas building casinos for $25 and hour.

so that's a new caddy with a few months salary. a house with a years or so. everything else was dirt cheap. affordable college, ect. That was a pretty good time to be a working stiff in this country.

a ****ing guy could really get ahead like that right? significant change in the past 35 years?

now a days, if your lucky enough to have a union gig. you make the same amount of money. the non union jobs in this ****ty ass right to work state. Try $15, where you slave next to a bunch of non English speakers. for a ****ing master craftsman.

then when your body breaks down at 50 good luck trying to survive on a dime a month SSDI.

better?? not so sure. and its not only blue collar people getting ****ed.

lobbyists bribe elected officials then actually craft the legislation. how isn't that just corrupt?

you know who crafted legislation in the 1970's? my mother ****ing hero Ralph Nader. that guy got some great stuff done.

Nader talks about how he would come home from school as a kid. sit down for dinner with his family. his father would ask him what he learned at school? to think or to believe? that always stuck with me.

we're a nation of believers.

Clearly the labor market has changed. I share your concern for the less skilled labor in this country.

I wouldn't classify skilled tradesmen as "less skilled labor". these are the people building the bridges and roads we drive on and building we occupy.

in Texas they take a similar stance. they have a huge building boom being done by a bunch of illegals that the generals 1099. as in have zero liability. like these Mexicans are really running their own business that will pay taxes. they are just regular worker who the contractors don't want to have to pay ss taxes, workers comp etc.

as you can guess they have the highest worker death rate in the nation.

There is no more greedy selfish man in congress than Bernie Sanders. Almost as despicable as Tom Hartmann. He should be thanking the Koch brothers for paying all the taxes to him so he does not have to work. A financial terrorist at heart. Koch is someone if he needs a fence painted would rather have it rot than paint it. His liberal policies caused the great depression and the panics of 1929 and 2008. Koch brothers probably pay close to 90% of their income in taxes, yet he wants more.

He should go after Warren Buffett that pays little or no dividend taxes or capital gains taxes and probably flies around the country as an expense of Berkshire which is just a glorified mutual fund.

His wife:

http://vtdigger.org/2011/09/27/jane-...es-settlement/

"Grill described a closed and hostile environment, claiming that Sanders frequently yelled at staff and managed to eliminate anyone who voiced criticism. In the letter, Grill claims that “many concerned voices were forced out by continual abuse and by eventually being offered humiliating and unfair contracts in which they were demoted below people who were, in many cases, less qualified for their positions.”"

but with outsourcing its not just the blue collar people getting ****ed. didn't IT used to be something you went to college for and would make a nice middle class living from? I understand that's not really the case anymore?

when manufacturing disappears you cant tell me that engineering jobs and **** go also.

well im open to convincing I should say.

Aren't skilled tradesman doing pretty well? IElectricians, plumbers, finish carpenters are going to be fine. I was thinking more of "back" labor of old that is being mechanized or outsourced globally.

I misunderstood.

if by "be fine" you mean make the same as they made 30 years ago. then ya they'll be fine.

all the old break your back type people are currently walmarters and burgerflippers. if they are lucky.