Young Turks: 1/4 American Kids In Poverty & Record Profits, Bonuses

[CherylK]

Run time: 05:54 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFgZ5ESWtPE   Posted on YouTube: March 19, 2011 By YouTube Member: TheYoungTurks Views on YouTube: 13403   Posted on DU: March 21, 2011 By DU Member: CherylK Views on DU: 1119

 
Cenk Uygur discusses yet another report on how corporations are making record profits and executives are taking huge bonuses - at the same time about a quarter of children of America are living in poverty and the unemployment rate is still incredibly high. Also, Republicans are slashing taxes on the rich and corporations while attacking workers rights and other programs that benefit the poor and middle class.

[midnight]

1. K&R.... Time to stop treating the American worker and their benefits like it's a drain on a

millionaires life.

[Amonester]

2. America's own Gaddafi's: Republicans rich corporations - eom

[Plucketeer]

5. I like that analogy! n/t

[Charleston Chew]

3. Republicans to America: Poor Kids Don't Have Enough Pain

__________
"60 Minutes" aired a special on the record number of children falling into poverty due to the recent recession.

Taking a closer look at Florida in particular, the segment focuses on several families who never thought they would be homeless, and the children who perhaps suffer the greatest burden, growing up without a stable dwelling and sometimes going hungry.

Several children are interviewed. Two of the kids describe sneaking into a Wal-Mart bathroom to use the sinks and to clean up before school. One child says she feels that her family's poverty is her fault because her parents have to support her.

Some kids are living with neighbors, some in cars and vans, others in motels. Near Orlando, on the road to Disney World, there are 67 motels that house about 500 homeless kids.

According to CBS and the U.S. Census, 14 million children throughout the nation lived in poverty before the recession hit, and now that number is 16 million -- a 2-million person rise in two years.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x560847
__________

[dotymed]

4. Mass Demonstrations

are our only hope. We have to organize. Show everyone "INSIDE JOB" and I guarantee you that conservatives and progressives find more common ground than disparities. We have to JOIN the CLASS WAR or just lose without a fight.
Come on Americans. Justice- Land of Laws-
People before profits
PLEASE don't give up without a fight.

[Atypical Liberal]

7. I have my doubts demonstrations will do anything.

This is about money. Until and unless the money is threatened, nothing will change. Like one of the legislators in Wisconsin was hear to say, "Other than having to talk a bit louder today, nothing was different."

You can protest all you like, but the people in control don't have to listen. Your protests don't affect them.

What we need people to do is vote. Vote while votes still have an edge over money, which I'm not entirely sure is even still possible.

That's the real problem with the splitting of the economy into two economies. It's getting harder and harder for the people in the poor economy to affect goings-on in the rich economy.

[dotymed]

8. IMO, with electronic,no receipt-voting,

we don't stand a chance. The "votes" can be easily manipulated, we have seen it.
With mass demonstrations, we can shut down establishments, Congress, whatever, if we have the majority of Americans with us.

[Atypical Liberal]

6. Two economies

Cenk mentioned it, and I've heard it mentioned before:

We are seeing the US economy turning into two economies. I believe this is a direct result of globalization.

We have the US-based "global" component of the economy. This segment of the economy is doing great, leveraging intellectual property right and global labor pools to create and sell products to a global marketplace. These people are making record profits and have huge financial investments and interest in controlling the US Congress and President.

Then we have the US-only "local" component of the economy. Their jobs are declining, and their pay is declining. And the impact of their vote is declining since the people with the money probably have more influence than the people who vote.

It's just the natural consequence of greed. The people with the money are taking the "natural" steps to protect and enhance their wealth, and everyone else is getting left out in the cold.

It may have been at one time that the two economies were tied to each other. That trickle-down might have worked. It is, they say, why Ford made his cars affordable - so that his employees could also be customers. Those days are gone. Globalization has made the entire globe a workforce, and a marketplace. They will give work to whoever is cheapest, and they will sell to whoever has money, and it is unlikely that those two things will happen in the same place to the same people.