Thread: General Election 2015

Originally Posted by brocktonblockbust

100,000/year?? That for me anyway is fucking rich. Crap! I'd love that kind of dough. What jobs pay that much besides doctor, lawyer, engineer, ?

Yes.....that's the ONLY way things are fair. Why should ANYONE be rich if not EVERYONE is rich right

The way the system is now, everyone SHOULD be much richer. Instead at zero percent interest they are making those with access to free money far richer and everyone else is getting poorer. Everyone should be working for a living wage and there is more than enough money to pay for it. Instead all the money is going into banks and crooks. Costco does provide better conditions for their workers, but then you contrast it with the likes of Walmart which is tantamount to slavery. That such a corporation can even exist shows how wrong the system is. People have a right to live and corporations have a responsibility to their employees. Funnily enough, governments also have a duty, but they have lost all perspective too. Central banks and governments are reckless and stupid and all they have left are weapons of mass destruction which are being used in brazen ways showcasing just how off the wall they now are. Labour or Tory in that regard is a vote for a system that has crumbled and has zero credibility. NHS privatisation? Both parties. Bank worship? Both parties. Paedo rings? Both parties. Illegal wars? Both parties. Property bubbles? Both parties. Massive debt for students? Both parties. It goes on and on and on and on. 'I am slightly less evil', stutters Ed. But all those war mongering psychopaths are still in your corporatist party! You betrayed Scotland who wants an end to Westminster.

Originally Posted by El Kabong

Originally Posted by brocktonblockbust

Originally Posted by walrus

Originally Posted by brocktonblockbust

same thing in the United States. Yesterday's job numbers and last weeks factory and manufacturing report were all piss poor and much lower than the government had predicted in America. Yesterday a beautiful wall Street Journal article showed that America's fastest growing employer is Costco Wow Gee that's great lets all get a job stocking shelves at Costco and wear a nice little Cosco uniform like little bitches and bastards for $8.50 an hour stocking massive sized potato chips and salted peanuts on the shelves for 600 pound Americans who come waddling in with their 220 pound teenage kids. Thats what I call a career.!!! That's what I call real job growth.!!! Obama and Cameron are the heroes of all the people.

If you do get hired by Costco full time, which is probably rare, they have great benefits and pay. They pay cashier's around 20.00 an hour. Not great money but quite fair. They have a stock option and retirement plan. Actually, I'm not sure they are public but they do have a good retirement plan.

you call 20 US dollars per hour a bad wage.? That is awesome money. I have never made $20 an hour in my entire life. If that's how much they are paying then I am off to Costco

$20 is NOTHING hell fast food workers are attempting to get $15/hr and they work in FAST FOOD.....everyone in America should get a livable wage and I think $100,000 per year is alright, it's a start, I mean there ARE people who make more yes, but $100,000 per year regardless of job even meaning if you're unemployed....that would help the poor masses of the world.

I'm not saying it's great money but for cashiers and stock clerks it's a fair wage. It would be great if everyone could make 100,000 but not every employer can pay that. A lot of fast food places operate on single digit profits.

Don't forget that the cost of living is also very important when discussing what is reasonable to live on. In the UK the minimum wage is far higher than here, but it will get you a lot less. I probably earn a lot less than many back home, but I am getting fleeced less too. I think sometimes people underestimate what it means to be poor back home. Just look at VAT there which is 20% and hits the poor simply for eating or not walking around bollock naked. At least here it is 10%. If you don't earn much at least that's another 10% in your pocket when you cover the basics. At least your bills are nationalised and will only cost you a few bob each month. Why should a poor person in a tough area be paying the same council tax as a millionaire foreign property investor in a flash part of London? Why is there even very much council tax for anyone considering you pay income tax, VAT etc? My council tax is less than a tenner a year. Sometimes you can have a system that is about service and that alone. You can tolerate earning less money if it isn't as expensive to live.

Now I am not against tax just as long as it is a fair system that goes towards schools and helping the vulnerable, but when it is to bail out the banks in perpetuity. Well, that's a banana republic. You can pay people low wages, but in turn services should be cheap. If you want to charge a fortune then wages have to go up. I think it is a fairly simple equation. For 40 years wages simply haven't risen in real terms in Britain or America, in fact they have declined.

Originally Posted by Gandalf

Don't forget that the cost of living

Living shouldn't cost maaaaaaan, it should be like free

Originally Posted by El Kabong

Originally Posted by Gandalf

Don't forget that the cost of living

Living shouldn't cost maaaaaaan, it should be like free

Yeah, cause the United States does such a good job at making sure those at the lowest end of the scale can survive.

Originally Posted by superheavyrhun

Originally Posted by El Kabong

Originally Posted by Gandalf

Don't forget that the cost of living

Living shouldn't cost maaaaaaan, it should be like free

Yeah, cause the United States does such a good job at making sure those at the lowest end of the scale can survive.

Ugh, is everyone going to take me seriously?


Those at the "lowest end of the scale" can kiss my ass....I pay the government taxes, the government in turn cares for those at the lowest end, I also volunteer of my own free will to help people in REAL need and would do more but for the government waste and fraud rampant in our current system of government robs me of that opportunity.


What should I do for those at the lowest end? Should I offer my condolences? Should I bake them a cake? Should I throw money at them? Should I give them employment? No, no, no, of course I should not give them anything with which requires effort, work, or dedication. You have to TRY to suck that bad at life! Hell the poverty line in the US it takes about 6 hours of work a day (roughly 30 hours of work a week) at a MINIMUM WAGE job (which is more like a "hobby" really) to get to the upper echelons of "the lowest end of the scale".......you want me to not only continue to pay taxes to help support those people but also to feel sorry for people that can't pull THAT weight?

Awww, I guess you're right Lyle. Fuck those war vets who can't work because of what they've been through and get screwed by the government. Fuck those unfortunate people who haven't had the privilege of good schools and a college education. Fuck everyone who isn't already among the wealthy. When it comes to the opportunity to redistribute wealth, the US is one of the most disproportionately balanced countries in the world. If you're rich, you're likely to stay rich. If you're poor, you're pretty much gonna stay poor. You've got a better chance of joining the equivalent of the wealthy elite in Swaziland, Central African Republic, South Africa, Haiti and even Cambodia than you do in the United States.

I'm not taking you seriously, I'm just putting forward the case why nobody else should take political tips from across the pond.

Originally Posted by superheavyrhun

Awww, I guess you're right Lyle. Fuck those war vets who can't work because of what they've been through and get screwed by the government. Fuck those unfortunate people who haven't had the privilege of good schools and a college education. Fuck everyone who isn't already among the wealthy. When it comes to the opportunity to redistribute wealth, the US is one of the most disproportionately balanced countries in the world. If you're rich, you're likely to stay rich. If you're poor, you're pretty much gonna stay poor. You've got a better chance of joining the equivalent of the wealthy elite in Swaziland, Central African Republic, South Africa, Haiti and even Cambodia than you do in the United States.

I'm not taking you seriously, I'm just putting forward the case why nobody else should take political tips from across the pond.

If you literally cannot work due to what has happened to you there's something called "Disability" in which you are taken care of by tax payers. However, with the poor economy there has been a spike of citizens claiming disability....over 10 million Americans are claiming disability at the moment. A smidge excessive wouldn't you imagine? Add that to the 92 million Americans who have dropped out of the labor force altogether and you'll see that's roughly 1/3rd of the American population that is no longer able to work, no longer working, and no longer looking for work.

Good schools, ah but the government provides schooling does it not? And the government also closes off school choice (not sure if you have this issue overseas) so IF a child was in a bad school district and although they might be eligible for scholarships to better PRIVATE schools, the government says "Nay, nay" and the child is forced to go to the poor public school.

Mobility works both ways, I have a cousin that pissed away $15 MILLION in his lifetime, when he dies he will leave his children nothing....nothing IF THEY ARE LUCKY! (because he could leave them massive debt). My own family (to answer your first question before we get to the details: we never got to touch 1 single solitary cent of that $15 mil, and although I would have loved a chance to spend that cash [who wouldn't?] I'm thankful for what I have and what I earn)....so my family has been between the very wealthy and the very poor, we've come very close to losing the roof over our heads and from a position of decent wealth too (showing that YES you can be well off and lose everything) but we've scratched and clawed our way back up the ladder (yes, upward mobility, it CAN be done, I've seen it, I've lived it).

You've no doubt got facts to back up your suggestion that upward mobility is easier in those 3rd world countries?


My political and economic stance is viewed as "harsh", "draconian". Am I opposed to giving time and money to charities? Hell no, I am a happy, smiling, willing participant in giving back to my community and to those in need. If I need to give money I give money, if I need to give my blood I give my blood, if I need to give my time I give my time, my strength, my advice, etc I give from myself, from my hard work...but the government gives from my hard work as well, they don't do a very good job of limiting waste and fraud, but I suppose pointing that out makes me a bad person. I suppose having a community rally together and support each other on their own without the intrusion of the government is a bad thing? Teaching those who have, to share what they have of their own free will is a HORRIBLE suggestion right? That's what I advocate.

Behavioral Psychology helps shape my view of politics and economics. If you take the time to understand Behavioral Psych then you'll understand my take on things. Behavioral Psychology is used in training be it children or pets or what have you. Let's use a dog as an example, let's say you're training your dog to sit. It's a simple enough task that involves a direction, an action, and a reward and it's typically always in that order. Direction then action, then reward. You want the dog to sit, you direct the dog to sit via verbal command, hand signal, whatever...the dog completes the action and is then rewarded. The dog learns if they complete an action when directed they will be rewarded and boom that training session is over and done with. You don't give the dog the treat first, you don't give a direction and then give the dog the treat figuring the dog will accomplish the task afterwards. Now you treat a citizen the way the government does, when the person is unemployed you pay them before they get another job which is fine and necessary but when those benefits last for 99 weeks, it gets to the point where a person is being "rewarded" for not working. Or in the case of welfare, if your income is above a certain level benefits are cut off which again, "rewards" shiftlessness, it "rewards" not doing 100%. Where's the motivation to improve oneself if the "rewards" flow whether you work or not?

I am FULLY aware of the plight of the less fortunate, but I will NEVER coddle able bodied adults because in my opinion that is the most demeaning thing you can do to a person. "Awwww honey, we don't need you doing this job, we're actually better off if you sit on the sidelines and stay out of our way, but don't worry, we'll take care of you"....part of a person's value is what they contribute, if I contribute nothing what does that make me?

Yes, America has issues with poverty but you need to take in account being poor in America is different than a lot of countries. Most of those living in poverty have housing, a car, tv, cable and despite what you've heard they have had access to free health care for many years. Catholic hospitals in the US write of billions every year in health care for the poor. If they have a child, all they have to do is sign a paper in its paid for. I'm not saying poverty is not a problem, you just need to look at the whole picture.

Over the last twenty years, the proportional wealth of the wealthy classes in the US has grown drastically compared to the proportional wealth of the poor and lower classes. The natural tendency of man is to try and provide for their children, but as more and more people try to skew the wheel in favour of their children through opportunities, contacts in the right places and better education, that proportional wealth gap will continue to grow.

You'll struggle to find a study looking at the topic that doesn't reflect that trend because the statistics all point in one direction.

On a selfish personal level, I see this happening in the UK, and it isn't something that is nice to see. The political class on the right wing, and to an extent on the left, reflects this trend for less social mobility, as fewer people from the lower ends of the spectrum appear to represent the people in Parliament. There are exceptions, but they are growing fewer.

"Disability" is the stick used to beat the poor over here too, and the right-wing press love any excuse to humiliate and berate someone why tries to play the system. However, this is such a small percentage of the overall welfare bill that it is almost irrelevant, while sneaking tax cuts for the upper class and negotiating down tax bills for hugely wealthy individuals and companies is barely given a mention.

Austerity is a prime example of all this. Attack the poor because the public school bankers were allowed to get away with rampant criminality. You see it with the Tories planning to tax the disabled and yet signing secret deals to let their mates to get away with tax evasion whilst HSBC continues to rape, murder and pillage unchecked.

I keep talking about revolution and if a Marie Antoinette moment isnt on the horizon then neo rentier feudalism is what it shall be. 50 percent youth unemployment in Greece isnt because people are lazy. It is because they have been royally shafted. Off with their heads. Viva bitcoin, cooperatives and social housing. Let the banks choke on the manufactured debt. It is time for something more sustainable.

Originally Posted by El Kabong

If you literally cannot work due to what has happened to you there's something called "Disability" in which you are taken care of by tax payers. However, with the poor economy there has been a spike of citizens claiming disability....over 10 million Americans are claiming disability at the moment. A smidge excessive wouldn't you imagine? Add that to the 92 million Americans who have dropped out of the labor force altogether and you'll see that's roughly 1/3rd of the American population that is no longer able to work, no longer working, and no longer looking for work.

There's enough wrong in this post to take a book to answer but let's just look at the first really dumb thing you say. That 92 million includes everybody 16 or over in education and everybody under 65 and retired with money and everybody retired 65 or over, every disabled person and so on. This number is always a "record number" because the population is currently growing quite quickly and the baby boomer generation are all retiring, squeezing the working age share of the population down.

The fact is that in terms of social mobility -- the ability to be born into one socio-economic group and move upwards during your lifetime -- (what you're told is the American Dream) America comes dead last out of all industrialised countries. Dead fucking last.

Also, too. If you've got something to say about the British election you're welcome to post it here. Otherwise stop bringing your regulat garbage into every fucking thread.

Originally Posted by Gandalf

Viva bitcoin, cooperatives and social housing.

Greece lost literally 25% of its economy overnight. It has 25% unemployment and the purchasing power of the average family has fallen 50%. Greece has a strong and vibrant revolutionary Communist party, a hard left government, a strong anarchist movement/area of the capital city, a very effective anti-establishment domestic terrorist group, a revolution in the living memory of most of the population and a strong history of demonstrations , strikes and civil disobedience. Also a massive potential target for this anger in a very obviously corrupt elite class.

And absolutely zero sign of any popular uprising. You know what the world's elite class are thinking when they look at Greece? All that happens overnight in a country where you'd expect some kind of anti-elite reaction and there isn't one. So why don't we speed up the slow-motion changes we're making in the rest of the west, crush the welfare states and get on with the neo-feudalist programme much faster?


That's the obvious lesson to draw from what's happening in Greece.

Bosses' letter backing Tories fuels business battle

The Conservatives have welcomed what they say is an "unprecedented" pre-election endorsement by business chiefs but Labour has dismissed the move.

More than 100 bosses signed a newspaper letter backing cuts in corporation tax and other policies since 2010, saying they had been "good for business".

Labour said the letter was "organised" by the Tories and it was "no surprise" that bosses wanted lower taxes.

It came as Labour promised new rights for workers on "zero-hours" contracts.

Ed Miliband said a future Labour government would guarantee zero-hours workers the right to a formal contract after 12 weeks of regular work, a move which he said would reduce economic insecurity but which was criticised by employers.

Election 2015: Bosses' letter backing Tories fuels business battle - BBC News