Paris attacks

by **SK790** » Fri Nov 20, 2015 17:23:11

Bill McNeal wrote:Is there really a declining standard of living for the average American? I feel like most people are doing pretty well, it's still all over the board in terms of upper middle lower class, but is say that the lower and middle classes are more comfortable today than say 20 years ago.

Agree that we could allocate our resources a lot better but I don't think it's a dire as you are making it out.

The lower and middle class are far worse off than 20 years ago. We've grown as a country in a lot of ways since the 50s, but we've regressed as a nation who supports the lower and middle classes.

by **pacino** » Fri Nov 20, 2015 17:25:01

depends on how you mean it.

in any event, the angry guy at work just chimed in:

"This Wolf's a real ahole. Every governor in the country is like 'no no no' and he says 'we'll take them!' Why, so they can blow US up?! At this point I'd vote for Trump. I dont even know anything about him."

by **CalvinBall** » Fri Nov 20, 2015 18:20:09

Guy knows his name, that's something.

by **smitty** » Fri Nov 20, 2015 18:24:39

Phred wrote:We have a massive military.

We do. And that's despite it being smaller than it has been in decades.

http://historyinpieces.com/research/us- ... -1954-2014

by **jamiethekiller** » Fri Nov 20, 2015 18:34:14

Bill McNeal wrote:Is there really a declining standard of living for the average American? I feel like most people are doing pretty well, it's still all over the board in terms of upper middle lower class, but is say that the lower and middle classes are more comfortable today than say 20 years ago.

Agree that we could allocate our resources a lot better but I don't think it's a dire as you are making it out.

other than it being a real struggle for the 30 and under crowd to afford a house without being generously benefitted by their parents i'd say things are pretty well off. but that whole permanent house thing is kind of a big deal.

i make a pretty good wage but i still can't fathom being able to afford a house. i'm basically paycheck to paycheck after my savings are accounted for. add in that most people are coming in with a lot more debt than i(student loans) then it's even crazier to think about it.

by **TenuredVulture** » Fri Nov 20, 2015 18:43:25

jamiethekiller wrote:
Bill McNeal wrote:Is there really a declining standard of living for the average American? I feel like most people are doing pretty well, it's still all over the board in terms of upper middle lower class, but is say that the lower and middle classes are more comfortable today than say 20 years ago.

Agree that we could allocate our resources a lot better but I don't think it's a dire as you are making it out.

other than it being a real struggle for the 30 and under crowd to afford a house without being generously benefitted by their parents i'd say things are pretty well off. but that whole permanent house thing is kind of a big deal.

i make a pretty good wage but i still can't fathom being able to afford a house. i'm basically paycheck to paycheck after my savings are accounted for. add in that most people are coming in with a lot more debt than i(student loans) then it's even crazier to think about it.

That's really a local problem--I have an acre and 2000 sq ft. for 160k--and it's more about boomers and old gen xers getting an advantage over millennials--that is, current property owners benefit from high housing costs. But you guys don't vote in local elections, so really, why would you think housing and land use policies would be in your favor anyway? Restrictive zoning and land use, particularly on high density housing are intended to keep property values high.

by **jamiethekiller** » Fri Nov 20, 2015 18:47:35

not sure what you mean by local problem.

you can buy a dump in delaware for 175k. you can buy something okay on a short sale for 175k. or you can buy something nice for 250-300k.

i don't even wanna tell you how bad it is in an actual city like Philadelphia.

by **SK790** » Fri Nov 20, 2015 18:58:29

jamiethekiller wrote:
Bill McNeal wrote:Is there really a declining standard of living for the average American? I feel like most people are doing pretty well, it's still all over the board in terms of upper middle lower class, but is say that the lower and middle classes are more comfortable today than say 20 years ago.

Agree that we could allocate our resources a lot better but I don't think it's a dire as you are making it out.

other than it being a real struggle for the 30 and under crowd to afford a house without being generously benefitted by their parents i'd say things are pretty well off. but that whole permanent house thing is kind of a big deal.

i make a pretty good wage but i still can't fathom being able to afford a house. i'm basically paycheck to paycheck after my savings are accounted for. add in that most people are coming in with a lot more debt than i(student loans) then it's even crazier to think about it.

this wouldn't even be much of a problem if the renting market in most cities across the US hadn't exploded, as well. at least the affordable renting market. it's becoming a massive problem here in seattle because contractors can make more money building fancy apartments and condos that these tech dudes at bigger companies have no problem afford, but for everyone else, they're way overpriced and unnecessary.

TV is right, it is only a regional problem, the problem is that most of the regions that are having these problems(cities, especially cities with a booming job market) are where all the jobs are. i undoubtedly lived easier in Grand Forks, ND making over 10K less a year than i do now.

by **pacino** » Fri Nov 20, 2015 20:07:54

I bought a house for 159k. TV is correct.

by **Houshphandzadeh** » Fri Nov 20, 2015 20:31:20

wages have been stagnant since the 80s

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/20 ... r-decades/

by **TomatoPie** » Fri Nov 20, 2015 21:11:50

by **pacino** » Fri Nov 20, 2015 23:58:21

Are we putting on pause tourists from overseas?

by **MoBettle** » Sat Nov 21, 2015 11:43:54

azrider wrote:Why are we even thinking about taking in refugees, when we have problems like these that we should be taking care of first?

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-how-los-angeles-homeless-crisis-got-so-bad-20150922-story.html

There are 26,000 people living on the streets of just LA. Many of these people are mentally ill too. Let's take care of Americans first before we deal with someone else's problems.

The homeless is a significantly harder problem, and I would argue its not really something that the federal government should be super involved with, it's a city/state issue. Thought this reddit post explained it pretty well.

The state-funded resettlement agencies are going to assist them in finding housing and work for 90 days. If they have family, they'll be flown into the nearest resettlement center. After that, AFAIK, they receive no special treatment, but are free to get the same support from Health and Human Services that is already available to the homeless and others in need.
The fact that the US gov't gets to determine where they go might be a factor too. Homeless are not exactly proportionally spread out across the US, and cities/states can get a lot of flak for trying to move their homeless elsewhere, which wouldn't be an issue for the federal gov't. They can just drop refugees in smallish towns or less expensive cities that are prepared to take them.
Also a lot of long-term homeless, veterans or otherwise, are mentally ill. This may mean that they are unable/unwilling to ask for help, or that the shelters and such are unequipped to provide it.

They're completely different issues and shouldn't really be juxtaposed. The homeless need a lot of long term help (which costs a lot of money), and that help has to be within the context of respecting their rights as US citizens. The refugees, assuming the federal government does even an adequate job vetting them, should be of sound mind and able body and put in parts of the country that could use their services. The issue with refugees isn't really money, it's that people are worried about their loyalties.

by **TenuredVulture** » Sat Nov 21, 2015 12:30:25

jamiethekiller wrote:not sure what you mean by local problem.

you can buy a dump in delaware for 175k. you can buy something okay on a short sale for 175k. or you can buy something nice for 250-300k.

i don't even wanna tell you how bad it is in an actual city like Philadelphia.

What I mean is that housing prices are almost entirely a function of the local economy and local land use practices. It has almost nothing to do with Republicans in Congress or anywhere else really. In fact, for better or worse, red states tend to have more affordable housing, even in places that are not economically sluggish. I suspect that you'll see some migration to smaller cities in those red states because almost no one just starting out can really afford the coastal cities. It's a big part of Houston's growth for instance (not just for younger folks, but for immigrants as well) and I've heard great things are happening in places like Tulsa.

by **drsmooth** » Sat Nov 21, 2015 18:03:41

Has Chicago's Hancock Tower any history of fires? Can't recall any making news....

by **drsmooth** » Sun Nov 22, 2015 16:01:54

kinda feel like many of the same people who always moan about how the POTUS actively denies America's exceptionalism are among those protesting the loudest about how the POTUS is calling on Americans to sack up & act exceptional re: the Syrian refugees thing

by **azrider** » Mon Nov 23, 2015 13:07:56

Bill Maher Criticizes Liberal Support of Islam: Muslims Sharing All Your Values is ‘Bullshit

by **drsmooth** » Mon Nov 23, 2015 13:30:01

Maher's a professional asshole, paid to be so, so he is. No one pretends muslims "share all our values". Of course they don't. They don't have to. But until they demonstrate they're murdering murderers who eat babies, the fact that a person is muslim isn't the end of their lives. That's the point. So stay hidden AZ, we'll let you know when it's safe to come out

by **jerseyhoya** » Mon Nov 23, 2015 14:31:43

Bucky wrote:at least 20 dead after a gunman stormed a luxury hotel in Mali

doesn't sound like the isis MO but I guess I'll put this here for now

Anita Datar, a 1995 graduate of Rutgers and a remarkable global citizen, was killed in the terrorist attack on Friday. Our entire community grieves for her, and for her parents, her siblings, and her seven-year-old son. The loss that they have suffered is immeasurable.

Ms. Datar was committed to improving public health and was in the West African nation on a project funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). She gave tirelessly in her pursuit to enhance public health programs, expand family planning, and curb the spread of HIV in developing nations.

After graduating from Rutgers College with a degree in psychology, Anita received master’s degrees in public health and public administration from Columbia University. She went on to serve in Senegal as a Peace Corps volunteer and spent the last few years back in Africa following her calling to improve conditions for populations in developing and under-developed nations.

From a school email - RIP

by **TomatoPie** » Mon Nov 23, 2015 15:56:18

jamiethekiller wrote:not sure what you mean by local problem.

you can buy a dump in delaware for 175k. you can buy something okay on a short sale for 175k. or you can buy something nice for 250-300k.

i don't even wanna tell you how bad it is in an actual city like Philadelphia.

Get a tiny house in Texas with fiber optic cable. $85k http://spurfreedom.org/

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