Why Working Americans Vote Against Their Own Interests
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Part of being a progressive is being perpetually baffled by the propensity of working Americans to vote against their own interests.
Some of us get it. As John Steinbeck once said, "Socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires."
Conservatives get it, too. Consider how Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels glossed over the growing wealth gap in America in his rebuttal to President Obama's 2011 State of the Union address. "We do not accept that ours will ever be a nation of haves and have-nots," he said. "We must always be a nation of haves and soon-to-haves."
"Soon to have" is the American Dream. It is ingrained in our national DNA.
But what if the dream is more of a delusion?
In his new book, "The Price of Inequality: How Today's Divided Society Endangers Our Future," Columbia University professor Joseph Stiglitz points out, "There is less equality of opportunity in the United States today than there is in Europe - or, indeed, in any advanced industrial country for which there are data."
A study by the Economic Mobility Project showed the U.S. lagging behind Denmark, Norway, Finland, Canada, Sweden, Germany and France in economic mobility. Only the UK had slightly lower economic mobility. Stiglitz's work shows that in the first year of the recovery from the Great Recession, 93 percent of income growth went to the top 1 percent of earners, exacerbating an already exaggerated wealth gap.
If you need further evidence that middle-class Americans are falling behind, consider the fact that our median net worth fell to $77,300 in 2010 from $126,400 in 2007, and median net income declined by over $4,000 over the same period.
It is worse in North Carolina, where the unemployment rate of 9.4 percent remains well above the national average of 8.2 percent and the median income is $6,500 below the national average.
"An important ideal embedded within American economic culture is the notion that hard work always pays off," the latest issue of the North Carolina Justice Center's Prosperity Watch notes. "Unfortunately, this general principle has not translated into reality for North Carolina's workers over the past two decades, as wage gains have fallen significantly behind productivity gains in the last three economic expansions."
The phenomenon is hardly limited to North Carolina. A study by the Economic Policy Institute in 2011 reported, "Between 1979 and 2009, U.S. productivity increased by 80 percent, while the hourly wage of the median worker has gone up by only 10.1 percent."
Part of the reason for the inability of the middle class to hold its ground is the decline of collective bargaining. Studies by the Center for American Progress show that as union membership has declined, so has the middle-class share of aggregate wealth in the U.S.
Not coincidentally, the Center says, "The states with the lowest percentage of workers in unions - North Carolina, Georgia, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Oklahoma and Texas - all have relatively weak middle classes."
Politics for middle-class voters has become an effort to appease "job creators." We've bought into the notion that collective bargaining is socialism, that a progressive tax code is socialism. We're told that if we don't give the job creators everything they want, they will lack the certainty they need to create the opportunities that we expect as our birthright - and we'll have only ourselves to blame.
But from 1947 until 1979, when union membership was strong and tax codes progressive, when the Cold War raged and no one mistook Dwight Eisenhower for a socialist, middle-class Americans were the job creators, and our economy was the envy of the world. We understood then that jobs are created not by the benevolence of "job creators," but by the opportunities for entrepreneurship that are created when working people have an extra dollar in their pocket.
In a country with a Supreme Court that cannot tell the difference between a legally created entity and a human being, those lessons are lost. "It's easier to fool people than it is to convince them that they've been fooled," Mark Twain once opined.
So it was as we watched voters in Wisconsin affirm a governor who would deny them collective bargaining and cut back benefits that working people earned and counted on. So it is that "temporarily embarrassed millionaires" extend that embarrassment into perpetuity.
Kevin Smith lives in Aberdeen. Contact him at kevinasmith@gmx.com.
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Comments
Bentpan 11 months ago
Mr. Smith writes; "If you need further evidence that middle-class Americans are falling behind, consider the fact that our median net worth fell to $77,300 in 2010 from $126,400 in 2007, and median net income declined by over $4,000 over the same period" Mr Smith allow me to refresh your memory Jan 2007 Both houses come under progresive democrat controll with Pelose and Reid, Jan 2009 a Progessive Democrat Obama assumes controll of the Presidency. So you;re absolutely right that Working Americans voted against their own interest, but they did it in 2006-08, they for the most part realised their mistake and began the process of correction in 2010, this Nov will thankfully see the end of selfserving, outright narcissistic Progressive socialist movement ........for now, because people will forget in time that all the "Free" stuff this moronic movement promises comes at a price, the destruction of the middleclass. I do want to thank you Mr. Smith for pointing out just how much hard working Americans have lost due to progessive governing since 2007. As for public unions, how can anyone not see the obvious ethical conflict when public Unions spend tens of millions to elect Democrats so as to negotiate wages and benefits with someone they already have in their pocket, even FDR the ultimate progessive recognised this as the definition of corruption.
fugitiveguy 11 months ago
"But what if the dream is more of a delusion?"
The delusion is the lefts notion that the debt is not a looming crisis that must be dealt with. Instead choosing to demagogue anyone who makes a serious attempt to deal with it. The new flat earthers?
alladat1 11 months ago
Bentpan - If you want to blame the fall in net worth on politics and not on the implosion of the housing market (as Mr. Smith failed to mention) you are equally misleading. It's plain old American greed at work here regardless of anyone's political affiliation.
LSM 11 months ago
"But what if the dream is more of a delusion?"
Speaking of delusion, please take the time to read Mark Steyn's article on the lies of President Obama in his "autobiography".
http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/303776/obama-s-great-american-novel-mark-steyn
Bentpan 11 months ago
alladat1 38 minutes ago The housing implosion was the direct result of democrats forcing Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), which compels banks to make loans to low-income borrowers dispite their inabilty to repay and then pawning them of to freddimac and fannymae who in turn dupes investors into buying these deadbeat loans as part of investment packages. And then being the snakes they are, after forcing banks to make these bad loans they accuse them of preditory lending. No Alladat this mess is firmly the responsibility of Progressives, however I will grant you there have been progressive Rinos that have hoodwinked voters, TODA is a good example of this duplicitus behavior as he recently ran as a Republican while in fact having no real belief connection with the party making him just another progressive fraud.
bufordsplay 11 months ago
Every single problem that Europe and the U.S. are facing are all the result of the very policies that Mr. Smith and the other members of the Clown Party are advocating. What is interesting is that when these countries or our States or our unions get into trouble they always turn to free market capitalists for help. LIBERALS. THEYRE ALWAYS THERE WHEN THEY NEED US!
bufordsplay 11 months ago
By the way Mr. Smith [if that is your real name] North Carolina used to have a robust textile industry. What killed it? UNIONS!
nothingspecial 11 months ago
Ideological, dramatic, propaganda, as usual.
geoffcutler 11 months ago
"Progressive"...is that what you call it, Kevin?
alladat1 11 months ago
Bentpan - I can't even begin to respond to your CRA story. What a steaming pile. Shows how little you actually know about the housing scam. Low income is one thing but no income is another. Also, nobody "forced" the banks to package the mortgages and then scam people into investing in the worthless mortgages while taking out credit defaults in the hope they would fail. Next time try some facts when you put up an argument instead of blowing smoke with conservative talking points.
buskwon 11 months ago
Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.." -- Winston Churchill You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity, by legislating the wealth out of prosperity.
What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.
The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.
You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.
When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them; and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work, because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that is the beginning of the end of any nation.
alladat1 11 months ago
Hey BentBrain - Here's George Bush in 2002 promoting housing for low income people with bad credit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYvtvc...
Thatcher 11 months ago
Interesting that the writer cites Steinbeck on socialism. I prefer Winston Churchill's take on the subject: "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." Pretty much nailed it, Winston ol' boy!
Thatcher 11 months ago
Liberals ("progressives") love to use the term "working Americans." I have yet to see them define that term. Perhaps some of our liberal friends on this thread will be kind enough to let us know what they mean. Thanks.
Toda 11 months ago
Home Ownership and President Bush by PicturePusher
Toda 11 months ago
Bedpan I could care less about your innuendos. I ran on $25.00 which was my money. I garnered 12% of the vote.
I would venture to say you voted for Tillman and his eagerness to pass the Jobs bill that subliminally houses Fracking legislation.
Over 12% of those who voted had some confidence in what I had to say, and my honesty in presenting factual information as opposed to hiding the real issues and controversy of the Primary Election. Insinuating that my running was fraudulent is without merit and just your opinion. Prove your point of contention.
Prove your case and I'll resend my comments to the contrary...speak up or shut up!
Toda 11 months ago
Thatcher 1 hour, 36 minutes ago => there you go with labels...what is a liberal? That label is thrown out like beads during Mardi Gras...what about an independent thinker who is intelligent enough to think for themselves without someone else making the rules on who one should vote for in an election!
Bflat 11 months ago
The economy has been affected by the housing market. One distrubing trend is for the finger of blame to be pointed at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The mortgage mess was not all about defaults on subprime loans (that was less than 7% ) but about malfeasance by banks. Remember Countrywide and others that were bailed out? Research CDO (Collateralized Debt Obligations) and you find out that it was lots of packaged loans sold to investors and the risk was passed to those investors. When CDO was found to be "worthless paper" Fannie Mae actually told several to pay back. Fannie Mae and Freddie are the scapegoats of the Mortgage mess. The sooner people realize it was not caused by one party or the other, then the sooner the problems are solved.
Next, there is the trickle down effect of foreclosures that affects Moore County. Oh, it won't happen here, you say. Wrong. It is already happening in the gated communities of the middle class. The rate is increasing over last year's as more and more are coming onto the market. The cutbacks of federal funds also trickled down affecting schools. Did the local commissioners help out when the No1 school was closed? NO! Instead TPo3 were too busy with it's Federal sized JAIL project spending multimillions. To offset that, the next wave of public relations was to make it seem like all is well by announcements of the new developments and new businesses coming into the area.
The economy and education run hand in hand. As long as people line up and vote mindlessly for the same candidates (good ole boys club TPo4), instead of those who do represent what need es to be done, the vote is against our own interests. Moore County was written up as one of the highest unemployment rates in the state. All is not well. This is especially true when making prisoners more comfortable in a "state of the art" federal sized JAIL takes priority over Education in our County
Thatcher 11 months ago
Golly Toda...all I ask for is the definition of "working American" and you label me a "misguided individual." Wow. Do you disagree with Churchill's view of socialism? Do you have a better definition that you prefer? If so, let us know. And it is difficult for me to believe that you cannot recognize the difference between a liberal and a conservative. You were joking, right?
Thatcher 11 months ago
And is the Carthage jail a conservative thing? Uh, no.
LSM 11 months ago
@Thatcher
I'll give it a stab even though I am not a liberal (except at the salad bar at Beefeaters). "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need" Karl Marx
Thatcher 11 months ago
Well done LSM!!! You can put that definition next to Churchill's and they are basically the same. I'll save my well-known Maggie Thatcher quote for later (my hero, with Reagan and Washington, of course). Cheers!!
alladat1 11 months ago
Toda - Thanks for the video.
The_AnonymusProfit 11 months ago
Im just to tired to read this. I tell you what Kevin, give me a pay raise and let me do less work. That will make me happy and I will vote to give away my rights....Er.....
Bentpan 11 months ago
Thatcher 6 hours, 22 minutes ago "Liberals ("progressives") love to use the term "working Americans."" Probably because they have limited practical experiance with actual work. ..................................Toda , your a fraud , you deliberately tried to mislead voters, You're by your own admission a lowlife who bet $300( a cheap lowlife at that) that he could fool people into voting for him as a republican just by throwing his name out there..........................................Alladat Really I don't have a clue as to how to respond to such absolute willfull ignorance, it won't matter what I present, you'll ignore it.
alladat1 11 months ago
Bedpan - How can you respond to a video of Bush promoting what you claim to be a liberal agenda? Or is Bush a RINO? Better RINO than AINO.
Thatcher 11 months ago
alladat1-- When you ask bentpan how he responds to the Bush video, the better question might be how did you (and other liberals) respond to the video? Do you disagree with what Bush was proposing? If so, why? If not, why? I love W's efforts to keep us safe, and he is a great man. Here, he was wrong, and I was angry when he said it. But the truth, alladat1, is that you agree with what Bush said here, yet you try to make conservatives here go on the defensive as if we supported it. Conservatives did not. Liberals did. Ridiculous.
Bentpan 11 months ago
Well said Thatcher
Thatcher 11 months ago
And to save the "I didn't hear you complain when Bush did it" crowd some time, I wasn't aware of this site when Bush was President. It should be a rule (like with alladat1) that liberals should have to tell us why they disagree with Bush's occasional liberal policies...and tell us why these liberal policies (that they supported) ended up hurting America.
lakeview 11 months ago
http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/hotproperty/archives/2008/02/clintons_drive.html
But of course some will continue to lay 100% of the blame on Bush and never attribute any blame to Clinton. Even in an interview a couple years back, Clinton admited that he and his administration were wrong to basically deregulate "derivatives activities.' But hey, blaming Bush is the easy thing to do. Right? Politcal blinders sure make some look of you look awfully dumb with your blame Bush, Blame Bush
Bflat 11 months ago
Thatcher said: 1 day, 3 hours ago "And is the Carthage jail a conservative thing? Uh, no."
That's a clown question, bro. :))
Thatcher 11 months ago
Uh, Bflat...the question was posed by your buddy, Toda. Although your response reminds me of someone else who is loved by "Republicans" (like Toda) all over the country: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrR3GqsPs8M. Cheers!
moonchild7 11 months ago
You've written a great opinion piece Kevin. I love the quotes from Mark Twain and Steinbeck. Never heard or read them before. But the TRUTH really is much simplier.......they are STUPID. When working people perform their jobs well and at times out-perform their job tasks most "SMART" people ask for or at times demand a raise. Not people today. The RICH have the WORKER BEES right where they want them. Working for incomes that cannot possibly pay all of a persons bills that it takes to just even get by these days. UNIONS were created to STOP the ABUSE of LOW PAY, ABUSIVE WORK HOURS and working for too few or no benefits. The OWNER/MANGEMENT CLASS will almost always at some point take advantage of their workers. It's in their NATURES. America became the ENVY of the world because of our great jobs, educational system and UpWard Mobility. Not anymore. Men are attending college at well below where they should be. The Unemployment rate for College Grads is now at 3.9%. and many jobs are going unfilled because there aren't qualified applicants. Yet the unemployment rate for HS Grads is 8.2%. Go figure. In 1982 the unemployment rate was 10.2%. Thru the 70's I went to college and worked low paying jobs. I traveled between NYC and Washington DC applying for jobs but there weren't any, we were in a bad recession. then President Reagan created a LOT of jobs thru the Gov't and State Grants programs. That's how I made it. A part-time job thru a Temporary Grant and then it became Permanent. We are just getting dumber by the day.
Thatcher 11 months ago
MC7-- "STOP the ABUSE of LOW PAY, ABUSIVE WORK HOURS..." And this occurs where in America? Is a 40-hour week "abusive?"
Thatcher 11 months ago
And MC7-- I asked yesterday if any liberal could define the term "working American." So far, no liberal (including the author of the column) has answered the simple question. Perhaps you could do us the honor. Thanks!
moonchild7 11 months ago
Thatcher, I was talking in "Historical Terms" but of course there are people still working jobs at abusive pay scales. I had a Food Stamp Client once who after she brought in her pay stubs showing her hours for a months work as a WAITRESS, with a note from her EMPLOYER trying to explain why "SHE OWED THEM MONEY!". She was paid $1.75 an hour but with her "TIPS" figured in (that she didn't receive) they complained that she must be hiding them and THEY WANTED THEM. I had to call and have a very upsetting conversation with the Manager who was a real jerk. This woman was trying to raise two small kids. I had eaten at that restaurant on many occasions and I knew for a fact that many customers NEVER left tips. I was not one of them and ALWAYS left a tip for the waitress. It was not an upscale restaurant, just one of those "average" Franchises. Your mentality that people shouldn't complain Thatcher, is the same attitude that the guys at Penn State had towards that Horrid Football Coach and the very EVIL Catholic Church has towards Abusive Priests. Just CLOSE YOUR EYE's and all of the problems will just "FLY AWAY." BUNK.
Thatcher 11 months ago
My "mentality that people shouldn't complain..." is based upon what? Now I'm the same as Sandusky? Abusive priests? Really? MC7, you are better than that.
moonchild7 11 months ago
WORK is defined as: Exertion or effort directed to produce or accomplish something. You can go ahead Thatcher and define AMERICAN any way that you want to. When I had clients in the Work First Program at DSS we "defined" work in many ways and gave "differing" credits for such. As in Applying for jobs, going to school or college, Vocational Training, Job Readiness programs, Learning to write resumes, etc. "EFFORT" Thatcher has both MENTAL and PHYSICAL aspects to it. Digging ditches is only one type of work and while it takes a lot of exertion and effort to be a GOOD DITCH DIGGER, it doesn't get any more "credits" than sitting in a class room learning How to write a resume so you can get a job. AMERICA has the GREATEST WORKERS in the WORLD and we've been working ourselves to Death for a very long time and for very little money and benefits at times. Everything is going backwards now with the ASSAULT on our Unions. Just the opposite should be happening but when Dumb people don't think much of themselves or enough to even want to be paid a decent salary people get this jumbled up mess of a goverment and congressional idiots.
fugitiveguy 11 months ago
Moon, do you think a man or woman working the register at Taco Bell, et al should make enough money to support a family of 4?
Thatcher 11 months ago
MC7 (15 min. ago)-- I read your post twice. At least you have the courage to post your true beliefs. Bravo to you!!
getreal 11 months ago
To Thatcher 51 minutes ago, Please pull your head out of the sand, what moonchild7 talked about happens everyday, right here in Moore County. I can personally vouch for the abuse from personal experience. How about working 50-60 hours per week during holidays, grab lunch if you can but keep working while you shove it in your mouth, but don't dare leave the premises, no dinner break, no 15 minute breaks what so ever during the work day. Stand on your feet the entire 11 hours. Work weeks that start on a Wednesday and ends on Tuesday. Why? Because that way when you have to work on Saturday and Sunday, the over time doesn't kick in! A boss that treats her employees like something they just scraped off the bottom of their shoe no matter how reliable, hard working and productive they are. Why? Because they know the people working there need their jobs! A nasty ego trip at the expense of hard working talented people. Ask for a raise? What a joke, if you did you could lose your job. No increases for anyone in 2 1/2 years, one person has worked there for over 5 years, a good employee, still makes the same pay. Not even a card at Christmas. How does she get away with it? Hire PT help, they have no rights, then make them work all kinds of hours. The boss is totally despised by everyone who works there. I have never run into this kind of abuse ever in my entire working career until I came to this area. Solution, get the heck out of there while you still have your self respect. For the poor souls who have to stay to support their families, I feel for them. Considering the job market in this area they are trapped where they are. So, don't give me your "STOP the ABUSE of LOW PAY, ABUSIVE WORK HOURS..." And this occurs where in America? Is a 40-hour week "abusive?" crap, it happens right here under your nose.
fugitiveguy 11 months ago
get real-do you still work for this person? If yes, then why?
Thatcher 11 months ago
getreal-- If what you are saying is true, then you should contact the NC Wage & Hour Bureau: http://www.nclabor.com/wh/wh.htm. From your post, you are not the only employee...and no one has complained? How about this-- tell us the name of this employer and we'll shame him/her here. Fair?
Toda 11 months ago
Bentpan 1 day, 12 hours ago => I must say, you are never going to aspire to greatness as long as you have a defeatism attitude. Step on up to the political plate, throw your money at a impossibility of office when when Civitas Group (Latin for Community) supported Jerry W Tillman and his campaign on passing Fracking legislation bundled in a pseudo bill amply named "Jobs".
So should one run on a platform of supporting legislation to overturn SB 460 (the puppy mill bill) legislation where dogs are stacked in ceiling high cages, wallowing in excrement and urine for months on end, females breed until death allows them to escape a life of hell on earth, politics that no long represent the will of the people any longer not unlike the bourgeoisie from Karl Marx and Fredrick Engles Communist Manifesto, I am a fraud to the tenth degree of your ire.
Perhaps you and other "conservatives" may take time to investigate in earnest the political wrangling going on in Carthage and the NC General Assembly.
Your lights are on and nobody is at home...and unless you spent one penny on my campaign, what I chose to do is absolutely none of your business!
Toda 11 months ago
Thatcher 1 day, 15 hours ago => misguided you are (in the words of Yoda).
I'm sure if I were another Mitt Romney who inherited millions and had an older son who is a Hedgefund Manager and broker, I too would chose not to be a philanthropist. It's all about MINE ~ MINE ~ MINE and more of MINE that I haven't capitalized on from Proletarians (from the Karl Marx Communist Manifesto).
All the coupon millionaires in this county are in for a rude conservative awakening; they may learn to be humble and caring at their own expense - WWJD.
moonchild7 11 months ago
That is so funny of you Thatcher to tell getreal to contact the NC Wage & Hour Bureau. If that person belonged to the Restaurant Workers Union that BOSS would have either been fired or given a reprimand. The worker wouldn't have had to put up with the ABUSE! Back in the early 80's my husband and his brother had to go to the NC Wage & Hour Bureau because their Employer had been CHEATING them out of their overtime. They won their case but of course they no longer worked for that employer because they had to QUIT before they got FIRED for filing the case against him in the first place. This is so dumb. Collective Bargaining Rights and Unions made this country GREAT and GREATER. It's in it's demise because the RICH are picking away at the PROGRESSIVE LAWS that have helped those at the bottom rise to the top. They are chipping away at our tax system to where only the POOR will have to pay taxes(just like MS. Helmsley famously declared), and CORPORATIONS will be able to have the only VOTES that will count towards an election. The man or woman working at Taco Bell should earn a LIVING WAGE, and to me that's more than minimum wage. Whether or not they can support a family of four on that is up to them. I made $1.80 an hour at my first job. I was a single person living with my grandparents home going to college. That money paid for gasoline, a few meals, a few personals, and some college expenses. Tuition and books cost $250 a semester in 1971. I lived at home and never lived on campus. That's what $1.80 got me back in those days.
Toda 11 months ago
lakeview (Mark Metcalf) as a financial counselor, one can see where using retirement accounts without penalty for use as a down-payment for many first time home buyers [600,000] might cause an investment counselor to recoil. That was the jest of the article you posted a link. The link to the article mentioned was removed for what ever reason, so to give credence to a reporter who used a paper for his customization of information that now - no paper exists, is an effort in futility in which to prove your point.
As one commented in a thread: February 27, 2008 10:51 PM This is ridiculous. When Clinton was promoting homeownership, real estate values had barely begun to rise. He was long out of office (and oversight) when the crap hit the fan. I bet hardly anyone who purchased a house back in 199whatever has seen their property values drop below what they paid for it. Our trouble exists because of poor national leadership and imprudent real estate investments. LET IT GO, this is yet another Bush disaster.
Read before posting makes one a much better articulator of facts.
Toda 11 months ago
moonchild7 9 minutes ago => words well spoken. Sadly you point about employees being "cheated" out of their income continues today in the automotive sales industry. Auto salespeople are the only subservient's that can work more than 60 hours a week for less than minimum wage. Yes - it happens everyday here in Poorer County. Why? Because the auto dealers association makes large contributions to legislators to enact laws that prevent them from having to operate like any other business. I worked for a brief period for a large local dealer and have seen deals snatched out from under me by a manager. I lost thousands to greedy owners and managers whose goals were to pay for employees efforts in an honorable condition of employment. I lived it and know how degrading and disgusting auto sales tactics can be on an honest person. And then to have them steal your money that was earned honestly.
moonchild7 11 months ago
Our "problems" in America stem from the late 70's and thru the 80's that were FUELED by cocaine and credit cards. BUY, BUY BUY even when people couldn't afford it. The Banks and Credit Card Companies knew that people couldn't help themselves and those same idiots never understood what they were getting themselves into. They just pulled out a card to pay for useless junk that was always over-priced and eventually were in deep holes of debt. Now those over-priced homes are worth so much less. If Americans were SMART they would file a class-action suit against the Banks, Real Estate Agents and Mortgage Companies who over sold and LIED about everything when it came to the VALUE of stuff. They were constantly selling worthless junk.I watched HGTV several times and their selling of the $25,000 Bathrooms! R U kidding me? Stop blaming Obama. A lot of people were "taken for a ride" from before he was even a Senator. The RIPPLE EFFECTS are still rolling along. Thanks Toda.
lakeview 11 months ago
Todo- How does names like Clinton, Rubin and Summers factor into the housing / financial crisis of the past recent years.
JD 11 months ago
the 80's that were FUELED by cocaine and credit cards. BUY, BUY BUY Made me want to watch this movie again :)
getreal 10 months, 4 weeks ago
To Fugitiveguy and Thatcher, I quit a year ago. The rest of the employees are still working for this tyrant. I won't name her, to protect the remaining employees from her wrath. You would all be shocked. A very well known business woman. Here's a hint, "Stop and smell the roses". Like I stated before, this isn't the only place like this around here. No one will report it, they need their jobs. I'm the lucky one who got out. Jobs in this area are very hard to come by. So you see, there is abuse everywhere of those who work hard and need the pay. Thanks for the offer of support.