Americans tread water in gulf between rich, poor

[sonomak]

Source: Associated Press

A Wall Street adviser leaves early for work to avoid panhandlers at his suburban train station. In coal country, a suddenly homeless man watches from a bench as wealthy women shop for dresses. A down-and-out waitress sits glumly on her stoop across the street from a gleaming suburb. A freshly elected politician loses his day job.

They're the faces of a census report released this week showing that the gap between the richest and poorest Americans is wider than ever.

The recession technically ended in the middle of last year, but the numbers can't tell the whole story. The census report translates to stories of impatience, resignation and hopelessness for those who are living it across the country.

It's the story of Roy Houseman, who, having barely finished celebrating his election to the City Council in Missoula, Mont., was laid off. It's the story of Ashleigh Dorner, an unemployed Detroiter who has a car but no money for gas or insurance. It's the story of John Morgan, a financial adviser who avoids interaction with the poor in the gritty New York suburb of Mount Vernon. And it's the story of Charles Fox.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_census_wealth_gap

[onethatcares]

1. those stories are repeated throughout the divided states of America

With winter coming how many deaths will there be? How many families found frozen in their cars or homes?

Meanwhile the banksters will be going to warmer climates to enjoy the fruits of our labor.

When does that end?

[saigon68]

2. Not in the near future as long as the SHEEP like Palin

and her posse of thugs and hoodlums

[maxsolomon]

3. torches and pitchforks

if the trend continues, the lower-level rich (500K-1000k/year) will reverse themselves on taxes. they'll become huge fans of government expenditures on items like militarized police forces.

the oligarchs, of course, will have their own well-regulated militias to guard their enclaves.

[Diclotican]

4. sonomak

sonomak

Someone rembember rougly the decade before the french revolution, where the pessants, and may others was living in dirth poor conditions,and where the nobility belived, that the old ways of doing everything, should never be anything else than it was... And untill 1789, when the revolution started, no one belived that France, should be the country, who was starting revolutions... Not even the french king belived that.. He was after all, king knighted by the Lord, to rule Frenche as he was seeing fit (or at least, let the nobels do it for him)....

Today, many of the same things is happening in US, but as in the late 1700s, no one wil know what wil happend next, when enough pepole got poor, and desperations are ripling true the comunity.. Then what?

Diclotican

[hayu_lol]

5. This is not a recession...

the last time around, we did not have the social programs(thanks FDR)that are presently pouring new money into our ailing economy. This is depression II and will probably last at least 10 years.

Factories are still shutting down and moving offshore. Factories are being closed and the equipment sold piecemeal so that they cannot be reopened...even when employee co-ops are attempting to keep these plants open by purchase.

The deck is not level for the working stiff. It is not level for middle management. It is only level for CEOs,Boards of Directors and the like.

This situation is clearly identifiable as a full-blown depression. None of the so-called economic experts have a clue about what to do to turn this mess around. In the meantime, our Pols spend their time shooting off their mouths and moralizing and taking advantage of every slight opportunity for photo ops. We are paying them to do this...and letting them get away with it.

We need a revolution to get rid of the Royal Deadbeats.

[Diclotican]

6. hayu_lol

hayu_lol

I know, and I belive we are less prepared for this big recession than the first one, who hit the world hard in 1929. I know US and the world have had harder recessions over the last thousands of year. But before we also had the ability to emigrate to other places. Or at least to have a form of farm where we could have some food.. For many who dosen't had a farm, or ability to grow food on land, it was starwaving time, and nedless to say, it was a hell to survive...

i could not understand why factories is closing down, when americans need, or wanted to work in the factories.. Why send them offchore when you can have able minded, and capable workers home, who have a knowlegde about what to do. What is this really about?.. I do not belive for a second, that it is worth selling all the equipment, and all the factories to China, or India, or whatever nation they are selling their factories to.. Without consequenses for everyone in the end.. Is the US in so bad shape, that the powers to be, just want to cash in whatever they can, before US are going broke?.. I the debt, and the economical chrisis so big, that most of us, just know the tip of the iceberg, and do not know, what this really is about?

Every CEO Boards of Directors and so one, must understand, that in the end US would falther big time, when the whole economical system is colapsing into nothing.. I know it have happend in so many country all over the world, even in Norway it have happend, but thanks to stricter laws, the CEOs have not the same ability, and the muchles to do as they please.. Even tho they often do it anyway, just more suble than in US.... Many small communities have been hit hard by the last couple of decades of "free ecnomical rights" where the small man have been hit hard, by the big man....

I am afraid, an revolution of kind is nessesary to fight back, and to stop this pillaging of our ressorses.. I do not know how it should happend, but if we do not do it, it would end up really nasty.. All this economical manipulations, from small country, to the biggest country.. Its damaging, and it wil hit back so horrible when peopole got tired about been abused by the powers.. But in US they belive, with some right, as long as you are told you are one of the "lucky" one, they can do as they please, withouth problems, As long as most americans still lock at american gladiators, or other shows, they tend not to care so mutch about the missrable life they do live.. As long as the "propaganda" system is showing up lucky ones, everyone belive, to be next in line..
The romans was at least honest about it all, they called it panem et circenses, and as long as the romans got that, they forgot how missrable their life really was... All this shows, and so one, you have there in US, is like the romans had it. And we all know what happend to Rome in the end

We need a revolution, a revolution, not just to topple the Royal Deadbeats, but also a revolution, inside us all, to a better understanding of what we should and not do... We ned to evolve into something better... And it wil take time..

Diclotican

[Hardrada]

8. The middle class will not go down without a fight.

Even the kulaks in the USSR struggled against the GPU. The struggle over which social class should rule America could result in lakes of blood.

[high density]

7. Seems like we're in an endless spiral to the economic bottom

We're in an economy that wants the middle class consumer to spend an infinite amount of money while earning no money at all. It's obviously not sustainable unless corporate America realizes they need to employ the people that they expect to buy their products and pay them a decent wage in the process.