Community Chat

[Qwackertoo]

On 5/15/2015 Marienkaefer2 said:

On 5/15/2015 Qwackertoo said:

The top 5% are doing fantastic.

The top 10% are doing very well.

The top 25% aren't complaining so much.

But that 47% . . . they are STILL HURTING. And worse off than ever.

The War On Poverty Has Been Lost. 60 years later. It is no better.

Keep doing the same thing . . . and expecting different results isn't working.

Go. Figure.

I would say the fact that middle class wages have remained stagnant for 40 years is a big factor. The crash in 2008 really impacted recent numbers. People lost jobs that aren't coming back, and so they are forced to go on public assistance and/or take lower wage jobs. There are approx. 3 million jobs available, but they require skills that workers don't have. I think there should be more investment in worker retraining. And we should do that before increasing visas to allow more foreign workers with those skills into the country.

I agree 100%.

I'm very disappointed in the Chamber of Commerce and their support for more foreign low-wage workers over our own workers who need and want jobs.

And for some of those foreign workers with Visas, and our workers being charged with training them . . . then our workers are laid off in favor of the Visa workers.

That is just NOT right.

[Shorty2U]

The economy has been bright. Read the stats online, don't buy into what the professional news people on TV state, IE the naysayers.

[Tissyanne]

On 5/15/2015 raining said:

It seems now a days young people all want to sit in front of a computer and make their living. if a job is any more difficult than that they are not interested. Really work ?!?! Surely you aren't serious !?!? However, in a country where the jobs that are available are every increasingly going to service jobs that attitude doesn't get them very far. While I recognize that it is a huge disappointment to them, people who pay living wages actually expect their employees to EARN that money.

Happy now?

[kick]

I agree! Much more traffic, stores & restaurants are packed and everyone just seems happier!

[terrier3]

Buffalo is getting a Whole Foods store...the ultimate yuppie food temple, even more so than any Wegmans.

They are betting on our economy.

[summersun]

Yep its doing well especially for those unemployed or under employed or just off the grid completely. If you do not count those pesky folks in your statistics then we are doing great.

[Toppers]

On 5/16/2015 summersun said: Yep its doing well especially for those unemployed or under employed or just off the grid completely. If you do not count those pesky folks in your statistics then we are doing great.

[raining_1]

On 5/15/2015 Marienkaefer2 said:

On 5/15/2015 Qwackertoo said:

The top 5% are doing fantastic.

The top 10% are doing very well.

The top 25% aren't complaining so much.

But that 47% . . . they are STILL HURTING. And worse off than ever.

The War On Poverty Has Been Lost. 60 years later. It is no better.

Keep doing the same thing . . . and expecting different results isn't working.

Go. Figure.

I would say the fact that middle class wages have remained stagnant for 40 years is a big factor. The crash in 2008 really impacted recent numbers. People lost jobs that aren't coming back, and so they are forced to go on public assistance and/or take lower wage jobs. There are approx. 3 million jobs available, but they require skills that workers don't have. I think there should be more investment in worker retraining. And we should do that before increasing visas to allow more foreign workers with those skills into the country.

Sadly,Americans do not want those jobs,or can not pass the drug tests, or just do not show up everyday so they get fired.

[minkbunny]

The last comment is very true. We have a client who is a recruiter for a welding institute - they train them then place them. The jobs start at about $60,000 a year. Quite a good salary around here.

He said that they cannot recruit because of the reasons mentioned,

the applicant either cannot pass the drug test or have a felony conviction on their record.

[RainCityGirl]

Since we are no longer a manufacturing nation for the most part, there IS no place for some to go for good paying jobs. We also have no quality control over what is manufactured elsewhere and imported. There is the 1% ruling class who have money to burn; there are certain jobs areas for professionals that command high wages; there are very few moderately well paying jobs, but that level is diminishing, and then there are the rest who are near to or living at poverty level, and must hold down several jobs to make ends meet. We were once a proud nation of quality manufacturers. That era is gone and with that, many many jobs. Even products that are put together here, have parts that were made thousands of miles away. At a certain point, someone has to come to the realization that those without can't sustain serving the top 1% and still exist.