Conservatives are born rich!

[wacki]

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I am simply saying it is significantly more difficult, not impossible.

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That is totally different than saying black/poor people don't have the same opportunities. Minorites, poor, and women all have opportunities out the wazooo. Very few take full advantage of them. Political correctness and affirmative action are severely degrading the quality of graduates at the Citadel because of the "opportunities". I agree 100% with the aforementioned quote. I never said it was easy for them, it wasn't easy for me. Watching all of your rich friends go out and party when you have to work plays hell on the psyche. Turning down you're poor friends that want to chill over some brews because you have stuff to do can also be very very hard. Still, if they want it badly enough they can succeed. Success often comes at the sacrifice of freedoms and/or a full childhood.

[BCPVP]

I'd heard about that, but didn't really delve into it. I think the point that it takes money to make money is not always the case though, and that was my point. I'm reading Reed's analysis right now.

[CCass]

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Damn, you make it sound so easy. 30-35 hours a week!?! Did you actually spend seven hours a day in school? Not counting lunch, that's 60-65 hours a week, plus homework and chores. Either you didn't sleep much, or you cared not for leisure time. Right on...

Seriously though, some people are too stupid to go to college. This is why I support free vocational training in high school. These programs need to be expanded and more options opened up. My school had a program like this, but if you didn't want to be an auto mechanic or something similar it wasn't for you. I agree with Adam Corolla. There are far too many children in college who are wasting time and money which would better be spent in vocational training, they just haven't figured that out yet.

The currently inflated student population results in college becoming like a high-high school. A bachelor's degree is not all that respected anymore. I don't know what you majored in or even if that is relevant to your professional life. I don't know when you applied for your first job or when you were first hired in your professional capacity. However, I hear these days the outlook for a recent college graduate is pretty slim.

Yeah, it must be nice having accomplished all that given so little. You must feel real proud. Time will only tell if you were one of the last generations to partially fulfill the American Dream. A dream that seems to be fading into a nightmare, for those unafraid to sleep with their eyes wide shut.

Damn, I can't find my tinfoil. Probably those lizard people again...

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I worked between 30-35 hours a week during my Sr. year. 16 or more of those hours would come on the weekends. Also, I didn't go to school all day, I worked for a couple of hours during "normal" school time (I had taken extra credits in earlier years). Rarely had homework, but lettered in 3 varsity sports my Sr. year. And no, I didn't sleep much. I also didn't get into drugs or other trouble, because I didn't have any free time.

In college, I probably worked about 20 hours per week. My degree is in Acct., and I had a job lined up within 2 months of graduating. I am now in Mgmt., so I don't do much acct. work anymore, but I definitely wouldn't be here if it weren't for my degree and work experience.

BTW, I agree with you that college isn't for everyone.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but it sounds like you have given up before even starting. The best way to accumulate wealth is by taking small steps. Learn to save, even if it is only $5 a week. Don't get caught up trying to "keep up with the Jones'", you don't need a bunch of bling bling. The two vehicles that my wife and I own are both paid for, and both have in excess of 150,000 miles. We are getting ready to trade for another vehicle, and we will pay cash for whatever we buy. Will it be new? No. But it will be paid for, which frees up more money for us to save for our retirement. We don't live in a big fancy house either, just one that meets (barely) our needs. Life is about choices, and we choose to live a very sensible live style now, so that when we retire (in about 18 years), we can retire in comfort and enjoy ourselves.

BTW, we also give liberaly to charities of our choice, Habitat for Humanity being our biggest recipient.

Do bad things sometimes happen to people that prevent them from succeeding? Yes. But I think that the vast majority of the time hard work and preserverance will pay off in the long run.

Oh yeah, one more thing. I don't think my wife and I are "partially" living the American dream, I think we are living it to the fullest. And I have yet to see anyone offer any reason why most other Americans can't do the same thing.

[thatpfunk]

I think we've been on the same page (or at least chapter) this whole time sir, as usual...

[thatpfunk]

I was merely agreeing with his point that welfare strives to achieve a lot more than it really does, and it while it is providing, it isn't much.

I am open to alternate ideas (good argument for abolishing, etc) but that doens't mean I will buy them.

[lastchance]

I think what matters the most is the parents you have. Having lousy parents can really screw a kid up, having good ones in a bad spot (as long as you still live in America) is much better.

[BCPVP]

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his points are correct, but BCPVP wants to abolish welfare. So BCPVP thinks that it's important to encourage people to work harder etc. You don't help people by cutting the rug out from underneath them, no matter how low the rug is situated.

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I don't like it when people impugn what they think are my motives. Usually those people are wrong. Do I want to abolish welfare? It depends. Currently, I don't think welfare is doing anything to get people back on their feet, which should be the goal of such a program. Welfare strings people along and doesn't seem to do anything for peoples' attitudes except lower them.

I'm open to alternatives, because I don't think our current welfare system is the most efficient use of our money. I should hope you would be open to more effective ways to help people.

[Dead]

I've shared ideas about helping people.

I haven't heard any from you and your allies on here except for "let's abolish welfare" and "let's cut government spending".

[Voltorb]

Thanks for the response. I hope you did not feel that I was trying to underscore your achievements by calling them partially fulfilled. I am glad that you feel you are living a full life. I hope your past success and current calling continue to yield countless dividends for you and yours.

I'm not bling blingin' over here. Nor am I striving to. I got too caught up in the grunge age to care about all that garbage. But hey, I still think I look cool. My car's paid for too (thanks mom). 112,000 miles, '94 Chevy Blazer. I hate that it's a gas guzzlin' SUV, but I'm not about to trade it in, seeing as how I know the entire history of the car and it has been very well-maintained. Peace of mind is worth the extra money in gas, although I feel bad for the environment. My next car will be fuel effecient, I promise.

I am learning to save also. I've got enough money put back to be comfortable for a bit. I'm trying to provide myself with a bit of time to find some kind of job after I finish my masters degree (if that ever happens). I want to go live with my girl in my hometown, but they don't have too many jobs in my field. Physics doesn't seem too marketable; at least nobody's hiring specifically physicists, anyway. Hopefully, I'll prove myself wrong whenever I start applying for jobs. I should probably start now.

Anyway, that may be why it seems that I have a bit of desparation in my tone. I'm at a very uncertain point in my life at the moment. I have always worked hard, and I am very afraid that this hard work will amount to nothing more than good memories and personal development. While that would all be worth it, I just want to be comfortable. I'd like to be financially secure and not have to worry about money too much.

Okay, thanks for letting me dump all over anyone who read this post. Sorry if I bored anyone to tears.

[Randy_Refeld]

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I'm curious as to why productivity is up 26%, yet wages are only up 7%.

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This would suggest that labor has increased productivity by 7% and capital has increased productivity by 19%.