A case of 'cognitive dissonance'.

that is the problem, plus the finance speculators sucking value out of companies for themselves and loading them up with debt. That is where the problems lay.

... that FORCES the need for our salaries to be higher than those in other countries.

If they think that we get "paid too much", then why aren't our kids given free undergraduate college educations like India gives their kids. Are these bums going to say that Indian kids are getting too much paid for with their college educations or are they going to ADMIT that our kids aren't given enough to compete globally contrary to their BS!

Housing and healthcare are the biggest ones, followed by everything else, especially higher education and energy costs.

They want to pay us thirty cents a day to make their steaks and serve them to them, they're going to have to subsidize everything.

The alternative is revolution and they certainly don't want to go through that one, no matter how safe the military makes them feel.

And workers in those progressive countries 'compete' in the global economy much more than American workers do. Trade is 24% of our economy. It is 60% to 70% of the economies of progressive countries like Germany, Sweden and Canada.

If 'trade agreements' lowered the 'wage level' these progressive countries would be cesspools of low wages and income inequality. They are just the opposite.

There needs to be massive general strikes now and a questioningvof why "workers" have to be fattening the bank accounts of Global Billionaires at all. Refusing to raise the minimum wage because we're in an International race to the bottombis confessing that the terms of our economy fail for the MAJORITY.

We need to get back to basics and remember the economy is about providing people with livelihoods - assuring food, shelter, basic necessities, public services, medical care, community activities so people will form bonds and have each other's back in an emergency... We need to start with those PREMISES. If feeding billionaire hubris hasn't been fulfilling that goal for the MAJORITY OF THE COMMUNITY, then we have to accept that we've been letting the Robber Barrons "economy'splain" to us for far too long. When people don't have food and housing, their way failed. 'nuff said.

In Japan, for example, there is far less of a disparity of salaries between workers and management.

If American workers took 20% less and reached parity, then the international corporations would move to a country that counters the American workers' decision where its workers accept even less. Big business will continue to seek the best deal until workers decide to work for nothing

i for one have had it with them putting the blame on workers.

we knew this was coming. The TPP is not going to bring other countries up to our standard, it's going to bring us down to their standard. The one per centers want us working for slave wages just like they do in the other countries where they've offshored their businesses. I hope the congressional Democratic sellouts and the president are happy.

I've noticed a few people that think the TPP is nothing to be alarmed about say that it will lift wages in the poorer countries. How the hell can they honestly believe that? They will extort cheap labor until the end of time - they aren't looking for some utopia for foreign countries - they seek utopia for their wallets.

If you are a fan of TPP you are either extremely wealthy or seriously confused or possibly just a shit stirrer.

in part because of presidential support. but i wonder does anyone ask themselves why all these other countries want this deal with us? they want to even the playing field for their own markets. now sure, if the other countries could become competitive with the u.s. by having their wages go up, the citizens would be thrilled. but as you point out, the corporations are driving this. and they want everyone.s wages to be third world so they can increase their already obscene profits.

what still puzzles me is how this president could champion the aca and still be for THIS

Last edited Fri Jun 26, 2015, 05:38 AM - Edit history (1)

to another country that has a better attitude on how they treat their people. If a child is not born into one of the 1%er families, this is really not the country for that child anymore.

I think that the real reson that the Republicans are so anti-birth control and abortion is not because they believe in the sanctity of life, that is just their cover story. What do you think will happen as conditions get worse and worse? People may decide that they don't want to have children which may cause a sharp drop in the population growth rate. If the serf population dropped too much, it may impact the lives of the 1%ers (businesses and lifestyle). It could send the white race into minority status even faster because immigration might rest mostly with non-white people. They are already have a hissy fit over the idea of becoming a minority race


If we keep on the path we are on, a time will come when you will see a brain drain of capable people moving to other countries while the only ones willing to come here will have to be living in circumstances that are worse then ours. The impact of turning this country into a 3rd world country is that there are other countries out there that will be more then willing to accept our best and brightest, the people that you really don't want to lose.

but i think you are on to something. they are not pro life. they are pro birth. and your reasoning makes sense.

And with trade agreements we are tied to that wage level."

While we will still have to continue with a higher cost of living then those countries have to deal wtih.

If the Global 1%ers manage to put the 99% serfs on slave wages, just who do they think will buy their goods and services?

My father was a WWII vet and did well in th work force. People used to make decent wages allowing for single wage earners in the famiy if that was what they wanted. Growing up we lived a much simpler lifestyle with no computers, internet, and other hi tech toys. People didn't spend as much money as they do today. A typical purchase for a teenager might have been a record or going to a movie. Kids spent a lot more time outdoors. We live in a much more materialistic society which has helped to drive up the cost of living.

While they want to drive down wages they are not willing to create a corresponding reduction in the cost of living. You might find a lot more cities going the way of Detroit.

and let's not forget how Walmart encouraged their employees to give canned goods to their other employees were too poor to buy their own products that they were working the store to sell. I really think they just want to keep people at a wage where they will buy necessities. clearly they haven't thought this through. But I don't think anybody with that much money can really think things through when it comes to being a regular person.

German wages and benefits run much higher than those in the US.

For some reason German goods are wildly popular the world over and Germany always runs a huge trade surplus.

Could part of it be that German CEOs aren't paid 310 TIMES what the workers are? Maybe?

no ifs, ands, or buts

and once it become entrenched, many of it's proponents became quite blunt about it