US Authoritarianism

Look up 'Hell's Angels" by Hunter Thompson.

There's a chapter in the book where he talks about the economics of being a biker/drop out/artist circa 1970.

A biker could work six months as a union stevedore and earn enough to stay on the road for two years. A part time waitress could make enough to support herself and her musician boyfriend.

Or, to put it another way, in 1960 minimum wage was $1.00/hour and the cost of the average home was $11,000.00. A burger flipper could get hired on high school graduation day and be a home owner in 20 years without ever getting a raise.

"Our merchants and masters complain much of the bad effects of high wages in raising the price and lessening the sale of goods. They say nothing concerning the bad effects of high profits. They are silent with regard to the pernicious effects of their own gains. They complain only of those of other people.”

― Adam Smith, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations

My idea of becoming rich isn't a fancy mansion.... It's having enough for all of my essentials and having plenty left over...

Ya know, what used to be normal?

Stupid poor people. Simply be born wealthy, its not that hard.

It appears that the claim that half of Americans make under $35,000 is not accurate. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median personal income in the United States for 2022 was $40,480​ (FRED - https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MEPAINUSA646N)​. Additionally, data from DQYDJ shows that at the 40th percentile, income was approximately $58,001, suggesting that less than half of the population earns under $35,000​ (DQYDJ – Don't Quit Your Day Job - https://dqydj.com/average-median-top-household-income-percentiles/)​.

Furthermore, the median household income was reported to be $74,580 in 2022, a figure that significantly exceeds the $35,000 threshold​ (Census.gov - https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2023/demo/p60-279.html)​. This indicates that the median individual and household incomes in the U.S. are both higher than $35,000, disproving the initial claim.

Surprise! People with no money dont spend money on stuff :O

How the fuck is anyone alive?

If they paid a living wage to all their employees, how could they afford all the lobbying and advertising?

The figure referenced in this tweet is likely referring to the 2021 net compensation chart we saw making the rounds a few weeks back. Indeed, it's correct, ~50% of all Americans made less than 35k per year in net total compensation in 2021.

In 2022, that figure rose to ~40k. So the trend is going in the right direction, at least. And IIRC, the chart does include teenagers, college students, people working part time or underemployed, etc.

Shower thought: What if the journalists drawing attention to these problems are using twisted headlines to get the message past the same corporate masters? That the very voice of media is under the same yoke, struggling to get the word out?

Edit: So you change "Wage theft at all time high" to "Millennials claim fast food too expensive" to at least get people talking.

That's half of United States rather than half of America.

Yeah but I'd also start start asking why you're still voting Trump and believing he can be anyhow beneficial to your cause, or is that the other half making >35k a year who evidently then must have subconsciously self-organized like a swarm to unanimously vote for him?