(06-29-2024, 07:32 AM)The Real Marty Wrote:

(06-29-2024, 04:55 AM)Caldrac Wrote: Million dollar question. Apart of me feels that we've always had a Plutocracy in our country. We call it "Lobbyism", however, it's the same damn thing. Whether the rich and powerful are running it outright or throwing dollars at the most popular political pawn willing to strip their morals the most? They're still in control. 

Credulous at best to believe otherwise. You can go back and look at most presidents now, and see the policies and laws that were put into motion. It's done nothing but alienate the majority. They have attacked and punished the working class, the middle class as it's become increasingly more difficult to stay within said class or potentially move up into said class or better. 

They deliberately targeted key, fundamental aspects to what made this nation strong. You're now foolish to dare having the American Dream, if you can even define that still. You're now foolish for wanting to start a family. You're now foolish for wanting to own a home. You're now foolish if you think you can retire comfortably after trading your time and physical and mental well being for that sense of security.

They have taken it all. And we allowed it. No generation gets a pass in this. Boomers. Generation X. Millennials. Zoomers. We all took the bait. We all participated or chose NOT to participate. And this is what we get. For not demanding better. For not challenging these people. For not stopping this Doomtrain sooner. We collectively made these decisions.

Oh, come on.  That's complete BS.  Millions of people own homes, and millions of people retire comfortably.  Granted, sometimes it's not easy.  But to say it's foolish to think you can do it is absolute nonsense.  

All that class warfare you are spouting makes you sound like a Democrat, just complaining about how the world isn't fair.  There is a lot of opportunity in this country; that's why so many people from other countries want to move here.

Those days are dwindling, you're missing my point. Nothing is easy. That's common sense. However, it's ESPECIALLY not easy in today's age. It's foolish in a sense, that, over the past few decades, these things have been demonized, attacked or manipulated by our many institutions. You have had feminism and extreme liberalism destroy what made the American Dream possible. 

There was a happy balance to be had. You could be a stay at home Mom and care for your children if you wanted to. You could afford to have both parents work and actually TRUST the public school system and TRUST the institutions to aide in raising your children into being a productive member of society instead of a brain washed neoliberal that [BLEEP] on family values, [BLEEP] on religion, [BLEEP] on decency and [BLEEP] on tradition. 

We had both essentially, right in the middle, nearly perfectly balanced, and now? We've let it go too far into the other direction of the spectrum. The world isn't fair. Again, that's common sense. I am fortunate to be in the situation that I am in. I know this. Have cited it many, many times. However, not everybody has that luxury from my generation. I know this because I see it everyday and I hear about it everyday, not through the MSM neither, from actual people. 

I feel awful for my younger brothers. They're scraping by and having to work like dogs to provide for their families and that's due to inflation, wages not keeping up with rising costs of living and the absurd amount of interest rates that are thrown around on owning a home, (again, you say millions own homes, yes, obviously) however, you're not considering what it costs now for first time opportunities, you're not considering that the home ownership market is being sapped up daily by major asset companies to essentially flip it into a renters market and you're not considering the overall costs compared to the past few decades. 

There's a little bit of opportunity left in this country. I think people get their ego's hurt when they actually get outside of the country and visit countries that are not complete [BLEEP] holes. Stop making everything sound so [BLEEP] star spangled awesome around here, it's clearly not. There's never been a more heightened time of insecurity, uncertainty and division in this country. Period. 

That, "Can't see it from my backyard" mentality is exactly what I meant earlier about each generation having a hand in this nation's downslide. Nobody gives a [BLEEP] enough to demand better, to demand more, to take action. Enjoy what you have Marty, not many people coming behind you generation wise will be as lucky. Myself included. We're more fortunate than you realize at the moment. For now at least.

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