Germany has lots of apprenticeship job openings. The US has some, a few.

Something wrong with this statement. 80% success is not dismal in my opinion.

i agree with the 1st sentence, the FED was late to the game.

Very TRUE. And now because of that at least 50% of the world has thrived under US lead CAPITALISM, which we can be justly PROUD of. And we created friends and uplifted them and now we have good strong trading partners and great, immeasurable GOODWILL. And today we have allies against RUSSIA.
.........Capitalism succeeded in providing the services and GOODS that we now expect on the shelves of Walmart and Target !!!!! The US did the RIGHT thing after WW2 ........we extended a hand of FREEDOM.

This is complete “bull roar”, but too political to touch this hot button.

Free money for loans to groups/companies who didn't actually need it, you mean. Like a certain state official who had $482,321 in PPP loans forgiven. Even though he doesn't own a business and doesn't run a company.

That's just one. There were millions of dollars handed out to people who didn't need it. Tell ya what - if I had known that it was THAT easy to just take taxpayer money from the fed and use it to pay for luxuries, I would've bought a brand spankin new golf cart, a fully restored vintage Jaguar, and a second home back north - and charged it to the Fed.

Because if elected officials and wealthy corporate suits can do it and get away with it, so should I.

Or maybe - they should be forced to pay those loans back, and be good citizens like the rest of us are expected to be.

The whole thing was an unregulated mess. I personally think the American people own an expensive sewer.

That was a good reality check, a heavy dose of it. Well stated !

True, ALL of that !!!!!!

Free-ranging chickens and their eggs taste better than the factory-farmed variety.

Which is why there's so much turnover at low-paying jobs. No one is willing to stick around in them. Employers refuse to pay more for what amounts to "temporary help" and the help won't stay without better pay.

If you are at Publix you have to be willing to change locations to anywhere within the district. So that $50k/year doesn't really make up for the fact that you have to drive an hour each way, you get no breaks, and if the next shift's boss can't make it, you're stuck there pulling a double - even if it's your kid's birthday and you promised to be home to make supper. Basically your $50/year job has to be your life. You don't get to say no.

The only thing you learn about business and economics working at a diner is that some people overtip, and some people don't tip at all, and some people walk out without paying, you get pinched, abused, called "hey you," yelled at because your customer's steak was a shade too pink on the inside, threatened, pushed and kicked by little kids, tripped by "comfort animals," and if you don't smile and bend over and take it however the boss and your customers feel like dishing it out, you can business and economy yourself into a different job…
QUOTE FROM ORANGEBLOSSOMBABY

I get it now, the newest generation, heaven forbid, should not have to pay the dues our generations paid. We would have liked fine compensation for our hard and often dirty labor so we could have lived high on the horse for our service jobs.

We lived with small compensation and much less in our lives and sometimes the money was gone before the food ran out. But we worked so hard, did without and slowly pulled ourselves up with ambition and focus and pride.

They chose not to drill because while they had permits to drill, they DID NOT have permits to build pipelines to move the oil...

Add to that, what business will spend $$$MILLIONS of dollars, investing in new wells, when the current administration Has PUBLICLY STATED THAT THEY WANT TO SHUT THEM DOWN?

Sorry, I misspoke. I did an error, please forgive me. The FED is unsuccessful 80% of the time. Thanks.

I believe that the expression is to live, "high on the HOG". It has something to do with the cuts of meat on a hog above the stomach being better cuts and therefore, cost more. Thank me VERY much !

What are you babbling about?:shrug:

Once upon a time, minimum wage at a full time job could actually get basic expenses covered in most parts of the country. Food, shelter, transportation to your job. That's what it was designed to do, that was its function. That is no longer true. Minimum wage didn't keep up with inflation. Inflation isn't caused by an increase in minimum wage. Were that the case, the *federal* minimum wage would be well over $12/hour. Instead, it's still $7.25/hour. There are still some states that only require $7.25/hour minimum wage, and many jobs that still only pay $7.25/hour minimum wage.

That is not the cause of inflation. It is a symptom of inflation.

That’s not true, we just allowed fewer things in our life. We didn’t have cellphones, computers, cable TV, bought used baby furniture and supplies, bought any necessities on sale if possible, didn’t take our children on vacation until they were preteens and that was for 2 nights.

There was one car only, we never did pot or put drugs up our noses. We did the physical labor for our home repairs, upkeep and remodeling. College education was out of reach so we utilized libraries and common sense to teach ourselves. AND we had respect for our bosses, elders without groveling and were a two parent family.

It wasn’t and hasn’t been a cakewalk but totally satisfying knowing we were responsible for our achievements and goals.

In the US Historically minimum wages and, in general, workers' wages have been able to be held LOW compared to Europe by historically creating schisms between the 2 major groups of workers (Blacks and Caucasians) for the purpose of discouraging Unionization and thus keeping wages lower than otherwise.......pretty cleaver of the cabal of large employers.

Sounds like my wife. Is that you there honey?

Interesting...........solid middle-class, patriotic value system. I am guessing born in the USA..........in the Midwest. Just a guess. I lived in Nebraska for a while, and attended a College in Kansas in the early 60s.......surprisingly good parties there.

If you are trying to cause division between the races, you push your agenda. Why don’t you just live and stop noting skin color?

Treat people without judging them, whatever their color. We are more interested in “the content of their character” as suggested by a famous individual.

Lol, patriotic value system? How about… integrity, character, individualism and work ethic. You’re right though, we were raised by hard working parents with the same ethics and the public t*t was for those who physically, mentally had actual disabilities.

My family as well, but can that continue as capitalism replaces labor with automation? and not at the lowest level, but continues in middle management as well?

have seen it and participated in it in over 30 years of working in and with technology. .

This discussion with one of our sons had him advising us of, (I believe this is the correct acronym), the future of UBI otherwise known as universal basic income. Interesting and depressing future that is probably on the horizon down the road.

Well, I would say that someone interpreted what I said to suit themselves. I am the most pro-integration person on this planet.

I do not see a big problem there. The work week MAY decrease to 20 hours / week. It has decreased Historically for many years. It may be replaced with lots of free time for self-improvement. Like retired people do line dancing classes, hula hoop classes, yoga classes, and get away from your spouse classes, and everyone's favorite........wait for it...........Cat Juggling !!!!

Hardly, judging by your previous statements.

Then you have blinders. Idleness is the devils workshop and you’ll see crime like never before.

Yes people in the 1950's smoked pot and did drugs. But they didn't pay for disposable diapers. The mortality rate was higher, people died younger. Most cancers weren't yet diagnosable, so people died from cancer with no treatment. By the 1960's a large percentage of women were working, until the 1970's when most women in a 2-parent household were working. During that decade, the cost of living went up such that the man as breadwinner ceased to be a thing, because most mens' incomes were no longer sufficient to provide for their family without their wife working as well.

I mean this is over 50 years ago. Living in the past is kind of silly, especially when you ignore that the rest of the world has progressed, whether you like it or not. You can keep up, or you can bow out. But life will go on, with or without your input. And it will demand what it demands, whether you choose to acknowledge it or not.

Oil prices
 

If you think oil companies are the only factor that causes high gas prices you better think again.

Correct. People are forgetting that piece, especially since Pres. Biden told everyone the price of oil went up BECAUSE RUSSIA INVADED UKRAINE. No, the price of oil went up months before the Ukraine was invaded. And then came massive spending. And then came covid and more massive spending. And then came the invasion across our border and more massive spending. IE: Hope nobody believes all the immigrants came over here with enough money to support themselves; food, shelter, medical bills, transportation, cell phones, clothing, etc. Once they arrived, the gifts they received enroute - did not keep-on-giving!! IMHO.

What’s even sillier is to think people aren’t capable of working hard, thinking and acting responsibly, creating two parent families and saving. Isn’t it silly to think that the world has progressed so everyone must be paid a “living wage” for menial labor?

These poor people which you expound are so beaten down had better not be wearing phony nails, hair extensions, designer shoes and clothing, tattoos, piercings and so forth. If paper diapers are so expensive, buy cloth like we did.

Please don’t tell me that the people now don’t need to earn their keep or work hard. It’s insulting. Btw, I know many, many people from our parent’s generation and ours who are living lengthy lives even though they didn’t have things handed to them.

“And then came covid and more massive spending.” Covid was already here not just starting maybe you meant inoculations

I never suggested that...

Somebody needs to learn basic economics. When supply goes down, prices go up. It really is that simple. Previous president was instrumental with increasing supply (prices go down). Current president lowered supply so much that USA forced to buy a lot more crude at prevailing arab market prices (which they eventually also raised). Lowered supply and prices doubled.
Economics 101 is not politics based. But actions by politicians have consequences.

Yeah, but think of how much better they are doing with fighting "global warming" :1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

I'll gladly pay you in 20,000 years for a hamburger today :1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

For over two years, Covid lowered demand world wide, and production dropped accordingly.
Later demand was greater than production and supply.
It is a world market, not solely a US market.
I did not see any US based petroleum companies making any effort to lower prices for home market, just increasing production to enlarge their profits.
Nothing to do with presidents, politicians of whatever color, market and demand sets the price.

"The devil's workshop" Huh. That explains a lot of things.

Pretty good post.

Agreed about immigrants, especially the ILLEGAL variety. And once again I do NOT care if they come from Switzerland or anywhere particularly - it is al same / same. The US long ago STOPPED having a frontier, so that's when unbridled immigration SHOULD HAVE stopped.