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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsSanders Slams US Inequality as Report Finds Nearly Half of Americans Can't Afford Basic Necessities
From the article:
That's how Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) responded to a new study from United Way's ALICE Project, which found that 43 percent of U.S. householdsnearly 51 million familiescannot afford "a bare-bones household budget of housing, child care, food, transportation, and healthcare."
To read more:
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/05/18/sanders-slams-us-inequality-report-finds-nearly-half-americans-cant-afford-basic?
red dog 1
(27,817 posts)guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)It could be a large component of the progressive message.
Squinch
(50,955 posts)guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)Blue_true
(31,261 posts)Fixing them? Wellll, oligarchs, oligarchs, the oligarchs are coming!!!!!
Squinch
(50,955 posts)That oughta teach them.
Me.
(35,454 posts)guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)What can any one person do? It takes millions.
Me.
(35,454 posts)after all all talk and no action is just that
NightWatcher
(39,343 posts)by preaching unattainable Progressive ideas such as free education and healthcare with no viable means to fund them?
sarah FAILIN
(2,857 posts)guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)The 8 hour day was considered unattainable, and the 10 hour day before that.
InAbLuEsTaTe
(24,122 posts)Me.
(35,454 posts)if that's what he's counting on, he should stop talking
InAbLuEsTaTe
(24,122 posts)Me.
(35,454 posts)Might as well wait for the Comrade
InAbLuEsTaTe
(24,122 posts)Me.
(35,454 posts)InAbLuEsTaTe
(24,122 posts)KPN
(15,646 posts)A better question is what is the Democratic Party going to do about it. Bernie is the clarion caller. He's doing a damn fine job of that. He has proposals which many elected Dems have adopted. He's shifting others' positions. But he isn't going to do it all by himself. And frankly, I don't think there's any chance of him becoming President. Realistically, no one individual is going to do it by his/her self. So, what is the Democratic Party going to do? It takes a hell of a lot more than a platform; not to mention we all know about fidelity (or actually lack thereof) to platform. What are we going to do about it?
Me.
(35,454 posts)And there is nothing clarion about him...if he's serious he can actually start something, more than talk. Nobody is asking him to do anything by himself. And btw, he hooks onto other Senator's proposals rather than the reverse.
Civic Justice
(870 posts)He keeps struggling trying to make himself relevant, but the solution to American issues is not something that Sanders need to keep trying to play the "lone-wolf" self promotion gaming about.
It takes Party Unity with a Unified Party Message and the Party CONTROLLING a UNIFIED PARTY NARRATIVE.....
Sanders does not know when to figure that out... and begin to concern himself with Unified Coalition Building With Democrats !!! He's an Independent with some Democratic Ideals, and many Far Left Ideals... and he has yet to figure out, that to make anything work.... it takes a Unified Coalition of Party to do so.
He can't do it as an Independent, and that should have been evident when he boarded the Democratic Ticket, then that should tell him, that it takes the Independents to join with the Democrats and Build a UNIFIED COALITION AS DEMOCRATS... if anything is to be changes, improved and promoted to advance America.
Geez!!!!!!!!!!!
All this "lone-wolf" grandstanding is doing is setting up for "vote splitting madness" and we have November Fast Approaching.
guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)and reminding people of just what right wing economic policy is accomplishing.
Civic Justice
(870 posts)can only be beneficial, with a coalition of Democratic Minded People, who support FAIR LABOR AND FAIR PAY, and promoting in this country "collective voice" in and across the entire American Major Industrial Sector. That can only be made to be a reality with a Democratically Controlled Congress and a Democratically Controlled Administration. Who devotes itself to American People as the value basis within this nation, where Industry serves the people which includes living wage pay, benefits that include pension plan contribution by industry, and industrial re-investment in America.
That's what it was that grew business in America, and the only way they got giant tax breaks was by and through the RE-investments they made in America, both in industry and community and workers benefits and pension contribution. That provided corporations with means and measures of tax relief.
Trump gave them tax relief with no mandate and no responsibility to re-invest in America nor to provide benefits and pension contributions. He just allowed them to walk away with the money, and they stash it off-shore and invest in foreign countries seeking slave wage labor.
When American People AWAKEN, and realize that "American Currency" is an American Product, and its purpose is to facilitate exchange to prosper the nation and its people. That message has long been lost to current generations, and the advent of American mentality to "maintain a disenfranchised minority population and to contain a d poor white population as members of the service class only levels.... is why and how we became a society where industry ignored its responsibility to nation and people within the nation. Racism and the Disregard for the Poor Whites in the Economic Sphere, has been a centuries long model within America. The Wealthy WEAKEN society, by their greed, because a country and its people prosper and grow when the American Currency CIRCULATES though and by the people in a continual cycle... Currency should circulate in a Metro setting several times before it moves to the next metro sector.
The "whole dollar" does not move from area to area, only %'s of that dollar does so, which means, people can cover their expenses, cities can maintain themselves and people can save, and the remainder is what is reinvested and the fractional parts support what is procured from other areas.... thus is "circulates", as does their circulate back as well.
Everybody's tennis shoes in America are imported, 90% of the clothing on people's bodies is imported, and much of our fruits and vegetables is imported, and the profiteers is the Corporations that Run the Importation Cycles, including Manufacturing, we can't even build a car today, without Foreign Imports dominating more than 60% of what make up the automobile material make up. One can't even go to the store and buy fish and shrimp without it having a "Imported label" on it.
Trumps trade ideals are just like his own business, its about "importing stuff cheaper"... Nothing Trump sells is made in America.
We need an Administration that Mandates that America Companies begin to produce no less than 50% of What American's Consume. That means, RE-INDUSTRIALIZATION and managing what is Imported. To do that means "staff up our ports", and actually "inspect arriving cargo". Other nations are very good at it... America can't be good at it, BECAUSE America has a long history and ongoing mentality to lust for "slave wage labor products"....
Places like Japan, Norway and Such, one can't get anything into their country without them knowing "exactly what it is" and how much of it is arriving. Nordic Region countries, make sure their people are working, ( they don't have a racist mad society, that play racist games against segments of their people to the level and saturation that America does). Their companies are staffed with enough people, so they don't wear down the health of their people, so between pay and good working condition, they have a higher "longevity" of life among their people. This also keeps their health care cost down as well. This is the nature of how things work, when "All" people in a nation are respected as equality human beings as members of that nations society.
So, Sander and any other lone wolf talking and talking is not fixing anything, until they fix many things that are collateral and foundational to the matters that make up the madness that exist.
It takes a Coalition of Like Minds to Drive a Party Agenda to Fix Anything In This Country. American's don't have the guts for the task.... as is demonstrated in the generalized divisiveness within society as a whole.
This is AN EXAMPLE of what "Democratic Narratives Should Promote" to become the dominant narrative principles that saturate the airwaves and the social circles of people discussing the state of the nation and its affairs.
guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)It is excellent.
As to that awakening, given how the conservative and corporate controlled media frames the issues, this awakening will be the most difficult thing to accomplish, as well as the most essential.
And when the largest percentage of US workers were unionized, the working class did better than it had before, and the economy grew because the higher wages allowed for more productive economic activity.
Now, when corporations look for the cheapest source of labor, US incomes and purchasing power are declining as the 1% invest their profits in financial instruments and in bribing politicians.
sheshe2
(83,786 posts)In the interview with Chuckie Todd...he was asked about the Democratic Party and their direction. He ranted on with his usual stump about how they have to start listening to the people and that the peoples concern were 15 an hour wage, poverty and how people can not afford housing and healthcare. Well, for one thing even 15 an hour will not be raising anyone out of poverty. He also clearly is out of touch with all the peoples issues as shown with his very brief reply about the newest school shooting, he breezed right over that with a
we need to do more, we need some sensible gun laws, this from a man that refuses to vote yea for them, and went on with his economic rant.
He is out of touch, the voters will not be. These children are voters now or will be by 2018 and 2020. Woe to any politician that is not listening to their voice. They will be heard in the voting booth.
You see, it is not just economics to them, it is about their lives. Fifteen dollars an hour will not save them from an AK15 that some politicians refuse to regulate.
Me.
(35,454 posts)for an emergency
guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)and economic class warfare.
My view.
Thank you sheshe.
Thank you,guillaumeb.
guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)During our conversations, she helped me to see what Sanders missed.
sheshe2
(83,786 posts)I do not do social media...twitter... though she invited me. I have enough stalkers and do not need more.
Thanks again.
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)jalan48
(13,870 posts)"The three wealthiest people in America own more wealth than the bottom 50 percent over 160 million people,"
guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)But the right has been framing taxation as a taking and many US citizens accept that framing even if it hurts them.
jalan48
(13,870 posts)need to repeat it over and over again.
guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)My parents' generation, the WWII workers, enjoyed higher wages and a sizable percentage had union jobs and defined benefit pensions for retirement.
jalan48
(13,870 posts)RestoreAmerica2020
(3,435 posts)[The GuardianThe Guardian
UPDATED : Thursday, 9 Nov 2017]
The richest is Gates, the Microsoft founder, with US$89 billion, followed by Amazons Bezos with US$81.5 billion, then investor Warren Buffett with US$78 billion and Facebooks Mark Zuckerberg with US$71 billion. Analysis of the wealth of Americas richest people found that Gates, Bezos and Buffe)tt were sitting on a combined US$248.5 billion fortune.
400 Americans. now have more wealth combined than the bottom 64% of the US population. In estimated 80m households or 204 million people, .....Thats more people than the population of Canada and Mexico combined.
....study found that the 400 richest people in the US were worth a combined own as much wealth as the bottom half of the US population, or 160 million people. The study found that the 400 richest people in the US were worth a combined US$2.68 trillion
.
guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)Allowing them to buy politicians and fund research institutes to influence the debate.
boston bean
(36,221 posts)Ive never seen anyone ever say this before. Again. Thank GOD for Bernie and Bernie alone.
Life would not proceed without this man saying the same thing over and over saying things no one else in power says or believes.
How could we go on without this one man.
SMC22307
(8,090 posts)I haven't caught a lot of news lately and don't see any other posts. Pelosi? Schumer?
jalan48
(13,870 posts)Civic Justice
(870 posts)there has been for decades endless stories about the disparity in and of wealth distribution. Heck, Teddy Roosevelt dealt with this more than a 100 yrs ago..... so, not like Sander's come out with some genius idea. Democrats have acknowledged these type of reports for decades, Obama addressed it when he spoke of "CHANGE" and the elements needed to achieve that change.
Where were all the people then?..... they faded away and expected him to do it all by himself, they even faded and did not help stand against the incessant republican attack machine from Tea Party to Others who sat silent and did not heed what President Obama said. Obama said: He could not do it alone, that it takes the help and support of everyone... (guess people selectively just forgot that fact)
unfounded devotion is never a good thing.... we see that by the Trump voters and we need not to see any more of it by the Sanders Followers. Trump voters has shown us how bad such a concept of devotion without concern for big picture facts is.....
boston bean
(36,221 posts)boston bean
(36,221 posts)Squinch
(50,955 posts)guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)Just the tiniest bit, but there nevertheless.
SMC22307
(8,090 posts)I cannot believe how some people are forced to live. This country has truly unraveled the past couple of decades... thanks, Reagan, outsourcing, bought-and-paid-for politicians, prosperity preachers, right-wing media...
guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)to 1885 or so.
Uncle Joe
(58,365 posts)Thanks for the thread guillaumeb
guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)And I will be happy to post more.