You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our community today!
The banners on the left side and below do not show for registered users!
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact contact us.
Vancouver Off-Topic / Current EventsThe off-topic forum for Vancouver, funnies, non-auto centered discussions, WORK SAFE. While the rules are more relaxed here, there are still rules. Please refer to sticky thread in this forum.
Corporations are eliminating jobs and shipping them overseas. They offshore their profits and lobby for tax credits and loopholes that allow them to pay little to no tax. How can they expect the average person to support them?
The US model of supply side economics with their trickle down theory isn't working. Lower taxes, smaller governments and less government regulations lead to the current mess that the US is in. Companies have had lower taxes and increased their cash reserves but have not done any hiring.
These companies then blame it on uncertainty as to why they are not hiring. The real truth is that there is no demand for them to produce or hire more.
Demand side economics is where if consumers have a desire for a certain product, companies will try to produce it, and thus hire people that in turn will spin the economy.
Henry ford paid his workers well, and this allowed them to one day afford his cars.
If companies paid workers better with more people working, and the average person had more $, they would demand more goods and would ultimately help corporations.
This is a pretty good and funny interview if you have time to watch it.
Norway also only has a population of just under 5 million people. With such a large oil reserves, of course they can spend tons of money.
Sorry, let me clarify what I meant.
Norway has an Oil Fund, which is actually a Pension Fund, but unlike a regular pension fund, it gets money from oil profits, rather than pension contributions (CPP etc in Canada). What I'm implying is that Norway, as a more social country, doesn't allow oil corporations to rape the profits which mostly benefits the rich.
Alberta has a population of 3.7 million compared to 5 million, not that much significantly different, has again about $14 Billion where as Norway's fund is worth over $570 Billion.
I don't think the protest will be violent but there's always a bunch of idiots that use these things as an excuse to cause trouble. If that happens, I'm hoping I get a bunch of pictures of the cops beating them senseless.
I don't necessarily agree with all this occupywallstreet stuff but if they're anything like the people that protested the Olympics, they don't deserve to be lumped in with the people wearing bandanas over their faces and smash windows. I took lots of pictures of the protests during the Olympics and talked to a lot of the protesters. I thought they were nice enough people even though we don't share any similar views on the Olympics and such.
Obama is pro "tax the rich movement" yet the average knucklehead down there doesn't understand by rich he means individuals that make 125k+ a year. Thats not rich , thats the upper middle class that is supporting the service industry. Without them say bye bye to more jobs.
The truely rich are the ones hiding it all off shore, tax free investing it into third world countries that would gladly accept them building factories without tax/regulations/unions. The jobs it brings is more than enough for them.
Have no idea of where he got the data, or its bias, but it seems to me to be an example of just one more "fuck you" step that people need to deal with to get ahead.
"Hey! You made it through our shitty public school system. Congratulations! You even did well. Now you'd like to get a good job, and to do so, would like to go to school. Good choice. Here's all the money you need, and we'll take it from you at some point at higher than normal interest. Oh! Yeah, tuition is expensive-but it will all be worth it, when you serve coffee, and can tell everyone why it represents the tears of the peasant workers with your arts degree"
I hope it's not true but israel just got the green light from the US to attack Iran. This will happen within 2 weeks. Mass US troop assembly in kuwait and around the middle east.
Perfect time to throw a diversion at OWS? Last chance for Obama to plunge the country into war to delay the vote? Time will tell.
Have no idea of where he got the data, or its bias, but it seems to me to be an example of just one more "fuck you" step that people need to deal with to get ahead.
"Hey! You made it through our shitty public school system. Congratulations! You even did well. Now you'd like to get a good job, and to do so, would like to go to school. Good choice. Here's all the money you need, and we'll take it from you at some point at higher than normal interest. Oh! Yeah, tuition is expensive-but it will all be worth it, when you serve coffee, and can tell everyone why it represents the tears of the peasant workers with your arts degree"
How many of these people who are in debt actually got decent grades or didn't take something useless? I am assuming that these are the sub par students or ones that got majors in art history, english, religious studies, or philosophy. In that case, I don't know how much people can sympathize with them. One of my cousins from the U.S. is looking for internships right now, and every single employer wants at a minimum a 3.0 GPA just to get an interview, which I think is actually very achievable for most people, yet it is surprising the number of people who graduate with mediocre grades. So the point is, college degrees shouldn't be treated as equal or as a guarantee of a decent job. People should seriously consider what their gonna major in or whether they should pursue a degree at all especially if they don't try. The banks didn't force them to take the loans.
__________________
Cars:
02' Lexus IS300 5spd
07' BMW 323iA
05' BMW Z4 5spd
06' BMW 330i 6spd
10' Audi A4 quattro
08' BMW M3 6spd
15' Kawasaki Ninja300
08' Yamaha R6
10' Honda Ridgeline
17' Audi Q5
16' BMW X5D
__________________
Probably because he tells it like it is and knows hockey better than you two dipshits? People respect his opinions, not like you two dipshits? He has a solid income, not like you two dipshits?
Some countries offer free post-secondary education, it's not that unreasonable. That will never happen in the United States though, and it shouldn't, their general population isn't intelligent enough to utilize it.
How many of these people who are in debt actually got decent grades or didn't take something useless? I am assuming that these are the sub par students or ones that got majors in art history, english, religious studies, or philosophy. In that case, I don't know how much people can sympathize with them. One of my cousins from the U.S. is looking for internships right now, and every single employer wants at a minimum a 3.0 GPA just to get an interview, which I think is actually very achievable for most people, yet it is surprising the number of people who graduate with mediocre grades. So the point is, college degrees shouldn't be treated as equal or as a guarantee of a decent job. People should seriously consider what their gonna major in or whether they should pursue a degree at all especially if they don't try. The banks didn't force them to take the loans.
What does that have to do with anything? I mention some information about how the student loan system has changed to become a money making machine off of students, and you talk about how they don't deserve the mention, because they didn't take what you want them to take.
I get, that job prospects for philosophy majors aren't the same for nursing, or business degrees. I'm there. BUT-regardless of what you take, people now are hearded into post-secondary. Something has shifted that mind frame in the population.
And I think, in today's world, you are going to have a hard time as a street smarts guy with life experience, sitting next to a guy with a degree. Why? Because if the guy doing the hiring is a grad, then he is going to respect his own.
But that even has nothing to do with the point of what I posted!
As I said before, I didn't know what to make of the wall streeters. I did research-very light reading, and I found some things that make me think. This is one of them. You have a group of people that keep bringing up their student loans.
Why? They are under water. Just the same as the housing crisis. People bought houses, under the assumption that they will always improve in value. People bought educations, assuming they would increase in value.
Yes-they made the choice, but come on, if you walk around all day not doing anything because it *may* not work, then you are going to be the homeless guy I call Shuffles in my neighborhood. He has gone through life not taking risk. He now smells.
They are pissed! I get it. I may not agree with every single protester. And the people that want to take them down can find video of that one guy spouting off about something that most people think is out to lunch, and they re-broadcast that video as a sign of the illegitimacy of the movement.
The rules changed on people. When you sign up for a mortgage, no one really knew that it was going to be sliced, and diced and sold off as an investment by banks 1000's of miles away to people you've never met. No one knew that. NO ONE outside the incestuous little banking community.
No one knew that it was going to stretch so tight, and so out of sight of reality, that one little change can bring it crashing down.
And no one knew, when they signed up for a student loan that the money was going to cycle around and line the pockets of everyone involved. All they saw was that they really didn't have a choice.
And no one knew that when there was a problem, the fix was going to be giving a huge sum of money to the guys that made the mistake.
Think the student loan problem is US only? Same thing happens right here.
And tell me its not a little convincing that the problem at least exists. Tell me that if the problem exists, what the solution is to get people to look at it.
Tell congress? They can't even decide to pay their bills in place of a chance for political posturing. A change in president is going to do it? That's what everyone "hoped" for in 2008, and guess what? He's a part of the same machine.
So they take to the streets.
Once again, I have proven that the protests are at least "legitimate".
And tell me its not a little convincing that the problem at least exists. Tell me that if the problem exists, what the solution is to get people to look at it.
Tell congress? They can't even decide to pay their bills in place of a chance for political posturing. A change in president is going to do it? That's what everyone "hoped" for in 2008, and guess what? He's a part of the same machine.
So they take to the streets.
Once again, I have proven that the protests are at least "legitimate".
OMG income inequality actually exists??? I am shocked, and upset beyond imagination. Here I was thinking everyone made the exact same salary as me. Well, you know what they say, fool me once...
Sits there and tries to make him look like an idiot?? Sign boy did it all on his own. The interviewer just confirmed his suspicion that the guy was an idiot. He didn't have to be, he just was. As are 95% of the other people camping on Wall Street (I am giving them a lot of credit at 5%)
Whats your point about companies keeping money offshore? All that does is put most of them on a level playing field with other industrialized nations.
So yes, they still pay the same tax or more than other companies around the world. They are not doing anything illegally.
Also...income inequality must exist. It has, does, and will continue to exist for the rest of eternity. How can you say that gives them a right to protest?
Where did all those hippy idiots get their fancy fixed gear bikes? ipods? clothes? I am sure its all grown on the soil they turned themselves around the outside of their hand built adobe mud huts right?
In fact, their lives are so comfortable and nice because of that jump in income inequality. Companies like Coke, Microsoft, Apple, Google etc. kept the USA from following the same path as the mighty USSR, and made a lot of people millionaires in the process as well.
Quote:
71 percent of American economists believe the distribution of income in the US should be more equal
From your unsolicited homework; thanks teach.
I bet 100% of fortune 500 CEOs think income distribution should be more equal. That means 99% of people need to work harder, learn more, and become better at life and business. Not that it should be handed out like pez to every granola wearing Birkenstocks and a unkempt flavor saver.
All these self entitled homeless lookalikes, need to get jobs, and stfu.
How can they even afford to just hang out for weeks on the street? Half of them probably have wealthy parents who aren't willing to offer them 10 cents for their sh!t idea to sell hemp jewelry creations on the boardwalk. But they get enough support to comfortably spend their life complaining they don't get enough.
The beauty of living in a wealthy country with lots of successful businesses I guess.
OMG income inequality actually exists??? I am shocked, and upset beyond imagination. Here I was thinking everyone made the exact same salary as me. Well, you know what they say, fool me once...
Sits there and tries to make him look like an idiot?? Sign boy did it all on his own. The interviewer just confirmed his suspicion that the guy was an idiot. He didn't have to be, he just was. As are 95% of the other people camping on Wall Street (I am giving them a lot of credit at 5%)
Whats your point about companies keeping money offshore? All that does is put most of them on a level playing field with other industrialized nations.
So yes, they still pay the same tax or more than other companies around the world. They are not doing anything illegally.
Also...income inequality must exist. It has, does, and will continue to exist for the rest of eternity. How can you say that gives them a right to protest?
Where did all those hippy idiots get their fancy fixed gear bikes? ipods? clothes? I am sure its all grown on the soil they turned themselves around the outside of their hand built adobe mud huts right?
In fact, their lives are so comfortable and nice because of that jump in income inequality. Companies like Coke, Microsoft, Apple, Google etc. kept the USA from following the same path as the mighty USSR, and made a lot of people millionaires in the process as well.
From your unsolicited homework; thanks teach.
I bet 100% of fortune 500 CEOs think income distribution should be more equal. That means 99% of people need to work harder, learn more, and become better at life and business. Not that it should be handed out like pez to every granola wearing Birkenstocks and a unkempt flavor saver.
All these self entitled homeless lookalikes, need to get jobs, and stfu.
How can they even afford to just hang out for weeks on the street? Half of them probably have wealthy parents who aren't willing to offer them 10 cents for their sh!t idea to sell hemp jewelry creations on the boardwalk. But they get enough support to comfortably spend their life complaining they don't get enough.
The beauty of living in a wealthy country with lots of successful businesses I guess.
Everyone keeps talking at a micro level(this guy, that guy-FUCK-this one has an ipod! Get him) when you need to look at a MACRO level.
The anger in the discussion of income inequality is not the fact that you make more than your neighbor. It's the systemic push where the top 1% has MORE to share among themselves than the EVER have before.
This has happened since the 70's. And what happened to make the change?
Well, for starters, the Nixon shock changed the game. Then they started with the trickle down economics.
GOING TO MAKE THIS BOLD HERE: EVERY STATISTIC HAS SHOWN ITS NOT FUCKING TRICKLING.
It's not about counting how many protesters have a fucking ipod, and its not about the fringe that want communism.
The majority---MAJORITY want to play in a fair system. Yeah, you work hard, you get ahead. That's great-they just want a straight line. Right now, the line on the curve is bent towards the top(in an exponential fashion) where the hard work is so front loaded for the poor that they stop.
You have got to be an idiot, if you don't think there's anything wrong with the big banks taking huge risk; knowing theres little to no consequences and that they'll just get a bailout from the american people. Not to mention the big companies have pretty much bought out congress - democrats and republican.
Why is it that congress is removing regulations against big companys more than ever and turning a blind eye, but when it comes down regulating the people, the goverment loves monitor you and violate your charter of rights and freedom. New flash, Congress isn't working for the people anymore, they're working for the big companies that feeds them. The system is severely broken, and needs to be changed. Posted via RS Mobile