ABC's 20/20 "Whatever happened to the middle class"?

[TexasHusker]

How does a 50 year old know what the stereotypical millennial wants? Sounds like you're also being spoon fed garbage news from the major media outlets? Either that or you hang around a lot of hipster millennials?

Also...you seem very angry over this whole subject. You are the textbook stereotypical angry white man that voted for trump. You give the rest of those who voted for trump a bad name.

Haha. I didn't vote for trump, and I have several good friends with millennial kiddos who are doing similar to what I suggested. Thanks for the vote of confidence though. 😜

[TexasHusker]

Right...because employers demand it. Still doesnt make any sense. Again how did people 30 years ago get good jobs without proving that they had this amazing critical thinking, work ethic, social skills, etc etc? A lot of the jobs are still the same yet require some sort of paper certificate that proves you spent a lot of money.

Take Texas or 97...not sure if texas has a degree but almost positive 97 doesnt. They jumped into real estate and have had a lot of success. Hows that possible without some sort of business degree to instruct them? Should we believe they learned this on their own...through trial and error...by doing research on their own? That sounds crazy in todays world. Not only is it crazy but its frowned upon according to "professionals."

I have a degree in English. But I've done lots of reading. You can learn a great deal about business by reading Machiavelli's The Prince.

[Fishindude77]

Oh and btw...I also enjoy smoking dope and I dont consider myself lazy...im doing pretty well...and this weekend I got ba ba barbecued! Another stereotype that has been drilled into everyones heads through the use of propaganda...brought to you by the US government.

Pot happens to be illegal in many states and many clients demand that you randomly test for it, so that's just the way it is. Get caught and you're out. Doesn't matter what you feel is morally right or wrong.
Sadly, many prioritize getting high over holding down a good job.

[GoodSteward]

Wow, what an interesting thread we have going.

As a side note, please don't name call or use political slurs on people. Thanks.

There are a few issues at play here. Yes, salaries have been rising slower than costs. That's a big problem.

However, another big problem is lifestyle inflation. Your parents' parents' generation led a far simpler lifestyle.....The kids are in a zillion activities that cost hundreds or thousands of dollars per year. And the family vacation involves passports, planes, cruise ships, and private tours.

Lol, pretty much. My friend who lives on one income a year in the 30s spends hundreds of dollars a year on sports for his kids. They barely can afford the gas to go around town, but will buy his kids new expensive cleats, and buy his own football gear all the time. Makes no sense. They are pretty deep in debt with credit cards too. Last I checked, his cards are maxed out.

Unless I wasn't paying attention, they conveniently omitted that fact in the program. $54K isn't a lot, but a family making that pays very little income tax.

I wanted to point out that these families also usually get back $2k-$5k in tax refunds each year. Nobody likes to count that as income, but it absolutely is.

[StormRichards]

Lol, pretty much. My friend who lives on one income a year in the 30s spends hundreds of dollars a year on sports for his kids.

Their getting off cheap. We spent close to $3k in 2016.

[TexasHusker]

Their getting off cheap. We spent close to $3k in 2016.

I hear ya. I'm guessing we are spending $10K a year on junior volleyball (travel is a bunch of that), and $7500 on junior golf.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

I am also a single income family for the most part and yes like CCF we do live much more simply than our friends. But I do understand how it can be difficult for some of the families featured to make ends me. We have generous ends, but most single wages don't have enough to make ends meet.

So don't put it all on the government. Now republicans as much as democrats are increasing the federal debt AND power in people's lives. I see Republicans wanting a registry of muslims? Cutting taxes for rich but spending infrastructure? My friends who truly are for smaller government have told me they aren't republicans anymore because WTF? The republicans spend like democrats except they spend on different things!!!!! so they have no party. I feel the same about the democrats because they are so corrupt.

So you tell me why it's so wrong to want more help from the government and be willing to pay for it? I can understand why people want less government intervention, but those who do have trouble understanding why someone would want free healthcare? And a cap on education costs? Why am I considered crazy but not the smaller government people?

[rennigade]

Pot happens to be illegal in many states and many clients demand that you randomly test for it, so that's just the way it is. Get caught and you're out. Doesn't matter what you feel is morally right or wrong.
Sadly, many prioritize getting high over holding down a good job.

My opinion or anyones doesnt matter when it comes to pot...its what your employer demands...

Who are the "many" that you speak of? Can you provide some data/numbers? I only found one article about failed drug tests but it was from 2013...of the 3.4 million tested in the first 6 months...2 percent failed...which equates to 68,000.

I found a statistic from sept 2016...there are 124,000,000 full time workers in the united states.

68,000x2=136,000

136,000 represents .001% of people working. I dont consider that many. That was from 2013...so even if you double that number it represents .002%. Not a large "man" imo.

[TexasHusker]

I am also a single income family for the most part and yes like CCF we do live much more simply than our friends. But I do understand how it can be difficult for some of the families featured to make ends me. We have generous ends, but most single wages don't have enough to make ends meet.

So don't put it all on the government. Now republicans as much as democrats are increasing the federal debt AND power in people's lives. I see Republicans wanting a registry of muslims? Cutting taxes for rich but spending infrastructure? My friends who truly are for smaller government have told me they aren't republicans anymore because WTF? The republicans spend like democrats except they spend on different things!!!!! so they have no party. I feel the same about the democrats because they are so corrupt.

So you tell me why it's so wrong to want more help from the government and be willing to pay for it? I can understand why people want less government intervention, but those who do have trouble understanding why someone would want free healthcare? And a cap on education costs? Why am I considered crazy but not the smaller government people?

The Pubs and Dems are equally complicit. Our country is held hostage by a two party game. They both grandstand with their various promises, then hit the bars that night and drink beer together, laughing at all of us schmucks.

The joke is on we, the people.

While I didn't vote for trump, I do like the "drain the swamp" schtick and I hope he can.

[Fishindude77]

Who are the "many" that you speak of? Can you provide some data/numbers? I only found one article about failed drug tests but it was from 2013...of the 3.4 million tested in the first 6 months...2 percent failed...which equates to 68,000..

Nope, can't provide data.
Most places test at hiring so they can say "we have a drug testing program". Simple solution, just stay off the pot for a few weeks pre-hire and you will test clean. Pot smokers know what employers test and what employers don't, and for the most part they avoid the employers with random testing.

[JoeP]

So sad that some people dismiss anything produced by ABC/NBC/CBS as unreliable. Clearly the propaganda being pushed by Fox/Limbaugh/Breitbart/Palin has been very effective.

Just because someone is critical of one set of network news providers does not mean they support those on the opposite side of the political spectrum.

[StormRichards]

Nope, can't provide data.
Most places test at hiring so they can say "we have a drug testing program". Simple solution, just stay off the pot for a few weeks pre-hire and you will test clean. Pot smokers know what employers test and what employers don't, and for the most part they avoid the employers with random testing.

You would be amazed at how many people fail despite that simple solution. We will get an email letting us know John Doe is scheduled to start on Monday. A day or two later we will get an email letting us know that John Doe won't be starting at all.

[creditcardfree]

OTOH, industry has spent billions of dollars learning how to convince people to do the exact opposite of that.

You deserve a break today... so get up and get away...

True. And sad that more people aren't thinking for themselves. And it sounds like the 20/20 piece failed to report that portion of the story!

[Fishindude77]

You would be amazed at how many people fail despite that simple solution. We will get an email letting us know John Doe is scheduled to start on Monday. A day or two later we will get an email letting us know that John Doe won't be starting at all.

Interesting.
I've found that most will walk away when confronted and not take the test, rather than get caught and embarrass themselves.

[StormRichards]

Interesting.
I've found that most will walk away when confronted and not take the test, rather than get caught and embarrass themselves.

You are hiring for better paying jobs than the clerical jobs where I see this on a regular basis. I am amazed some of my coworkers graduated high school. There is a lot of turnover because the company doesn't pay well enough for those jobs to get decent candidates.