When do we get our Day in the Sun?

The human condition is “struggling to make ends meet” in one way or another. I’m sure Bill Gates and Warren Buffett have the problem of finding enough time to complete all of the things that they want to accomplish, so that’s the limiting resource for them. For the rest of us, it’s probably a combination of money and time, and for some it’s just money – or something else entirely.

But these days, with the economy facing more trouble than usual (since it always faces “some” trouble), it’s a convenient hook to assume that people are cash-limited.

Not only have we not fixed it, we’re getting worse at it.

I was under the impression the main goal was to make life better for a smaller, more exclusive group of people. So if you get higher on the ladder, then your chances of your day in the sun will be higher?

Well, you do the best you can.

Because most of the wealth doesn’t belong to most of the people.

Things have changed so radically over the last 40 years and IMO why we have these problems we are facing. When I grew up in the city of Chicago….almost none of the mom’s worked. Didn’t have to or never would have crossed their mind to not be there to raise their own kids. NOBODY had a brand new car except for the retired Doctor at the end of the block. We had one TV and hand me down clothes and everybody seemed happy! It was pay as you go with what money you had. People knew how to save and were expert at it!

As soon as easy credit became available things changed. People HAD to have not only a new car but 2 of them. Color TV’s??? Got to have at least 2 of those, pagers, cell phones digital this and that all expenses our family did not have 40 years ago….and for what? I mean thousands of dollars a year in additional expenses no one had 40 years ago and people HAVE to have it so they go into debt and now it is everybodies problem because no one has any money or the rich people have it all??

The rich people have always been rich since this country was founded the difference is now that by choice people take on debt not all have to yet they do and now expect the rich or the government to pick up the tab for stupid selfish choices?? IMO time to stop pointing fingers and start taking ownership of your own problems!

“time to stop pointing fingers and start taking ownership of your own problems!”

Agreed. But how do we come to admit there is a problem? And how do we determine the problem without pointing at it?

Wrong. The wealthiest country is Luxembourg. And if you wanna talk about happiness then you’d better talk about Denmark.

@Cruiser when someone is rich it’s not a problem. The problems start if he gets rich over night because of the way he thinks all things should be. I cannot understand how in Las Vegas there are so many rich people and if you take a step outside town you can see all those tents near the roads. And some of them ended up there just because others wanted more money.

I’ll accept your comments about Lux and Denmark @Hibernate, though I don’t see how you claim that, it’s nothing worth debating. The gist of this thread is understood regardless.

So replace the US with any nation you wish. Is your position globally sound, in that the problem you point to is “The problems start if he gets rich over night because of the way he thinks all things should be”?

Isn’t that how people run their own households and private businesses? They set things “the way they think it should be” and if prosperity comes from it, then the reward is self evident.

@RealEyesRealizeRealLies Did you mean ‘gist’?

ok gist

@Simone_De_Beauvoir “Because most of the wealth doesn’t belong to most of the people.”

What is “wealth”? Where does it come from?

The point I’m making, here, concerns this mythical “debt ceiling”. It alludes to what @Cruiser mentioned as part of the problem being easy credit.

Exactly Who are we borrowing money from? And do they just click the digits on a big computer somewhere and say “poof, instant wealth”? Who the hell decides what wealth is?

It’s like we live in a mirage.

@RealEyesRealizeRealLies Whatever factors of ‘wealth’ are used to mark nations as wealthiest in the world.

Well if you know what they are, please share, because I certainly don’t. Yet others are telling me that they have enough to give me if I’ll just sign on the dotted line.

Well…for one, getting all fired up over the woes of the world just lends itself to ones own personal suffering
. I’m one that manages to live very nicely and well on what many would consider an impossibly low amount of income.
Yes, I do have some savings, but, I also do not want a cell phone, I don’t want satellite TV, I don’t even watch TV, I drive a fully paid for 10 yr. old car, and will drive it til it blows up and then replace it with another newer used car for cash.
I only have about 4k in debt, mostly from a lot of traveling the last few years, and, I make my own happiness, not contingent on keeping up with any societal mandates.

One can still live a pretty comfy, happy life, IF they march to the tune of their own drummer and don’t fall into the trap of feeling they have to have everything the consumer machine says they do to be happy, cool and popular.

I have a nice little home, nice furnishings, clothing and all of it has come, primarily, from being a creative type that knows how to live very well on modest means, with a few indulgences now and then.

Simplicity is where it’s at, and, less IS more.

Less stress, less work hours, less obsession with ‘stuff’ and abusing credit to get it.
The problem is not the mega rich or the government, it is people that are too afraid to follow their own ideals.

If you’re happy and you know it, first ask “why?”

If you’re not sure how to do it, learn to fly

If you’re hip to all the bullshit, and you really want to show it

If you’re angry and you know it, click this link

Also, here is a great explanation of our money system.

Simple, man continues to fail at making a government that isn’t a mask for or decline into an oligarchy.

Basically the problem is that we have been conditioned to want ‘things’ thru advertisements made by our capitalistic system. Businesses want to sell what they make, so they advertise their products. Advertising is a form of ‘mind conditioning’. We see all of these products on tv, demonstrated by very attractive people & the idea that is planted is that if you get the product – then you too will be attractive/sexy/successful. Capitalism depends upon ‘growth’, ever expanding, more products, more people purchasing the products – but the kicker is that most of these products are no longer made in the US, they are made in ‘third world countries’ where the businesses only have to pay pennies on the dollar in order to get their products made. So, the business owners live here in the US, they advertise in the US, but unemployed people cannot buy these products & people who do have jobs will put themselves in debt to get these products – because we have been conditioned to want more, more, more, bigger, bigger, bigger. We have no way to control the business practices of these big businesses & big businesses do not care at all that people are starving in a large portion of the world. Big business cannot see that we are all interconnected, they cannot see that what affects one of us, affects all of us. So, the rich get richer & the disparity between the ‘haves’ & the ‘have-nots’ keeps getting bigger. And it is only the rich who can afford to run for office, so we have a government that is totally out of touch with the ordinary person. It is no longer a government by the people, for the people, it is a government by corporate lobbyists who give LOTS of money to the Senators & the Representatives so they will enact laws that keep the money flowing to the rich 1% & away from the rest of us. The military still waves the flag & gets young people to enlist by telling them that they will be defending America’s freedoms – but then the enlistees find that what they are actually doing is killing people for the corporations & a lot of times they are also getting blown-up, burned, disfigured, & dead so that our government can help big business acquire & control the natural resources of other countries. Our government keeps cutting the budgets of the social services we need for the ordinary people, & they allow the big businesses to not pay their taxes & still do business with the government, but they will take everything the ordinary person has if they do not pay their taxes & they absolutely will NOT cut the military budget. So, as long as the rich hold sway, no one will help those who need it the most – those of us who care won’t help because we have no money & no power, those who have the money & the power won’t help because they simply do not care.

There isn’t any power in everybody having all that they need. Power comes from control of the essentials of life/commerce. To control is to set the price and the conditions under which these goods/commodities/services may be accessed.
Just as it isn’t about oil qua oil but about access to energy, that is driving the geo-political/real politic system of today .