Orwell was only wrong about the date

[mcHAPPY]

Source: http://www.theburningplatform.com/20...bout-the-date/




Only thing missing is something depicting endless barrage of government statistics showing how much better things are and how anyone who questions government is either a conspiracy theorist or a terrorist.

[enlightenment]

You can draw parallels to 1984, but I think its pretty evident that the working class has more power now then in any other time in history (compare to a Peasant class versus the King). Especially with the freedom of the internet, you are even allowed to post this post, which in itself proves we are in a much free-er state than 1984 drew out (thought crime, etc).

[Bendit]

You can draw parallels to 1984, but I think its pretty evident that the working class has more power now then in any other time in history (compare to a Peasant class versus the King). Especially with the freedom of the internet, you are even allowed to post this post, which in itself proves we are in a much free-er state than 1984 drew out (thought crime, etc).

I hear you....but with the freedoms of thought and speech and the delivery innovations (media/internet) available so has surveillance increased... ironically assisted by the same tech advances. I am not entirely sure that there are adequate controls and oversight not just on surveillance techniques but also information disseminated by governments in many countries. Snowden proved this. Re the peasant class vs. the business elites economically speaking it would be interesting to compare disparities of income over say since the industrial revolution. My guess is not much has changed. There was a "middle class" created but this group is being whittled down as we speak.

[Miekenstien]

china. all here. it is 1984 and animal farm in one bun. did you know it is all sunshine and rainbows in hongkong right now? it is on every channel at 7 pm every night.

[mcHAPPY]

You can draw parallels to 1984, but I think its pretty evident that the working class has more power now then in any other time in history (compare to a Peasant class versus the King). Especially with the freedom of the internet, you are even allowed to post this post, which in itself proves we are in a much free-er state than 1984 drew out (thought crime, etc).

I think it is pretty evident you're pulling stuff from your behind.

Civil liberties and freedoms have been squashed consistently in the western world since 9/11 all in the name of terrorism. The elite in society have seen their income and power surge around the world. Who has gained from monetary policy since 2008 as just one, albeit very large, example?

I'm not quite sure how powerful that middle class or working class is. Consider the swelling inequalities in income:

In fact, the growth in real average (after-tax, after-transfer) family income from 1976 to 2010 was the smallest in the middle-income group, at seven per cent, while the top quintile (top 20 per cent) saw their family income grow by 27 per cent during that time.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/07...groups-report/

Then consider the cost of living with the Bank of Canada's own calculator stating the price of a basket of goods and services is up 400% since 1976.

http://www.bankofcanada.ca/rates/rel...on-calculator/


It is even worse in the US with incomes basically stagnant since 1973 while expenses are anything put.


Yeah the peasants and middle class have never had it so good.

[Apollo]

You can draw parallels to 1984, but I think its pretty evident that the working class has more power now then in any other time in history (compare to a Peasant class versus the King). Especially with the freedom of the internet, you are even allowed to post this post, which in itself proves we are in a much free-er state than 1984 drew out (thought crime, etc).

Freedom is an illusion. Don't pay the property taxes on a home and land you own outright and see what happens.

Say something in public that is considered distasteful by multiple groups but supported by religious beliefs and see what happens.

Also, I would argue that post 911 we've seen the rights of people in North America shrink. We're losing rights, not gaining them right now. We're not up to 1984 yet though. We're a ways off from that.

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[mcHAPPY]

Freedom is an illusion. Don't pay the property taxes on a home and land you own outright and see what happens.

Say something in public that is considered distasteful by multiple groups but supported by religious beliefs and see what happens.

Also, I would argue that post 911 we've seen the rights of people in North America shrink. We're losing rights, not gaining them right now. We're not up to 1984 yet though. We're a ways off from that.

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I like your post. You get it.

I agree we're not there yet....the US, for example, is just 1/3 of the way there.

A generation ago, schoolchildren caught fighting in the corridors, sassing a teacher or skipping class might have ended up in detention. Today, there’s a good chance they will end up in police custody.

In Texas, a student got a misdemeanor ticket for wearing too much perfume. In Wisconsin, a teen was charged with theft after sharing the chicken nuggets from a classmate’s meal—the classmate was on lunch assistance and sharing it meant the teen had violated the law, authorities said. In Florida, a student conducted a science experiment before the authorization of her teacher; when it went awry she received a felony weapons charge.

Over the past 20 years, prompted by changing police tactics and a zero-tolerance attitude toward small crimes, authorities have made more than a quarter of a billion arrests, the Federal Bureau of Investigation estimates. Nearly one out of every three American adults are on file in the FBI’s master criminal database.

http://online.wsj.com/articles/for-m...ine-1413858602


But yet the banking elites can rip off billions or launder billions in drug/weapon money with merely a slight fine when "busted". Yeah the middle class has never had so much power.

[mcHAPPY]

But the middle class has never had it better!!!!

American paychecks shrank last year, just-released data show, further eroding the public’s purchasing power, which is so vital to economic growth.

Average pay for 2013 was $43,041 — down $79 from the previous year when measured in 2013 dollars. Worse, average pay fell $508 below the 2007 level, my analysis of the new Social Security Administration data shows.

Flat or declining average pay is a major reason so many Americans feel that the Great Recession never ended for them. A severe job shortage compounds that misery not just for workers but also for businesses trying to profit from selling goods and services.

Average pay declined in 59 of the 60 levels of worker pay the government reports each October.

American paychecks shrank last year, just-released data show, further eroding the public’s purchasing power, which is so vital to economic growth.

Average pay for 2013 was $43,041 — down $79 from the previous year when measured in 2013 dollars. Worse, average pay fell $508 below the 2007 level, my analysis of the new Social Security Administration data shows.

Flat or declining average pay is a major reason so many Americans feel that the Great Recession never ended for them. A severe job shortage compounds that misery not just for workers but also for businesses trying to profit from selling goods and services.

Average pay declined in 59 of the 60 levels of worker pay the government reports each October.

-39 percent of American workers made less than $20,000 last year.

-52 percent of American workers made less than $30,000 last year.

-63 percent of American workers made less than $40,000 last year.

-72 percent of American workers made less than $50,000 last year.

http://www.infowars.com/compensation...-very-highest/


To add insult to injury the cost of living continues to march higher. If you wish to use government massaged stats, it shows that to be true. If you prefer to use common sense like comparing what $20 buys you in meat/vegetable/fruit/etc. now compared to 1-2 years ago, it shows you're really getting screwed.

I honestly don't know how people do it. I have an annual household income of about $175k with no mortgage and no car payments and while there is no struggle to make ends meet we aren't living the high life by any stretch. Our monthly child care bill is about $2100 (after tax dollars) so that doesn't help either.

But anyways, the middle class is shrinking and has very little power.

[Bendit]

But the middle class has never had it better!!!!

There is also the ongoing issue/reality of wealth and it's protection by various tax laws. It is obscene how much of the world's wealth (and income creation or further wealth created by it) resides in such a low percentage of the population. The US of course leads in this.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/w...world/4655337/

[mcHAPPY]

Some argue that the most sensible income amount to attach to the middle class would be the median household income, of around $54,000. Perhaps, anyone who earns between the 25th percentile and 75th percentile is a member of the middle class.

Diana Farrell, once Deputy Director of America's National Economic Council, told The Economist she thinks a middle class income begins at the point where a person (or family) has one-third of their income left over for discretionary purposes after they've provided themselves with food and shelter. In other words, someone who earns $3,000 per month would have $1,000 left after they've paid their mortgage or rent, utilities, and grocery bills.

Though there is some debate over the exact income a middle class household brings in, we do have an idea of who the middle class are — most working class people. Today's bourgeoisie is composed of laborers and skilled workers, white collar and blue collar workers, many of whom face financial challenges. Bill Maher reminded us a few months back that 50 years ago, the largest employer was General Motors, where workers earned an equivalent of $50 per hour (in today's money). Today, the largest employer — Wal-Mart — pays around $8 per hour.

7 things middle class can no longer afford:

Vacations

A vacation is an extra expense that many middle-earners cannot afford without sacrificing something else. A Statista survey found that this year 54% of people gave up purchasing big ticket items like TVs or electronics so they can go on a vacation. Others made sacrifices like reducing or eliminating their trips to the movies (47%), reducing or eliminating trips out to restaurants (43%), or avoiding purchasing small ticket items like new clothing (43%).

New vehicles

Very few people who earn the median income can afford to buy a new car or truck. Interest.com recently analyzed the prices of new cars and trucks, as well as the median incomes across more than two dozen major cities, and found that new cars and trucks were simply not affordable to most middle-earners.

"Median-income families in only one major city [Washington DC] can afford the average price Americans are paying for new cars and trucks nowadays." As of 2013, new cars are priced at $32,086, according to the study. Mike Sante, Interest.com's managing editor reminds us, "just because you can manage the monthly payment doesn't mean you should let a $30,000 or $40,000 ride gobble up all such a huge share of your paycheck."

To pay off debt

These debt statistics come from Debt.org:

"More than 160 million Americans have credit cards.""The average credit card holder has at least three cards.""On average, each household with a credit card carries more than $15,000 in credit card debt."

Not only do we have large amounts of credit card debt, we also have student loans, mortgages, cars, and medical debts. Our debt is growing faster than our income, and many middle class workers have trouble staying afloat. Money-Zine evaluated debt growth and income growth over the past few decades and found that "back in 1980, the consumer credit per person was $1,540, which was 7.3% of the average household income of $21,100. In 2013, consumer debt was $9,800 per person, which was 13.4% of the average household income of $72,600. This means debt increased 70% faster than income from 1980 through 2013."

Emergency savings

To provide ourselves with a degree of financial security, we are supposed to have emergency savings to protect ourselves in the event of job loss, illness, or some other catastrophe. Most members of the middle class don't have at least six months of emergency savings, however, and some working people have no such savings.

A Bankrate survey found that only around one out of four households have six months of emergency money saved, and many of them are in the higher income groups. Another one-fourth have no emergency savings at all, and the remaining household have a small to moderate amount of savings, but not enough to cover six months of expenses.

Retirement savings

If you reach the retirement age with little or no money saved, Social Security is probably not going to be enough to cover your basic needs. Even if you want to work for your entire life, you have no way of knowing whether or not you will be physically capable of doing so.

Although having a lack of a retirement savings is a risky move, so many people bet on double zero, just hoping that things will work out in their favor. While some members of the middle class neglect this aspect of financial planning because they are procrastinating, there are also some workers who cannot afford to set this money aside. Nearly half of those who don't save for retirement say it's because they simply don't have the money.

As of late, around 20% of people near 65 have not saved anything for retirement at all, and the majority of people — 59% — worry that they don't have enough money saved for retirement, according to a Gallup Poll.

Medical care

Medical care is a basic necessity and something we'd think would be affordable for someone earning a middle income. A Forbes article published data indicating that workers in large companies — many of whom are members of the middle class — "face nearly $5,000 in premiums, co-payments, deductibles and other forms of co-insurance."

During the past few years, these costs have had a large impact on working Americans. A report by Feeding America found that a shocking 66% of households say they've had to choose between paying for food and paying for medical care — 31% say they have to make that choice each and every month.

Dental work

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, "the U.S. spends about $64 billion each year on oral health care — just 4% is paid by Government programs." About 108 million people in the U.S. have no dental coverage and even those who are covered may have trouble getting the care they need, the department reports.

Oftentimes, people will purchase medical coverage and forgo dental because it's so expensive. Plus, dental insurance may cover only 50% of the more expensive procedures, like crowns and bridges. This leaves those who have insurance with large co-payments.

In many cases, middle-earners will delay or even forego some of these procedures in efforts to save on costs. According to the CDC, nearly one in four adults between the ages of 20 and 64 have untreated dental caries (like cavities or infections).

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/...ford/17730223/


Man, the middle class have never had it so good!

[mcHAPPY]

More good news for the middle class!!! Hey! Hey! Hey!

The prices of supermarket staples such as meat, milk and butter are skyrocketing.

US Labor Department data show the bill for butter surged 23.7 percent over the last 12 months. Meat rose 13 percent in the last year, with beef jumping 17.8 percent — the biggest boost since January 2004.

Meanwhile, fresh fruits other than apples, bananas and oranges increased 9.5 percent and whole milk rose 8.7 percent.

“Our paychecks stay the same, but the food prices keep going up,” fumed Jody O’Toole as she shopped at the Associated Supermarket at Eighth Avenue and 14th Street. “You still gotta feed your family, but meat and milk are too much.”

Colleen Vincent, who lives with her mother in Brooklyn, said she’s avoiding meat and sticking to canned goods and cabbage, which she turned into three meals last week.

“I don’t do big grocery shopping trips anymore,” said Vincent, 37. “I have to buy something that gives me more bang for my buck.

“We used to buy beef — now it’s a special treat,” she added. “There are other things I want out of life. I don’t want to spend everything on food.”

http://nypost.com/2014/10/26/meat-fr...ces-skyrocket/

But don't worry, wages are soaring too! Er, wait a minute:





Yet don't worry, again. You see the economic crusaders who are looking out for the 'free world' are fighting inequality.

Janet Yellen, the No. 2 at the Fed's Board of Governors, and her husband—Nobel Prize-winning economist George Akerlof —had assets such as stocks, bond-fund shares and bank accounts valued at roughly $4.8 million to $13.2 million in 2012, according to financial disclosures released by the Fed on Tuesday."

http://online.wsj.com/articles/SB100...39301166905042

Yellen of course is now #1 and I'm sure worth more than $4.8-13.2M today.



By the way, the reason I focus so much on the US is because they are, arguably, the largest economy in the world (some say China has overtaken that title). Either way, never forget the old saying: when the US sneezes, Canada catches a cold.



GO MIDDLE CLASS!

[Superjudge]

You can draw parallels to 1984, but I think its pretty evident that the working class has more power now then in any other time in history (compare to a Peasant class versus the King). Especially with the freedom of the internet, you are even allowed to post this post, which in itself proves we are in a much free-er state than 1984 drew out (thought crime, etc).

Oh man, I talk to friends about this all the time, there is actually NO change in this scenario.

[mcHAPPY]

People in general have never had it so good!





http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-1...now-globalized



Rising prices and falling incomes are awesome! Er, wait a minute.....

[Bendit]

I couldnt resist...is there a relationship between the high price of butter (demand?) and growing incidence of high cholesterol?



Good data.

[Apollo]

People in general have never had it so good!





http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-1...now-globalized



Rising prices and falling incomes are awesome! Er, wait a minute.....

Yeah, if you're not getting a 5% raise each year then basically you're falling behind. Not many people get that kind of consistent uptick in wages.

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