I work as an RA which is equal to free room and board (worth quite a great amount of money here in Boulder).
Then I work in a biochemistry laboratory to support my coke habit.
My actual take home income last year was around $5,000 but it should be significantly higher this year, around $8-10,000.
I guess you can call the other stuff income if you really want and then maybe I’ll be around 25k/year, but you’ve still got a crappy OP.
Oh, and I don’t own an iPod, so if nothing else, that’s the cross which I’ll bear and somehow attempt to derive moral legitamacy from. It’s worked so well for even sven, et al, hasn’t it?
So when some desparate peasant in China gets a job in a factory that’s automatically bad for America?
Bullshit.
Right now China’s factories are focused on exports, because most people in China are poor. But what happens when that peasant’s income goes from $100 a year to $1000 a year? In 20 years China’s industry will have shifted to the internal Chinese market, and that poor peasant isn’t going to be working for $1000 a year but for many times that.
Everyone must compete against low wages abroad, even managers and CEOs. You think Chinese people can’t run businesses? Of course they can.
And this is a good thing. You want to prohibit trade with China? Well, wages in the US would go up. A small amount. And prices would go up. A huge amount. Now who’s better off?
Only if those corporations and stockholders own factories in China. Many/most of them don’t. And there are plenty of Chinese corporations, Japanese corporations, German corporations, etc, etc, with factories in China that compete against American corporations. Chinese labor isn’t neccesarily good for US corporations. China isn’t a slave colony for US corporations to exploit.
And also can buy cheap goods from abroad. Everyone around the world has to compete with everyone around the world. Not just workers, but corporate fat cats too.
The poor people in China are getting richer. Are they supposed to stay poor forever? And while the poor in America aren’t getting richer as fast as the rich are getting richer, they certainly aren’t getting poorer. And when we take a global perspective, the poor in India and China are getting MUCH richer. On average.
“In combat, there are no winners. The victors just happen to lose less than the vanquished. One side may impose it’s will on the other, but there is nothing noble or virtuous about the process. People are killed and maimed, homes and communities are destroyed, lives are shattered, families are broken apart and scattered to the wind- and just a few years later, we can barely remember why.”
Eric L. Haney, founding member of the US Army 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment- D, also known as Delta Force.
I was speaking of the poor in America. Of course the poor in China are getting less poor
And therein lies the problem. When the gap between the rich and the poor grows wider, it breeds social unrest. As wage growth slows, it begins to be eroded by inflation. When the masses can’t afford their bread and circuses, they tend to blame the wealthy. Sooner or later they drag them into the streets and burn their McMansions. A man with nothing to lose is a dangerous thing.
I did the best I could to read the whole thread, if this is redundant – sorry, but this just pisses me off to no end! Here.
You know newcrasher I don’t really know you, but I have to take serious exception
With what you said here:
There were LOTS of new ideas, just take a look at Joseph Stalin, or Hitler for that matter.
Me giving up something so that someone on the other side of the world has something assumes that the other person involved would actually get my share. It’s not going to happen. As long as you have greedy people in top-level positions with no accountability to the people, there will NEVER be prosperity for them, EVER. Case in point; are we at war with Mexico right now? No we are not. Are we at war with Canada right now? NO we are not. So how come we have 12 million Mexicans living here who need a better way of life, but not 12 million Canadians? Could it be because the Govt. In Canada has a higher level of accountability to her people? Mexico has almost none. I trust you have been to both countries.
No, I am sorry, that just seems a bit “pie in the sky” for me. I remain “uber-rich” because I live in a world where the Government doesn’t rob me blind, and then send out a goon squad to rape my children should I express my displeasure in a public way.
I lived in Brazil for 7+ years, and still maintain a home there. I lived within the top 20% of money makers there – that was the equivalent of about US$1100.00 per month, and that was FAT CITY! ( a manager at Mc Donalds makes at least $1600 per month), Why? According to the “The Economist” 4th survey of Brazil, (2001 – I do not have a subscription, you need to pay for it yourself if you want to check this out), More that TWO THIRDS of that countries GDP goes directly into the pockets of about 12 million people, yet the country has 188 million folks.
(http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/br.html#People).
Who are these 12 million people? Politicians mostly, or the children of politicians and ex-military leaders. And this is the case in most “third world” countries.
This is such a lame argument. You act as though it is ALL our fault, you wanna see “green house gasses” why don’t you take a look at China, for starters. And your gas costs a lot, but still less than any where else because emerging countries are using more of it, why don’t YOU come up with a better way to get around in stead of whining about it?
I don’t “want” at the expense of the rest of the world, I HAVE in SPITE of the rest of the world. You feel guilty because you have and they don’t? Mail it to them and see what happens – TRUST ME. They, the ones you want to get it - NEVER WILL.
Case history: December 2005, I sent my wife and son Christmas presents, total value, about US$300, (Silk pajamas for my wife, computer games for my son, some toys, and clothes for him, books for her and candies and stuff). It was “intercepted” by Customs. Actually by one department in particular. They told her she would have to pay 160% “import duty” if she wanted the package (that’s a hell of a lot when you make the conversion- like almost $700 to release the package! That’s like BR$1600, jus to get
Something from “the first world”. That’s like 6 months salary in that country. Cool, I paid it. It cost me almost US$1000 in the end just to send US$300 worth of “love” to my wife and kid. Where did the money go? I made an inquiry. “What money?” was the response I got. So go ahead and send them your stuff, if that makes you feel better, but don’t touch mine, I KNOW what will happen to it. I would be “confiscated”. And if you inquire too closely, your son ends up in a dumpster somewhere with a bullet in his mouth. (You do have children don’t you? someone as worldly as you MUST have kids to care about).
This goes on 24/7 in every country of the world, but not as much here. I don’t “want” my
MP3 player, as much as I “got” my MP3 player, along with my refrigerator (a luxury item), and my SUV. I also live in a world where I can drive around with my windows rolled down with out fear of attack, I can go into a grocery store and not be scrutinized by armed guards. I can say I think the government sucks – and have no fear of DEATH. I live in a country where we HAVE “911” services - and when you call them - THEY COME, in any of the places YOU want to send my stuff to, you are on your own if you have an emergency! (But what about the money I “re-distributed” HA HA HA!)
I think before you feel guilty about how “good” you have it, and get on the soap box of world wide socialism, (what is what you did), you should go LIVE abroad and see weather or not you can solve the local problems in the shit holes that you think you would be helping. Until YOU come up with a viable SOLUTION, and quit whining about how well you have it, I am keeping my I-pod, and my SUV and my Fridge.