8 Responses to “I must protest … big homes aren’t all bad” »»

1. Concern Reader
   Comment by Concern Reader | 01/28/07 at 6:25 pm

   She does have a point. Even

   though people can still achieve the American Dream, the unequal distribution of national income has

   made it more difficult for the average American. 30 years ago, the average CEO pay was 30 times

   the pay for the average worker. Today, the same ratio is near 300 times. The tax cut gave greater

   benefit to the wealthy. To reduce the federal budget deficit, government reduced federal funding

   for education and other social programs. I favor tax cut and smaller government, but this

   redistribution of income has reduced the average American’s opportunity to achieve.

2. John A Keith
   Comment by John A Keith | 01/28/07 at 6:33 pm

   How does the rich getting richer have any effect on

   whether the middle class or lower class can achieve anything? Why does one out-rule the other?

   Are they even related?

   Federal funding for education? Public education is paid for by

   property taxes, which are local.

3. Concern Reader
   Comment by Concern Reader | 01/28/07 at 8:41 pm

   The rich shoud get richer and so

   does the poor and the middle class. We all should get richer, meaning better standard of living

   not absolute dollars. Just by inflation alone will give you more dollars. The two groups are

   related when the rich starts to exert their control over the average worker. A few extreme

   examples are Latin America and the Feudal System of the Middle Ages. I will end it there because

   this topic is too deep and complicated to debate in this format.

   The federal government

   funds education in two ways: direct and indirect.
   For a direct explanation, go to this

   http://www.ed.gov/fund/landing.jhtml. I personally would not have been able to afford to go to college

   without federal government funding.
   The indirect method is a little more complicated to explain

   which I will postpone to a later time.

4. Chuck
   Comment by Chuck | 01/28/07 at 9:56 pm

   This woman subscribes to the

   singlemost harmful idea of the 20-21th century; that wealth creation is a zero sum game. What a

   pathetic class warrior.

5. John A Keith
   Comment by John A Keith | 01/28/07 at 10:30 pm

   The

   Federal Government seems both monolithic and distant and out of reach, at the same

   time.

   Local government, however, is made up of our friends, family, and neighbors.

   If

   we lament the changes going on around us, and demand change, we need to start with those closest

   around us. The people around us are the ones doing the things that Ms. Beckham

   disdains.

   Actually, maybe that is what she is complaining about. I first read her words

   about “America” as being about “America” in the grand sense, but perhaps she means everyone, from

   those across the country to those who she stands in line next to, at the supermarket.

   I do

   think she is being a bit dramatic. I assume this is on purpose, to illustrate her point.

   To

   say that you can’t get anywhere without an education may be true, but was it ever different?

   Maybe in an industrial society, but we’re in a service society, now. Might I add that access to

   (good) education is closer to more people than ever before in our history (my assumption). Access

   to (good) health care is closer to more people than ever before in our history (my assumption - but

   look at birth and death rates, etc.).

   She also chooses to ignore the fate of every immigrant

   I’ve ever come into contact with. The people around me who I assume are immigrants are working

   hard, specifically to get ahead. Their dreams are within reach - they have already accomplished

   one of their goals, which was to live here. The typical cab driver in Boston probably has a family

   either here or at home, and he probably makes enough to pay for a room for himself, and to send

   home. Many of these people are well-educated, as well.

   The typical kitchen dishwasher

   makes very little, but I assume this is a better life than he had in his old country, why else

   would he come here (plus, he gets in-state college tuition, ha-ha).

   In fact, one of the

   best parts of our great economy over the past decade is that it has allowed many immigrants to make

   a lot of money off the building trade - think of the typical guy who sands floors - he’s a

   Vietnamese immigrant, either here legally or illegally. He’s living the American dream.

   I

   don’t think any college student thinks the American dream is out of reach. Quite the contrary. I

   think they’re eager to get educated and get started. Young people always have been.

   The

   odds have always been stacked against the poor. But, be serious. We have more public housing and

   public health initiatives than ever before - that helps our chronic poor. Those a step above will

   complain that it’s our middle class that is being squeezed, but I heard that for the first time in

   1983, I think, when I was a senior in high school. It gets real boring, fast.

   I dunno.

   Screen Actors Guild awards are on. Enough said.

6. Concern Reader
   Comment by Concern Reader | 01/29/07 at 12:02 pm

   I totally agree

   with all your points that made the great USA the land of opportunity. However as I read her use of

   the quote from Paul Krugman “It’s remarkable how little growth has trickled down to ordinary

   families,” I think her intention is to compare today versus 20-40 years ago. Can the average

   American afford to live on a single household earner like our parents or grandparents (depending on

   what age you are) did? Is going to college today for the average American less costly than 20

   years ago?

7. John A Keith
   Comment by John A Keith | 01/29/07 at 5:22 pm

   I don’t know why

   college is so expensive. Supply and demand? Is it more expensive, after you add in all the

   financial aid provided by colleges? Do colleges increase their tuitions because students go out

   and get so many loans, so they don’t see how much they are going to owe, once they graduate?

   College is more expensive, but, of course, more high school grads go to college, than ever before

   in the United States.

   Thirty years ago, almost 50% of households had two wage-earners.

   It’s now almost 75%; a big increase. You have to ask the couples though - do they both work to

   sustain the lifestyle their parents enjoyed, or to sustain a lifestyle they think they deserve?

   Most couples I assume don’t want to do without two cars, a bedroom for each of their children, a

   week’s vacation somewhere hot or cold, and a plasma TV and computer in each room. Compare this to

   when Ms Beckham grew up - her parents were apparently happy with the simple things (as were mine) -

   conspicuous consumption did not yet exist.

   The more I think about this, the more I feel

   it’s a matter of choice, for people. They choose to throw their money into big homes, big cars,

   and big TVs. They can do just fine, with less, but choose not to.

8. Jason
   Comment by Jason | 01/30/07 at 10:40 am

   Check out this link:

   http://biz.yahoo.com/weekend/avg_1.html

   The Average American: 1967 and

   Today

   I think you’ll see people today are doing pretty well for the most part.

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