Now, I don't live anywhere near the Midwest, so I don't know how things really are there, but I do have experience with suburbia, and the lack of community is patently true. I don't know if it's driving people to fundamentalism (but how could I? I have no idea who my neighbors are.), but it's definitely correct.
Loneliness isn't enough make me despair, but economic hardship, if severe enough, might. Makes me glad I've got a college education, that's for fucking sure.
Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it's just the opposite. - John Kenneth Galbraith
However, I don't exactly buy the "economic despair" shit. The US economy is doing incredibly well right now, but guys like this just plug their ears and go "NA NA NA I CAN'T HEAR YOU" every time you try to tell them that. Maradon! fucked around with this message on 01-15-2007 at 11:57 AM.
Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it's just the opposite. - John Kenneth Galbraith
Duh?
You don't have to spend much time in one of those mega churches to realize what kind of people go there.
What did you think all that talk about how "JESUS SAVED ME" was purely symbolic?
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Aw, geez, I have Naimah all over myself!
If you're a 'blue collar' worker then you already had the shittiest of jobs. Working in a toaster factory is hardly what I would call the high life.
No, but generally it was enough to support the basic needs of a family, and if you were unionized, you could get health insurance. You can't do that working 20 hours a week at Old Navy or as an assistant manager at McDonald's. I mean, it's just the way the economy is changing, and uneducated blue-collar workers are, as a result, getting the shaft. It's unfortunate, but that's the way it is.
Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it's just the opposite. - John Kenneth Galbraith
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Karnaj impressed everyone with:
You can't do that working 20 hours a week at Old Navy or as an assistant manager at McDonald's.
McDonald's has some of the best benefits(including health insurance!) in the corporate world and I supported a family of four on my salary as an Assistant Manager+grandpa's social security. Snoota fucked around with this message on 01-15-2007 at 03:12 PM.
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This insanity brought to you by Maradon!:
However, I don't exactly buy the "economic despair" shit. The US economy is doing incredibly well right now, but guys like this just plug their ears and go "NA NA NA I CAN'T HEAR YOU" every time you try to tell them that.
No, it really isn't. Real wages for workers are down, and expect considerable inflation this year as materials costs are greatly increasing due to an oversupply of dollars and the associated continued devaluation of the US dollar. We can expect the higher costs to be passed on to consumers this year, and the slow down in consumer spending will push the U.S. into an overdue recession, if one hasn't started already, as consumer spending is pretty much the only thing driving an anemic economy.
Real GDP growth is pegged around 2 percent, but that is accounted for by a 2trillion dollar investment deficit and a little less than a trillion dollar account deficit as well as more than a quarter trillion dollar government deficit financed, once again, by foreigners.
It's really only bad news for the U.S. economy in the short-long run. 
Real GDP growth was revised upwards from 2.2%, which I'm guessing you were quoting , to 3%. So that one is false as well!
It only looks really bad if you don't have the facts.
Don't show a source? Makes your info and statistics look weak. Show a source? It's usually claimed to be not creditable, or labeled a biased source.
Personally, I prefer seeing actual statistics in an argument. Especially if multiple sources are shown that say the same thing.
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Maradon! wrote this then went back to looking for porn:
I only read the headline, but I'm already pretty confident that this article is basically citing the same reasons that people have always flocked to religion throughout history.However, I don't exactly buy the "economic despair" shit. The US economy is doing incredibly well right now, but guys like this just plug their ears and go "NA NA NA I CAN'T HEAR YOU" every time you try to tell them that.
The economy doing well doesn't directly translate to the people doing well.
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Pvednes put down Tada! magazine long enough to type:
The economy doing well doesn't directly translate to the people doing well.
Now, that's just silly talk. The only context in which people matter are as wage-earners and consumers. As long as the averages are going up, then everything is good and people are happy.
Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it's just the opposite. - John Kenneth Galbraith
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Naimah said this about your mom:
But we only have a 3% GDP growth instead of a 5%.
Even thought the GDP is growing, so is the disparity in wealth among Americans
"I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God."
-- George Herbert Walker Bush
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Leftover Mog impressed everyone with:
Even thought the GDP is growing, so is the disparity in wealth among Americans
The statistics that show a growing disparity between the rich and the poor are misleading because they are based on tax receipts and don't take into account changes in the tax code which encouraged the wealthy to file more of their income under the individual tax code instead of the business tax code.
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This one time, at Snoota camp:
McDonald's has some of the best benefits(including health insurance!) in the corporate world and I supported a family of four on my salary as an Assistant Manager+grandpa's social security.
So you'd go back to your old job if it were offered to you? 
sigpic courtesy of This Guy, original modified by me
