Many Of You Will Not Believe Some Of The Things Americans Are Doing Just To Survive

reply to post by kn0wh0w


The western world needs to wake up very quickly. Here in Australia just in the last week 7 companies have announced job cuts, totaling about 8000 jobs. This sort of thing is happening around the western world and reason is very very simple. Globalization !!!! Western governments over the last 30 years have been fed the mantra that globalization will create jobs and give us a greater standard of living. Total lies!

Corporations have one goal, profit, the more profit the better, so what do they do ? They find the cheapest labour and countries that care little for thier people and have little regulation. ( China, Thailand, Vietnam, Zambia, Nirobi, India...etc)

So I guess we are to blame, we as a collective of western nations have allowed this to happen. we should stand up as a collective around the world on a particular day(s)and protest in the millions, but it is not bad enough yet so it wont happen.
Most of us can still put food on the table,have a roof over our head and send our kids to school and get pretty good medical care, so we will carry on in our little bubbles as more and more jobs go to countries that provide little wages and little employee protection and little regulation.

The Solution

The Occupy protesters have the right idea but the wrong message and and the wrong target. Protest for :

1. Demand equal wages for all people around the world, have a minimum living wage in every country of the world.( we are a global community so we have been told right ? ) So if that is the case DEMAND a minimum equal wage. EG: If I earn a minimum of $16.00 an hr in Australia then so should the people in China. Yes inflation will increase prices, but the wages will compensate

2. Make it Ilegal to lobby and donate to politicians. Allow pollies to use a certain amount of public funds to run thier campaigns.

3. Allow a government to be sacked if certain promises are not met ( NO more lies ).

4. After wages have been equalled around the world, each country should introduce some type social security system to catch people who fall through the cracks including China.

5. Limit corperate profit to say 25 billion and the rest goes to the government to provide for it's people, enviroment etc.

6. Legislate truth in media, in all areas of life including the hard to except.

I really do believe these steps will bring jobs back to America and the west of the western world.

cheers

Originally posted by daaskapital
Most the stuff i hear coming from Americans, both on ATS and other places is always a sob story. You know what, the USA is not the only place with unemployment rates that are high. Australia is doing bad as well, with 80,000 jobs lost this month, and major factories closing down. Don't reply with "But Australia has a smaller population," it's bull#, when you compare the unemployment in Australia to the USA, it is just as bad, taking into account of course the population rate. Britain is also doing bad, as is France, in fact the whole world is in poverty, not just the USA.

I am sick of hearing whinging stories, that "America has it the worst." You know what; what about the people living in Africa? What about the people living in Asia? They are far worse off than Your country, or my country.

Thank you

For any nation with per-capita GDP as large as the USA, the poorer half, and certainly the poorer quarter have it much worse off.

In Australia you may be unemployed and poor. In the USA, you're unemployed and when you get sick you get a bill for three days of treatment (for an ordinary problem) equal to your former yearly (or larger) salary, and even public 'charity' hospitals will send bill collectors and file lawsuits against you and confiscate your family's remaining assets.

How often does the phrase "medical bankruptcy" come up in common conversation in Australia? Everybody in the USA knows what it means.

This is not a theoretical or extreme issue, it happens all the time. A simple broken bone, treatment for which is little different than it was 40 years ago (X-ray, cast, some painkillers and little bit of surgery), is $20,000-$30,000. I had a single chest X-ray recently when I had a persistent cough. This technology is virtually no different from 1930. It cost $600 as an outpatient. If I'd been admitted to a hospital room, maybe double or triple.

If you are unemployed in AUS but smart enough to get into uni your costs are pretty low. In the USA everything is a loan, and you will have $150,000 typical debt.

If you are in mining in AUS you might get $80,000 a year for a hard job. In the USA, you might get $30,000 entry level for a hard job.

The only upside is that consumer electronics are cheaper in the USA than anywhere else.

I believe in free trade agreements with nations with similar standards of living, regulatory systems, labor standards, and environmental expectations. For instance, I think it would be an excellent idea to have a 'commonwealth+' free trade agreement between USA, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia & New Zealand, and let's throw in Bermuda. After that's settled, add in Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway + Baltics.

Originally posted by mbkennel

Originally posted by daaskapital
Most the stuff i hear coming from Americans, both on ATS and other places is always a sob story. You know what, the USA is not the only place with unemployment rates that are high. Australia is doing bad as well, with 80,000 jobs lost this month, and major factories closing down. Don't reply with "But Australia has a smaller population," it's bull#, when you compare the unemployment in Australia to the USA, it is just as bad, taking into account of course the population rate. Britain is also doing bad, as is France, in fact the whole world is in poverty, not just the USA.

I am sick of hearing whinging stories, that "America has it the worst." You know what; what about the people living in Africa? What about the people living in Asia? They are far worse off than Your country, or my country.

Thank you

For any nation with per-capita GDP as large as the USA, the poorer half, and certainly the poorer quarter have it much worse off.

In Australia you may be unemployed and poor. In the USA, you're unemployed and when you get sick you get a bill for three days of treatment (for an ordinary problem) equal to your former yearly (or larger) salary, and even public 'charity' hospitals will send bill collectors and file lawsuits against you and confiscate your family's remaining assets.

How often does the phrase "medical bankruptcy" come up in common conversation in Australia? Everybody in the USA knows what it means.

This is not a theoretical or extreme issue, it happens all the time. A simple broken bone, treatment for which is little different than it was 40 years ago (X-ray, cast, some painkillers and little bit of surgery), is $20,000-$30,000. I had a single chest X-ray recently when I had a persistent cough. This technology is virtually no different from 1930. It cost $600 as an outpatient. If I'd been admitted to a hospital room, maybe double or triple.

If you are unemployed in AUS but smart enough to get into uni your costs are pretty low. In the USA everything is a loan, and you will have $150,000 typical debt.

If you are in mining in AUS you might get $80,000 a year for a hard job. In the USA, you might get $30,000 entry level for a hard job.

The only upside is that consumer electronics are cheaper in the USA than anywhere else.

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Okay, yes in Aus we have a way better healthcare system.

About the uni ordeal, We have a thing where the govt. can pay the course for you (Avg. $30,000 - $40,000 P/Y, not including the courses like doctor). Furthermore, the money must be paid back with an increased amount due to debt to the govt.

Originally posted by daaskapital

About the uni ordeal, We have a thing where the govt. can pay the course for you (Avg. $30,000 - $40,000 P/Y, not including the courses like doctor). Furthermore, the money must be paid back with an increased amount due to debt to the govt.

In the USA, if you want to be a physician, you need 4 years of undergraduate, plus 4 more years of postgraduate medical school. Those last 4 years are $60,000-$90,000 per year in costs, and there is no scholarship.
After that, medical school graduates have to slave 80 hours a week at about $40,000 per year salary for 4 to 10 years depending on their specialty. Then they can get their real job. After that experience, is there any wonder they try to (and succeed at) gouge the system for as much $$$$$ as the possibly can?

You guys do realize its not the moving jobs overseas balogna,

but our own American goverment has decided its citizens are Vermin pending gradual extermination....

right?

Originally posted by daaskapital

About the uni ordeal, We have a thing where the govt. can pay the course for you (Avg. $30,000 - $40,000 P/Y, not including the courses like doctor). Furthermore, the money must be paid back with an increased amount due to debt to the govt.

In the USA, if you want to be a physician, you need 4 years of undergraduate, plus 4 more years of postgraduate medical school. Those last 4 years are $60,000-$90,000 per year in costs, and there is no scholarship.
After that, medical school graduates have to slave 80 hours a week at about $40,000 per year salary for 4 to 10 years depending on their specialty. Then they can get their real job. After that experience, is there any wonder they try to (and succeed at) gouge the system for as much $$$$$ as the possibly can?

BTW, the applications for such positions are stupendously oversubscribed (as there are few other options these days for a non-connected person to make a decent living if they aren't good at technology).

I unfortunately know too well the pain of hardship after losing my job of 20 years at an Auto Factory called NUMMI. It was a joint venture between Toyota and GM. GM pulled out of the plant and left Toyota holding the bag in which the size of the plant was no longer economical. They moved our units to Mexico and 5000 of us found ourselves unemployed.

I went from living in a beautiful home with my wife and 3 kids to living in a small apartment eating Top Ramon for dinner and even with that I count myself blessed. I am lucky in that I now have since acquired a great job but many of my brothers and sisters from NUMMI cannot find work. It is beyond painful how far we have fallen but I have no doubt we American's will get back what we lost. Don't count us out.

Originally posted by kn0wh0w
reply to post by Night Star

 

this will sound politically correct to most of you but

while millions of illegals

define an illegal human being.

it's a ridiculous thing someone can be deemed an illegal human being.

border patrol agent: Hey you Chavez, the second your cross this imaginairy line you're an illegal human being!

Chavez: que?



i can't put my mind around that concept.

Then why do countries even have laws. Change the law instead of breaking it.

This is incredibly sad, but it's happening and I suggest that people start learning basic survival skills while they still have access to the internet. Start learning what plants in your area are edible and what aren't, find out where there are natural bodies of fresh water are in your area and if you live near the ocean, learn how you can distill salt water and make sure you have tools handy. If you don't live near fresh water or the ocean, learn how to extract water from plants or other sources. Learn how to hunt small animals like rabbits and rodents, even birds. If you can afford it, buy yourself a tent and camping gear. Lets hope that you never have to use those skills, but if you do it's good that you have them.

I am lucky to live in an area in Australia where the winters are mild and the ocean is walking distance. I live in a capital city with a low population and I have hunting skills that I learned as a child. There are areas not to far from where I live where there are plenty of feral foxes and rabbits. I am doing it tough financially but not to the point where I have to eat rats. I have thought about what I would so in an emergency crisis or if I ever became homeless though. It is a possibility for me. I am very lucky to live where I live because if I ever become homeless, I will manage to survive.

If I lived in an area where the winters were freezing and could kill, I wouldn't know what to do.

Meanwhile, sniveling maggots like Romney are saying that $375,000 a year isn't a lot of money.... all earned by SPEAKING.

Originally posted by Still

Originally posted by chiefsmom
I don't think it is all due to lack of compassion.
There have been too many reports on the news lately about people using this bad time to POSE as homeless, and just rake in the dough for themselves. That is certainly not helping the cause at all.

But, most towns, even as small as ours, have reputable donation centers. That's where the help should be going if you can afford to do anything at all.

edit on 16-2-2012 by chiefsmom because: sp

I call complete BS on this post.
If I have a home, the best I can get by pretending to be homeless is less than what I have now.

i could be wrong here but i think chiefsmom was referring to stories likes these (which were rather popular last year)

World's Richest Panhandler But unlike most other beggars in New York's city streets, Corey's panhandling has nothing to do with his own survival. According to reports in the Daily Mail and The New York Times, the nonagenarian lives more than comfortably ensconced in a 19th century carriage house in the tony East Midtown section of Manhattan. He estimates the house to be worth some $3.5 million, and can thank an acting and comedy career that has seen him perform alongside the likes of Woody Allen and Jackie Gleason for his fortune.

or this ...

Secret life of Panhandling "It is a lot of money. In any given year the panhandler can make $30-70,000," says District 10 Councilman John Clamp.

"If they are really good, $300-$400 a day. You are talking they are making an outfit, purposely doing their makeup," says Desiree Carlton, a panhandler.
"This may look like charity to you-- but to them its business and it's tax free," she says.

or maybe this link will help you see the difference state by state. some states embrace such acts and require licensing (see more at this link - TN) some states are also attempting to aggressively eliminate (or maybe just hide) their problems.

while i agree, it's hard to believe, it does happen.
and, ya know what's even worse? some of these folks don't pay taxes, don't contribute to American charities and don't even help their fellow street ppl ... how's that grab ya?

either way, i'm only sharing these stories because not everything IS as it seems.
Panhandler License Laws
yes, there are bad situations everywhere but ppl have the power to change it.
the desire is a bit more ambiguous.

Originally posted by muse7
The American dream died the minute Bush was elected as POTUS

This has been sneaking up on the Western world for quite some time, from ALL the reading I have been doing, and I am sorry that what I read about turning America into a "3rd world" country appears to be coming true.

It really makes me sick.... the powerful and obscenely rich people allowing this to happen, but have safe places to go.

And to think that Canada's PTB have gone along with all these secret societies, clubs, etc, NAFTA

Obama did absolutely nothing to help America. He just made it worse!

The NWO is in effect!

I'm not sure how much an army helicopter or tank costs these days but maybe if the US govt stopped spending so much money on war they would be able to take care of their own citizens.

I live in Australia and i'm sure that there are places around that are ghost towns because of various reasons but as far as I know I certainly haven't seen whole areas in cities look like they do in Detroit.

I could go on forever about this but I get extremely angry these days when everything that we used to make here in Australia is now made overseas. Such short-sightedness and greed just amazes me.

I'm one of the lucky ones in that I have a good job and so does my wife so I feel very sorry for anyone that is reduced to a life like that.

reply to post by AmericanPitBull


I agree with you wholeheartedly. In stead of getting up and thinking what you dont have,Think of what you do have. Walk outside and breathe the fresh air ,Look at the trees, listen to the birds we have forgotten the simple pleasures in life, I have lived in a city and rurally and have learned to cope with whatever is thrown my way. I will survive if I possibly can. As my grand...father used to say" Pull yourself up by your bootstraps" and the" Woe is me Syndrome" is an embarassment .to our country. and ones personal fortitude.

Originally posted by daaskapital

Originally posted by mbkennel

Originally posted by daaskapital
Most the stuff i hear coming from Americans, both on ATS and other places is always a sob story. You know what, the USA is not the only place with unemployment rates that are high. Australia is doing bad as well, with 80,000 jobs lost this month, and major factories closing down. Don't reply with "But Australia has a smaller population," it's bull#, when you compare the unemployment in Australia to the USA, it is just as bad, taking into account of course the population rate. Britain is also doing bad, as is France, in fact the whole world is in poverty, not just the USA.

I am sick of hearing whinging stories, that "America has it the worst." You know what; what about the people living in Africa? What about the people living in Asia? They are far worse off than Your country, or my country.

Thank you

For any nation with per-capita GDP as large as the USA, the poorer half, and certainly the poorer quarter have it much worse off.

In Australia you may be unemployed and poor. In the USA, you're unemployed and when you get sick you get a bill for three days of treatment (for an ordinary problem) equal to your former yearly (or larger) salary, and even public 'charity' hospitals will send bill collectors and file lawsuits against you and confiscate your family's remaining assets.

How often does the phrase "medical bankruptcy" come up in common conversation in Australia? Everybody in the USA knows what it means.

This is not a theoretical or extreme issue, it happens all the time. A simple broken bone, treatment for which is little different than it was 40 years ago (X-ray, cast, some painkillers and little bit of surgery), is $20,000-$30,000. I had a single chest X-ray recently when I had a persistent cough. This technology is virtually no different from 1930. It cost $600 as an outpatient. If I'd been admitted to a hospital room, maybe double or triple.

If you are unemployed in AUS but smart enough to get into uni your costs are pretty low. In the USA everything is a loan, and you will have $150,000 typical debt.

If you are in mining in AUS you might get $80,000 a year for a hard job. In the USA, you might get $30,000 entry level for a hard job.

The only upside is that consumer electronics are cheaper in the USA than anywhere else.

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Okay, yes in Aus we have a way better healthcare system.

About the uni ordeal, We have a thing where the govt. can pay the course for you (Avg. $30,000 - $40,000 P/Y, not including the courses like doctor). Furthermore, the money must be paid back with an increased amount due to debt to the govt.

In Australia, we have a better everything. Nothing against the US, but life in Australia is much easier. My communications degree only cost around $12,000 and I got a HECS loan and don't have to pay interest. Sure, it was just a communications degree, but I am pretty sure that it is a lot cheaper than a communications degree (or the equivalent) in America. We are pretty much guaranteed unemployment benefits as long as we need them, provided that we don't have any assets and we turn up to appointments. We get rent assistance if our income is low and even can have our bond payed for us by the housing trust if we choose to rent a private property rather than living in a housing trust house (housing commission) Mind you, there is a 10 year waiting list for a housing trust house.

Where I live, the homeless shelters are comfortable and we get our own rooms (I briefly had to stay in one while I was going through a tough period) and the people who work in those shelters work with you personally to help you get back on your feet. It still costs money live in a homeless shelter, but that is okay since we get centerlink (unemployment benefits) provided that we play by the rules. It's not exactly hard to play by the rules either. They aren't unreasonable, just a nuisance.

If the worst comes to worst, and we have to live on the street then at least the winters in most places here are mild. Our winters don't kill people.

If you live in Australia then don't complain. We are incredibly lucky. We have it tough here too, I am personally doing it very tough, and I am sure that things are going to get worse but count your blessings because from what I can see, people in other parts of the world are doing it much tougher.

the party's over, they are making sure you work or die. by work i mean pay taxes because the united states is dying.

world domination doesn't work. if you use force, you'll be defeated. ask hitler, napolean, the roman empire etc.

the united states strategy is economic domination. you'll also fail. because they'll bleed you dry.

america's only hope is to be put out of it's misery and reigned in. it cannot afford to keep the military at this size and expense.

it's a waste of money to have troops in portugal, or the philippines.

the numbers of starving or poor americans will only increase. then it'll start to hit the wealthy, but their will be no bailout to recoup their money.

the last pangs of death will be war, to feed itself of depleted resources and income.

or you can listen to what ron paul has been saying for the last year, and reign in the american empire, heal itself, repsect the nations of the earth and grow it's economy morally, and not by stealing or exploiting other nations resources.

Yup no jobs no money no middle class.
I've been looking for a job for almost 2 years.
I can't get a job because I'm 19 and have no prior experience.
So how do you get a job?
Do I have to go to college to get my masters degree just to work at Walmart?
What do I do? I've applied everywhere, even the temp services.
There are just no jobs. There are adults with families that need jobs more than I do, I understand that, but what about all the kids straight out of school? How do they get jobs?
There arnt many options. And I don't know what to do.
It's not the good ole days in good ole America.
The fat money hungry power fed politions in Washington have raped America for long enough.
I'm done voting, I learned my lesson in 08'
Thx Obama for the false hopes you fed us.

One very old Statement my grandparents used to always say to me comes to Mind.

Charity begins at Home! And always make sure your own house is in order before you help others.

Millions of Americans Jobless, Homeless, and no food on there plate but we give Billions, Millions to other countries for What?

www.thenewamerican.com...

According to a news story from Bloomberg, a “special $700 million fund” to support the “Arab Spring” is part of the State Department’s proposed $51.6 billion budget for fiscal year 2013:

Ya thats right $51.6 BILLION, how many mouths would that feed?
Oh and here is another one.

english.alarabiya.net...

President Barack Obama of the United States plans to provide rebels in Libya with up to $25 million in urgent, non-lethal aid, a senior US diplomat told lawmakers in a letter obtained by AFP on Wednesday.

But Hey maybe im just old school, cause i think if our Retarded Government actually invested in its own People
the rewards from that would far out way ANY political gains that come from hand outs to Foreign Countries.

The leaders of this Country have lost there way IMO, how do you ever turn your back on the ones who built this Country is beyond me.

Recipe for Failure.....

reply to post by kn0wh0w


Do you think it's just the USA , ketchup soup is still better than what some have to eat in other parts of the world and have had to live like that for years.

Americans complain about gas (petrol) for their cars being $4 a gallon how about moving over here to the UK where we have to pay at the moment about $9.40 (£5.95) for petrol and even more for diesel and about 65% of that cost is TAX see its not the oil companies that make the big money

What do you expect? American backbone is gone. No more revolutionaries like the Minutemen, willing to stand up to Government intrusion and Elitist Rule. Why are these people living in sewers and tents? They probably lost their jobs and homes. To who?????????? The bankers got the homes after unscrupulous lending. The jobs? The jobs went overseas to boost stocks and bonuses while lowering costs and increasing profit margins. Does anyone stand up for themselves? Why not? No one to focus on? Because there is no Aristocracy and mercenaries or armies controlled by others to fight as we once did in places such as Bunker Hill and Saratoga? Or as the French did during their own revolution?
We have an Aristocracy, only they don't claim titles such as Dukes or Counts or Kings or Queens...... but they are Aristocracy just the same. Their offspring inherit Power and Money. They control elections and therefore laws made in their favor. And we allow it to continue. How? By not standing up to them wherever we might need to, such as at voting booths or on main street. How many people contact their congressmen and women anymore? How many people attend stock holder meetings? How many people living in sewers and tents would like to go back in time and change what they did to avoid being where they are today? We are out-classed in this new Class Warfare. Not in numbers of people, but in numbers of Dollars. I do not advocate any shooting, but if the New Aristocracy of America don't fear for their lives, why should they change? They are winning. They run the government, they run the corporations. So what's left for us except to be obedient serfs...... unless we choose to change matters, as our ancestors once did at Concord. Or Lexington. Or Yorktown.........