Middle Class is disappearing

**Papparazzi** · 05-08-2011, 03:30 AM

America

No surprise here. I actually did a couple research papers about this for finals and this about hits the nail on the head. discuss.

**dropcivic** · 05-08-2011, 01:15 PM

funny....i keep getting pay raises, hell i got $2.50 raise this year. And my job does not require any type of degree or even a diploma for that much. Middle class is dissapearing cause of our need for higher education. We you satuarte a market with workers with a degree, you cant keep paying the same amount. Somebody will always want you to do it cheaper. Something people dont do anymore is learn a indisposable trade which will make you more valuable in the job market.

**PH3N1X** · 05-08-2011, 02:00 PM

Originally Posted by dropcivic

funny....i keep getting pay raises, hell i got $2.50 raise this year. And my job does not require any type of degree or even a diploma for that much. Middle class is dissapearing cause of our need for higher education. We you satuarte a market with workers with a degree, you cant keep paying the same amount. Somebody will always want you to do it cheaper. Something people dont do anymore is learn a indisposable trade which will make you more valuable in the job market.

What do you do?

**dropcivic** · 05-08-2011, 02:23 PM

Originally Posted by PH3N1X

What do you do?

work on gas and steam turbines at power plants all over the US, Mexico, Central and south america, england and ireland. Work 84 hours a week, 12 hours a day 7 days a week, sometimes for 4 months straight. Work in all types of weather from 100 degrees on down to -30 degrees, rain, sun, or snow. Not many people want to do this type of work, so the employee pool is very small. It falls back onto what i said earlier.

**Lucretius** · 05-08-2011, 02:27 PM

You is a slave?

**dropcivic** · 05-08-2011, 02:37 PM

Originally Posted by Lucretius

You is a slave?

I work for my money. 40 hours straight time, 32 hours of time and a half, and 12 hours of double time per week.

**Lucretius** · 05-08-2011, 06:24 PM

You working (2) 40 hour shifts is costing another person a job. You is a job thief.

**Aloysius** · 05-08-2011, 07:03 PM

Originally Posted by dropcivic

I work for my money. 40 hours straight time, 32 hours of time and a half, and 12 hours of double time per week.

what I want to know is how you have enough time to bother with online forums.... I own a biz, and I don't work that much time. I make sure that I have plenty of down time. You're like those 'Deadliest Catch' fisherman who decide to work their ass off for a few months/years straight, and save up a bunch of cash, huh?

**SoftforAnimals** · 05-08-2011, 07:09 PM

Originally Posted by dropcivic

work on gas and steam turbines at power plants all over the US, Mexico, Central and south america, england and ireland. Work 84 hours a week, 12 hours a day 7 days a week, sometimes for 4 months straight. Work in all types of weather from 100 degrees on down to -30 degrees, rain, sun, or snow. Not many people want to do this type of work, so the employee pool is very small. It falls back onto what i said earlier.

Where's the craziest place you had to work? And how much down time do you typically have?

**dropcivic** · 05-08-2011, 07:28 PM

Originally Posted by Lucretius

You working (2) 40 hour shifts is costing another person a job. You is a job thief.

Right....Why would be effective to run 6 different crews on one job then. When we are on a job, we have a day shift and night shift so the jobs run 24 hours a day.

Originally Posted by Aloysius

what I want to know is how you have enough time to bother with online forums.... I own a biz, and I don't work that much time. I make sure that I have plenty of down time. You're like those 'Deadliest Catch' fisherman who decide to work their ass off for a few months/years straight, and save up a bunch of cash, huh?

12 hours on, 12 hours off. I get plenty of time to post after work and during break times at work. Got to love iphones. And we dont just work a couple months and then take the rest of the year off. 2 years ago, i jumped from job to job for 5 months straight. Came home for a couple days and then gone again for 1 month. The job pays damn good and since i am still younger and not wore down, might as well make the cash i can.

It doesnt hurt when i do get time off, i still make base pay for 40 hours to hang around the house. No office to go to, nothing i really have to do besides fish or work on the cars.

Originally Posted by SoftforAnimals

Where's the craziest place you had to work? And how much down time do you typically have?

I have worked from boston to las vegas to washington. A couple different sites in England, and a bunch of sites down in mexico. I aint been to columbia yet but my brother has(he works for the same company i do).

Depends on how you define crazy. Worst place, San Juan Puerto Rico. Best place Clasknie(sp?), Washington.

**Papparazzi** · 05-08-2011, 07:56 PM

sooo.....are you hiring?

**Doc Holliday** · 05-08-2011, 08:55 PM

Originally Posted by Papparazzi

sooo.....are you hiring?

This but I'm a real man though..lol

**Papparazzi** · 05-08-2011, 09:18 PM

Originally Posted by Doc Holliday

This but I'm a real man though..lol

fffffffffffffffffuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

**Doc Holliday** · 05-08-2011, 09:25 PM

have you seen the hats you wear? lol

**rich017** · 05-09-2011, 09:43 PM

You would be surprised how much the manual labor jobs pay... Especially with certain company's that are really good at what they do.

I don't mind working outside in the heat sweating my ass off for 12hrs

**Papparazzi** · 05-10-2011, 12:40 AM

Originally Posted by Doc Holliday

have you seen the hats you wear? lol

Those hats are reserved for men only.

**Doc Holliday** · 05-10-2011, 10:51 AM

no sir

**Aloysius** · 05-10-2011, 11:42 AM

**Doc Holliday** · 05-10-2011, 12:27 PM

correct.

**Make7upyours728** · 05-12-2011, 01:29 PM

some of these are in your OP, but here are some more

36 Statistics Which Prove That The American Dream Is Turning Into An Absolute Nightmare For The Middle Class

#1 The competition for decent jobs in America has gotten absolutely insane. There have been reports of people actually getting down on their knees and begging for jobs. Many Americans are starting to wonder if they will ever get a decent job again. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average duration of unemployment in the United States is now an all-time record 39 weeks....

#2 According to the Wall Street Journal, there are 5.5 million Americans that are unemployed and yet are not receiving unemployment benefits.

#3 The number of "low income jobs" in the U.S. has risen steadily over the past 30 years and they now account for 41 percent of all jobs in the United States.

#4 Only 66.8% of American men had a job last year. That was the lowest level that has ever been recorded in all of U.S. history.

#5 Once upon a time, anyone could get hired at McDonald's. But today McDonald's turns away a higher percentage of applicants than Harvard does. Approximately 7 percent of all those that apply to get into Harvard are accepted. At a recent "National Hiring Day" held by McDonald's only about 6.2 percent of the one million Americans that applied for a job were hired.

#6 There are now about 7.25 million fewer jobs in America than when the recession began back in 2007.

#7 The United States has lost an average of about 50,000 manufacturing jobs per month since China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001.

#8 A New York post analysis has found that the rate of inflation in New York City has been about 14 percent over the past year.

#9 The average price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States is now up to $3.91 a gallon.

#10 Over the past 12 months the average price of gasoline in the United States has gone up by about 30%.

#11 Spending on energy now accounts for more than 6 percent of all consumer spending. Every time this has happened since 1970 we have also had a recession that followed.

#12 The average American driver will spend somewhere around $750 more for gasoline in 2011. Unfortunately, it seems likely that the price of oil is going to go up even higher. Already the price of oil is closing in on the all-time record....

#13 In the United States, over 20 percent of all children are living in poverty. In the UK and in France that figure is well under 10 percent.

#14 According to the U.S. Census, the number of children living in poverty has gone up by about 2 million in just the past 2 years.

#15 The wealthiest 1% of all Americans now own more than a third of all the wealth in the United States.

#16 The poorest 50% collectively own just 2.5% of all the wealth in the United States.

#17 The wealthiest 1% of all Americans own over 50% of all the stocks and bonds.

#18 According to a new report from the AFL-CIO, the average CEO made 343 times more money than the average American did last year.

#19 In 1980, government transfer payments accounted for just 11.7% of all income. Today, government transfer payments account for 18.4% of all income.

#20 U.S. households are now receiving more income from the U.S. government than they are paying to the government in taxes.

#21 59 percent of all Americans now receive money from the federal government in one form or another.

#22 The average cost of tuition, room and board at America's public universities is now $16,000 a year. For America's private universities, that figure is $37,000 a year.

#23 The cost of college tuition in the United States has gone up by over 900 percent since 1978.

#24 Approximately two-thirds of all college students graduate with student loan debt.

#25 17 million college graduates are doing jobs that do not even require a college degree.

#26 According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, health care costs accounted for just 9.5% of all personal consumption back in 1980. Today they account for approximately 16.3%.

#27 One study found that approximately 41 percent of working age Americans either have medical bill problems or are currently paying off medical debt.

#28 Back in 1965, only one out of every 50 Americans was on Medicaid. Today, one out of every 6 Americans is on Medicaid.

#29 Total credit card debt in the United States is now more than 8 times larger than it was just 30 years ago.

#30 During the first three months of this year, less new homes were sold in the U.S. than in any three month period ever recorded.

#31 Now home sales in the United States are now down 80% from the peak in July 2005.

#32 U.S. home prices have now declined 32% from the peak of the housing bubble.

#33 For most middle class families, the family home is the number one financial asset. Unfortunately, U.S. home values have declined an astounding 6.3 trillion dollars since the housing crisis first began.

#34 According to a recent census report, 13% of all homes in the United States are currently sitting empty.

#35 The housing crisis just seems to keep on getting worse. 31 percent of the homeowners that responded to a recent Rasmussen Reports survey indicated that they are "underwater" on their mortgages.

#36 Unfortunately, it looks like millions more middle class Americans could soon be in danger of losing their homes. According to the Mortgage Bankers Association, at least 8 million Americans are at least one month behind on their mortgage payments at this point.

36 Statistics Which Prove That The American Dream Is Turning Into An Absolute Nightmare For The Middle Class