Originally posted by Diki:
Yes, I agree, to a certain extent... but then again, we are the parents who often cosign for these things, when we should know better ourselves 
The role of the media in bombarding our younger generation with the 'bling life', the fast fix, the losers mentality if you don't have the necessary gadgets cannot be overstated, either, though. The very media controlled by the mega-corporations, the shapers of public opinion and attitude. These are things we had to deal with to a FAR lesser extent while we were in our formative years (deregulation, once again).
But when we all see our basic living costs, our energy needs, our education needs, our health needs go up at MULTIPLE times the rate of inflation, it is a simple case to look around and go 'who is getting rich off of this?'. And it certainly isn't US... Nurses make less and work harder, teachers work harder and make less... the people that do the WORK are getting shafted, and the leeches that OWN the corporations are giving themselves $400,000 vacations and golden parachutes.
This HAS to stop. We don't want revolution in America, but we aren't exactly the most patient people in the world... 
It is time to cut lobbying influence, cut pork barrel spending, cut tax loopholes for mega-corporations, and spread the wealth AND the pain evenly throughout our society. The rich cannot exist without the poor and middle classes (as much as they try to lock themselves away in gated communities and PRETEND they can) and we can't exist without them. But balance needs to be returned to a system that has tilted to the right and the wealthy for thirty years or more. Time for America to rediscover what a great 'society' means. Equality and liberty and justice for ALL, not just the wealthy.
Do I sound like a populist? I SHOULD BE... I am part of the population. As are we all. Not a serf for the lords to do with as they please! Diki ... I agree with so much of what you have said, except that my wife and I are not included in "the parents who often cosign for these things, when we should know better ourselves ", fro our children have not asked, nor would we if asked ...
Also, you talk about the mega-corporations that control the media ... let us not forget that it is a very "liberal minded" media ... And I don't think it was 'deregulation' that prevented us from being bombarded with "buy this NOW", rather the fact that SO many of today's devices didn't even exist ... We have ALWAYS had advertising, but now it is EVERYWHERE !!!
I agree that no corporate mogul should be getting a 'golden parachute' when the company he/she was paid to run is going down the tubes ...
As far as teachers in RI, they are amongst the highest paid in the country - and in most (if not all) school systems here, the teachers absolutely refuse to pay ONE DIME towards their health care coverage ... I don't know of any corporation where the workers don't pay at least something towards their health care ...
So "we have met the enemy and the enemy is us" and until and unless we ALL start to do our part, we ain't EVER gonna start to fix the problems ...
t.
Previous Topic
Index
