What was it that allowed the Civil Rights movement to succeed in the 60s? The riots in Watts and other places. In other words, until there is the possibility of domestic violence over the inequitable distribution of wealth in this country, the rich will get richer at the expense of the poor.

Next time some CEO says he is moving a factory to China to cut costs, try burning down his house. Until and unless that happens, we are going to wind up like Mexico and Brazil.

By: Paul on September 19, 2006 at 12:20pm
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Civilization is often a fragile structure. However, it does seem as if the very fabric of American society is starting to shred. Thanks to Bush and the Republican Party, we are more polarized than ever. Our economy is on the brink of disaster and the country has lost its moral and ethical bearing.

Assimilated Press
Read "Apple Pie Declared Un-American" at:
http://assimilatedpress.blogspot.com/2006/09/apple-pie-declared-un-...

By: Virt on September 19, 2006 at 12:28pm
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Here's a thought go to school instead of having babies and living on welfare. Then you might have a chance at getting a job!!!
Or is 4.7% unemploymnet and 5.75 % mortgage rates not low enough for you? Or how about this record set today.
WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- The U.S. government recorded record-high overall and corporate tax receipts on Sept. 15, which was a quarterly deadline for tax payments, the Treasury said Monday.
Total tax receipts were $85.8 billion on Friday, compared with the previous one-day record of $71 billion on Sept. 15 of last year, the Treasury said.
Within the overall figure, corporate tax receipts Friday were $71.8 billion, up from $63 billion in September of last year.
Treasury Undersecretary for Domestic Finance Randal Quarles said Friday's numbers provided a "continuing demonstration of the strength of the U.S. economy."
"In fact, Friday's gross receipts were the largest in a single day in the nation's history - 20% higher than receipts on the same quarterly tax payment date last year," Quarles said in a statement.

By: lordvader on September 19, 2006 at 12:30pm
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My Dear Lordvader:

For all the economic numbers that you cite, you had no response the fact that wages are not keeping pace with inflation. And we're talking about the middle class. Unfortunately, everything cannot be condensed into black and white. How I wish it could be, but in case you have not noticed the world is gray--varying shades I might add.

By: Muddy on September 19, 2006 at 12:39pm
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I too feel the dark clouds gathering...the cost of everyday goods and food have increased recently and our power bills are about to increase by 40% and not a raise in sight. Even lower gas prices won't make up the difference. Can you say "Pretend Christmas?" OH! and can't put it on the credit cards cause we can't afford the payments. Only positive thing about all this is there nothing like an empty wallet to get people to pay attention,,,there's nothing else to do!

By: MidwestMomma on September 19, 2006 at 12:39pm
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poverty = crime :incorrect
poverty + Madison Avenue = crime :correct

By: flatus on September 19, 2006 at 12:41pm
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Vader you ignorant slut, maybe if I make it simple for you:

Insurance going up + medication going up = paycheck going down.

Man, what's in that Kool-Aid? Anitfreeze?

By: Noodle on September 19, 2006 at 12:42pm
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That social structure was broken a long time prior to good ol Kenny and his gang of thieves at Enron.

Why focus on the "street crime" to gauge social order when all you have to do is look at the white collar crimes being committed on Wall Street and K Street.

By: crud on September 19, 2006 at 12:46pm
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There are a few otehr facts. One is that the USA has the most strict definition of unemployment of any western nation. In otehr words the US tends to under report unemployment.

At the same time the US has the highest incarceration rate, percentage of population serving time in prison or jail, of any western nation. (Actually of almost any nation I believe.) I think this should add paint to the picture of a society that may collapse under societal pressures made more difficult by a goevernemnt that hasn't served its people very well. I by served, I mean, actually delivered services....Say health care or affordable education.

By: rpaul on September 19, 2006 at 12:49pm
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we are seeing the sun set on the credit card. e-z credit, etc. mania during which you dint pay for anything, just mortgaged yr future. this is why the av. joe is unworried about the deficit spending for the wo-uh. costs the av. person nothing except maybe some more for gas. the rest can be pd later. isnt that how the economy runs?

By: al113031 on September 19, 2006 at 01:10pm
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I hate to agree with a man like G. Gordon Liddy, but...

When I was a young man, this was a free country. And one with opportunity to do better than your parents, and one with civil rights that were jealously protected, and one that held the moral high ground against its enemies, and one where neighbors knew each other and took care of each other...

I could go on and on, but I have to get on to my second job.

http://www.newsprism.com...
http://www.prestoncoleman.com...

By: civildisobedience on September 19, 2006 at 01:25pm
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Revolutions happen when the midle class have nothing to loose...

It's no coincidence the red states are in low cost rural areas...

By: Synoia on September 19, 2006 at 01:50pm
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You say, "In short, reactionary policies alone, i.e., "tough on crime" measures without long-term proactive solutions in combination will do nothing to alter this alarming and increasing nationwide trend of urban violence.

The conservative response is to suggest that this is a function of individuals who lack the requisite skill sets to compete in a world that has greased the tracks of globalization. Or that this is somehow linked to a lack of traditional values."

Actually, it is the more "liberal" communities in our nation that have begun, on a temporary basis, to establish curfews. The District of Columbia and counties in the State of Maryland, bastions of "progressive" values, have both instituted these "draconian" measures. When we take a historical view, we find that the use of curfews is, in fact, "traditional", especially for underage citizens (less than 18). These measures have not, until this essay, been characterized as "draconian".

Falling wages? Increase in inflation? Those conditions do not exist in America. Wages have been increaseing and inflation is among the lowest levels in history. The entire increase in "numbers below the poverty line" can be explained by factoring in the large increase in illegal aliens (which are surveyed in Census studies) in our nation. If we expel (not that this is feasible or recommended) all illegal aliens (the vast majority of which live below the poverty line), the real wages in the US have been increasing since 2001. This is especially true when we consider that taxes on this same population have fallen.

You say, "In a recent New York Times survey, for the first time, more than 50 percent of those surveyed believe the economic prospects for their children will not be as good as what they experienced. If this is the outlook of the middle class it stands to reason there would be a portion of those in the lower-income class who would completely check out."

But we know that actually, each generation experiences a period when they believe that their children will not achieve the success of their parents. Not so long ago, the "popular" conception was that we would all die in a nuclear holocaust. Now we fear dying in a terrorist attack more than we fear nukes.

We find that recent polls of consumer confidence are growing rapidly. As the economy continues to expand, this trend is likely to continue (the FTC predicts two years of improving economic conditions over the next two years).

Dire economic conditions and falling wages typically precursor growth in labor unions. Today we find the most rapid growth in labor unions to be in the professional classes (doctors, dentists, lawyers, etc. where wages have actually declined in recent years).

You say, "If the current trend continues, it is only a matter of time before we reach a tipping point where there will be more individuals who have removed themselves from the social structures than resources available to subdue them.

As William Butler Yeats reminds us, "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, the blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere the ceremony of innocence is drowned."

But what do we actually find in America today? There is declining drug use, declining crime statistics, increases in student educational performance, declining out-of-wedlock births, declining abortions, and increases in "community action" groups. Our society is building structures to assist our fellow citizens, and they are responding. We have high employment rates, and more opportunities for education. The education completed by the average citizens has increased almost a full year in the last 10 years. While we still have too many who fail to succedd, our rates of success are increasing and the gap between the ethnicities is declining.

We can also look to the success of individuals, especially those individuals who have previously been isolated from society and denied opportunities for success. The Department of Labor reports the the increase in minority owned and female owned businesses is three times larger than the increase in male-majority owned businesses. Women are closing the gap in incomes with men, and minorities are closing the gap as well.

This is a model for an improving America. We are at the dawn of a new great leap forward. Our rates of manufacturing have actually increased in the past five years. Most cars sold in the US, despite the emblem they carry (Toyota, Honda, or otherwise), are assembled here in the US. Most of the parts they contain are also manufactured here as well. US assembled Hondas are actually being exported to Japan!

By: reallygone on September 19, 2006 at 01:59pm
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Dear Muddy,
Sorry to hear that your wages haven't grown, but my have gone up 600% since Bush took office. May be all you need a college education and a work ethic?

Noodle,
Try a HSA and your insurance costs will go down with better coverage. Again try educating yourself on the options and stop blaming America. Government controlled healthcare doesn't work. If it did then why do I treat so many people from Canada who can't get healthcare in their country?

By: lordvader on September 19, 2006 at 02:14pm
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"In fact, Friday's gross receipts were the largest in a single day in the nation's history - 20% higher than receipts on the same quarterly tax payment date last year," Quarles said in a statement.
By: lordvader on September 19, 2006 at 12:30pm

Lordvader,
I have two sons who are productive members of this society. When I read statements like yours, I become upset. Here is a thought for you; A few years ago, a couple of Republican racist assholes(Paul Jarvis and Howard Gann) convinced the people of California to cut the property taxes...property taxes funded the schools. A lot of young married couples(yuppies and childless) agreed and Prop13 passes and subsequently screwed the entire nation You see, with the decline of tax revenues there has be a basic destruction of the public school system. Gangs and the increasing troubled youth were in a much more limited number.
Some of us fores all the future...one in which the kids were left to their own devices...gangs, drugs, sex, etc.
When I was in school, there were after school activities for me to participate in. The same for my sons.
Now we have assholes like you making asshole statements, basically blaming the children, when it is the narrow minded, short term gratification seeking adults who have been the problem...you know, people like yourself and that dickhead in the white house. I really think that you need to stop pulling facts and figures out of your ass and really address the facts and the root cause of many of America's ills. The MSM has you and the rest of you zealots directing your anger and frustration at the wrong people...their aim is as old as time...divide and conquer and I see that you have been conquered.
So, as I see it, whenever a Rethugnican has a good idea, AMERICA SUFFERS.

You see I call myself a "Passionate Patriot". Not a Dem, Rep or Indy. I want a nation that is served by elected officials who defend the Constitution and the Bill of Rights...be Dem, Rep or Indy...not the other way around. There is a revolution on the horizon and in the 70's, Gil Scott Heron said that the revolution won't be televised, it will be LIVE!!!!!

By: Blackkofi on September 19, 2006 at 02:38pm
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BlackKofi:

Spot on!!!

The thing is that should that day occur, when the "tough on crime" rhetoric no longer has any appeal, it will be the Lordvaders of the world holding up economic numbers in true Marie Attoinnette fashion not understading what the hell is happening!

By: Muddy on September 19, 2006 at 03:11pm
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Blackkofi,
So you blame the government because the public school system is screwed up? Or people like me who are sick of paying 50% of my income for taxes. I feel bad for your kids and your situation. Let me fill you in on something. My daughter went to public schools her whole life. What happened? She will join my practice this year after graduating from Harvard medical school,which by the way she attended on a full ride. May be you and your kids need to work harder! Stop blaming the world and take account of your own problems.

By: lordvader on September 19, 2006 at 03:20pm
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Im with Vader
Screw everyone! Everyman for himself! To hell with the common good! I will get rich and piss on all you evil lazy poor people who don't have a rich father who's medical practice they can join!
Funny how Vader voted for the war, but his kid isn't fighting it!
Funny how Vader voted for the war, but his taxes aren't paying for it!
Makes no Sense?
Lemme explain: Vader is a citizen of Vaderstan, an all for one one for all suzerainty of his own mind. Vaderstan will survive, regardless of the pesky residents of america that surrounds it, because VADERSTAN is NUMBER 1!

By: feckless on September 19, 2006 at 04:54pm
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Lordvader--you are an asshole! I'm glad your life is going so well and that of your offspring. Hopefully she will have more compassion for others than you and be able to look beyond your own self praise. There are loads of Americans out there with college degrees working in McD's. You should count yourself as extremely lucky and stop condemning others in whose shoes you have never trod. The world is not a fair place and you need to acknowlege it and stop blaming others for misfortunes they did not ask for.

By: amberzfaery on September 19, 2006 at 04:55pm
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I think that we can agree on some basic assumptions.

1. Noone wants to be POOR.
2. Noone wants her child to be POOR.
3. Noone wants bad or inferior schools.
4. Noone wants to be unemployed.
5. Noone wants to be on drugs or in gangs.
6. Noone wants to be homeless, or ill.
7. Noone wants to be without love or family.
8. Noone wants to be uneducated.

This is just human nature, no matter who you are or where in the world you live.

Noone deserves to live in shame or squalor. There is always room for redemption. I thought this was a Christian tenet!

___________________________________

Stop blaming the world and take account of your own problems.
By: lordvader on September 19, 2006 at 03:20pm

You are so off base it's scary.
_______________________________________

By: poboy on September 19, 2006 at 05:13pm
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It was easy to use credit cards before the NEW rules took effect thanks to our lobbiest loving goverment.
First they got you with the $7000 balance and the $20 monthly payment.
Now,they changed the rules.
$7000 balance = $350 payment.
Thanks a lot you robber barons, keep it up and outsource more jobs so we cant make the payments.

By: clec on September 19, 2006 at 05:18pm
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Wow! Lordvader is one nasty human being. Are you a Republican by chance? Are you a Christian?

As long as you have yours, to hell with everyone else. My daughter just graduated from college #1 in her class--she is a geologist. Her father is an attorney. This family should be doing far better than we are, but you know what? Student loans are killing us. We have one more daughter trying to get through college, but it's extremely tough. Fewer and fewer people can "afford" the American dream or "afford" a college education. A person can try to save for it, but the cost is outrageous!

If you only look out for yourself and wag your nasty tongue at other Americans struggling extremely hard to be successful, then this nation will continue to sink! You sir, are an ass. Your name should not be lordvader but instead it should be "dark vader." We are all in this together bucko.

By: thinks4herself59 on September 19, 2006 at 05:33pm
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Basically we are seeing what Edwards calls the "two Americas" or economists are now calling the "bifurcated economy". What this is is the economy is doing smashingly well for the rich, privileged, and wall streeters, not so good for the middle class and under.

Pay no mind to this troll vader - he sounds a lot like our friend 12ak47, a basement dweeling teen bored of his video games. He clearly knows nothing of the canadian health system either and is spouting the Hannitzed BS of canadians coming here for medical care -which is basically an urban legend. The busses are rolling alright - but headed north to get the exact same pharmaceuticals for half the price.

By: therealredstateblues on September 19, 2006 at 05:45pm
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lordvadar,

Why shouldn't we challenge the public school system? WE PAY FOR IT AND IT HAS FAILED OUR CHILDREN. Test scores at horrible lows, teachers paying for their own school supplies (on a pittance of a salary for the amount of work they do, I should add), outdated text books and more administrators than teachers. You still think the public school system does not need reform?
I worked exceptionally hard in high school. I did want to go to college. But my mother made too much for me to qualify for financial aid and not enough to pay for me to go. And I was not about to put myself into over one hundred thousand dollars into debt for a piece of paper. No one should have to pay that much just for higher education. It should be free for all.
BTW, college educated people are having trouble finding jobs in this economy. It used to be WORTH something. Just ask my college-educated friends how their bartending careers are going since they have not found a job (with their degree) that pays as much.

By: commonsenselives on September 19, 2006 at 06:00pm
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Sounds like Lordvader is in Health Care, so his 600% pay increase is just part of the problem for the rest of us, the reason my insurance premiums go up every six months. And why is it that the people who do the best under our system are those who feel least like paying for the privilige of living here? Maybe we need a return to the Fifties when the top tax rate was much higher. 50% taxes? Must have added in the property tax on that McMansion. You want lower taxes? Live in a lower priced house.
And Paul is right if somewhat over the top. The threat of revolution was what let Roosevelt pass the reforms of the New Deal. Having the recent example of Russia to contemplate, the Rich were scared and realized that something had to be done.

By: Colaholic on September 19, 2006 at 06:09pm
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