Blacks have won nothing

[barman]

its not that we aren't willing

its that there is no incentive

with government snatching a large portion of our labors one way or the other

Plenty of incentive - most notably that the alternative for most of us is extended periods (or even a lifetime) of perpetual financial struggle.

More young Americans need to get smarter faster.

Oh that I was 22 again and knew what I know now.

SO instead, I try and teach it to my currently 20 and 22 year old kids.

1) DO NOT HAVE CHILDREN until at least age 30

2) Pool your work efforts and begin investing ASAP, with a mortgage on something

3) DO NOT buy a vehicle that is newer than two years old

4) Move to a major population center where there are more opportunities to produce revenue and where there is usually more mass transit, thus helping to reduce the cost of #3 above.

5) Become bi-lingual NOW - with Spanish the most urgent and closely followed by Chinese and Japanese

6) Become as web and computer savvy as possible

7) Read and learn from the many people who are FAR more successful than your father (smile) and whose advice and counsel is easily available through books, tapes and often free cyber venues.


OR

Decide that the above is just old fashioned and quaint and declare your life ahead as doomed to mediocrity. And go ahead now and blame it on "the government" or "the big corporations" or even "Them". It's helpful to mental sanity to have a scapegoat determined in advance of your surrender.

 

[barman]

Oops..almost forgot

8) Learn how to create revenue that can be easily concealed from the IRS and/or your state tax hounds.

8a) Support people and/or business operators trying on their end to do #8 above. Pay cash for contractors and services whenever possible to help empower them. The kharma comes back big time.

 

[bigtendominator]

Bryan24K said it best. It boils down to education.

I remember once saying to my cousin you are very smart. She graduated from Brown, went to Med School at Harvard and did her residency at Cornell Med in NY. She gave me a response I will never forget. "I am not that smart, I was just fortunate enough to be the product of a good environment."

I think this is a very telling statement. I think most criminals are poor and yes many are lazy, but when your only opportunties are $6-$10 an hour jobs, you feel there is no hope and the opportunity to prosper, so I think many take a perceived shortcut.

Also, I believe a show that has tremendously negative impact on the black community, is a show like Cribs. It shows young athletes and rappers as being highly successful with money, cars and nice homes. However, the problem is that the vast majority of people don't live like that, but too many blacks believe that if they are not an atlete or rapper, those opportunties are not available to them, even though this can be achieved as a doctor, lawyer, or successful business person.

I believe crime would reduce, if schools in the inner city were actually schools instead of day care centers.

 

[barman]

.... but when your only opportunties are $6-$10 an hour jobs, you feel there is no hope and the opportunity to prosper, so I think many take a perceived shortcut.

And in 95% or more cases, the only viable "shortcut" is to deal illegal drugs.

Thus another urgent reason to end 21st century Prohibition. There would be no viable street market for drugs if they were all available through legal, regulated outlets.

 

[horns2695]

BigTen;

That is such a true statement about environment. My son just started public school and it is an eye opener because the school he goes to is in a lower class area and it is amazing to here these children talk about what is going on at home and the views they are being taught. Seriously sad stuff. They are a product of their environment. Hopefully they will meet someone along the way that can steer them in the right direction.

Kiln

I also dont believe that statistics actually support your findings. I will do some research and get back to you on that. But it is sad that you are molding our young people with your negative views of america. Do you really think that it is a way to make this country better by running it into the ground. Nothing is accomplished by complaining or being negative. How about you try to create change through a positive environment. By the way KILN, What is your definition of middle class? But just so I understand your point, is it that because of americas out of date ideology that people cant get ahead unless you are already rich. If this is what you believe please stop teaching our young minds, because if they listen and I am sure some of them will listen. You are helping setting them up for failure to blame other people for their failings rather than look at themselves and wonder how they can improve their life. This is the problem in my opinion that people only want to blame others and not themselves for the shortcoming in their life.

Just because you think your right doenst necessarily mean that you are. Charles Manson also thought he was right in his beliefs.

 

[horns2695]

Barman:

I wish I would have learned those 8 things at 21 years old. I would be a lot better off today.

 

[tiznow]

I had a friend (definitely middle class) who passed on the chance to 'move up' in a company. The slight bump in salary he was being offered put him in a higher tax bracket that actually lowered his net.

All the risk and less of the reward, now that's incentive brought to you by your local US government :lolBIG:

also in this environment your job at more risk the more you make in some cases....

a friend of mine an engineer along with another guy working within the same group within a company who had been around longer and getting paid more

the higher paid guy that had been around longer got the axe

 

[horns2695]

The only jobs that I think are safe that make a lot are sales people and that is because their base is so low most of the time and it is all commission. Produce or get out is basically the mentallity.

 

[tiznow]

Plenty of incentive - most notably that the alternative for most of us is extended periods (or even a lifetime) of perpetual financial struggle.

More young Americans need to get smarter faster.

Oh that I was 22 again and knew what I know now.

SO instead, I try and teach it to my currently 20 and 22 year old kids.

1) DO NOT HAVE CHILDREN until at least age 30

2) Pool your work efforts and begin investing ASAP, with a mortgage on something

3) DO NOT buy a vehicle that is newer than two years old

4) Move to a major population center where there are more opportunities to produce revenue and where there is usually more mass transit, thus helping to reduce the cost of #3 above.

5) Become bi-lingual NOW - with Spanish the most urgent and closely followed by Chinese and Japanese

6) Become as web and computer savvy as possible

7) Read and learn from the many people who are FAR more successful than your father (smile) and whose advice and counsel is easily available through books, tapes and often free cyber venues.


OR

Decide that the above is just old fashioned and quaint and declare your life ahead as doomed to mediocrity. And go ahead now and blame it on "the government" or "the big corporations" or even "Them". It's helpful to mental sanity to have a scapegoat determined in advance of your surrender.

what does that have to do with not trying to become wealthy and move yourself up in an environment that is hard to climb up in with government always getting in the way

the problem with today is the sam waltons, bill gates etc...days are pretty much over....because what has happened is through the years these companies have become so big and through all the lobbying and other crap they have government on their side and government and corporations have become a revolving door

those that have gained the wealth (well now alot is inheirted and didn't work for that wealth.....like the walton family like hillary was on the walmart board i believe at some point if she still isn't currently) are using their wealth to keep the playing field favoring them.....vs. giving the little guy a chance to move up the ladder and become the next sam walton, or bill gates, or henry ford, or....you get the picture....

capitalism isn't to blame for this though as many people seem to think....the problem is government favoring certain things and being in the pockets of vested interests and big corporations.......

you can "settle" for less, do the above things, and get by just fine.....

tiz has done all the above minus the bilingual part, major population center, and mortgage part.....

might get to the mortgage part in 2+ years after the fallout from all this tiz saw the housing bust coming many years ago....

also tiz rarely uses his car and walks everywhere in his current location.....and its not a major population center.....

the take home message from the above rambling is this......LOL

the small entrepenur which made this country what it is

is not favored or even close to a level playing field with the big boys in our currently economic and political environment

until that changes doom lies ahead IMO

 

[horns2695]

I agree Tiz that the government takes to much of your money, but me being the nut job positive person that I am. The way I look at it is the more taxes I pay the better I am doing and by no means am I wealthy. I think the # 7 of Barmans is the best one of the bunch. But it is to each his own in how you live your life. Obviously you are happy with the way you live your life Tiz and kudos to you because very few people can say that. But I do believe by doing what Barman listed it would help you move up the ladder if you wanted to move up the ladder.

 

[tiznow]

today's environment just retarded when you step back and think about it

i did an internship working under a guy that was a research head for a division of a big corporation

he had all these bosses he had to report to, worked 50 hour weeks, had a blackberry always hounding him and living in a city that was BORING as all hell....

he's a super bright guy with alot of great ideas but the bottom line is he's probably getting 150k a year at best (and government is gonna take a huge chunk) when his worth to the company for all his ideas and such is much much more than that.....

he's basically working his ass off so some CEO can make 20 million

its just ridiculous what you have to do today to climb up the ladder

and guys like him that are really bright and have great ideas have a hard time competing in this environment against the big conglomerates that are favored by government

so they don't see the incentive to start their own business, create more jobs, and use their great ideas to not only create more wealth for themselves but for others by providing new jobs and such....

 

[eek.]

The only jobs that I think are safe that make a lot are sales people and that is because their base is so low most of the time and it is all commission. Produce or get out is basically the mentallity.

Thats why I like taxi driving.

No room for skivers or politics. You don't work you don't get no munny.

 

[horns2695]

The disparity in Pay is absolutley ridiculous. I will agree with that Tiz

 

[TheRightSide]

Plenty of incentive - most notably that the alternative for most of us is extended periods (or even a lifetime) of perpetual financial struggle.

More young Americans need to get smarter faster.

Oh that I was 22 again and knew what I know now.

SO instead, I try and teach it to my currently 20 and 22 year old kids.

1) DO NOT HAVE CHILDREN until at least age 30

2) Pool your work efforts and begin investing ASAP, with a mortgage on something

3) DO NOT buy a vehicle that is newer than two years old

4) Move to a major population center where there are more opportunities to produce revenue and where there is usually more mass transit, thus helping to reduce the cost of #3 above.

5) Become bi-lingual NOW - with Spanish the most urgent and closely followed by Chinese and Japanese

6) Become as web and computer savvy as possible

7) Read and learn from the many people who are FAR more successful than your father (smile) and whose advice and counsel is easily available through books, tapes and often free cyber venues.


OR

Decide that the above is just old fashioned and quaint and declare your life ahead as doomed to mediocrity. And go ahead now and blame it on "the government" or "the big corporations" or even "Them". It's helpful to mental sanity to have a scapegoat determined in advance of your surrender.

Bar this is your best post ever ever ever.

I agree and that what I posted pretty much. No matter who or what party is running this country you can make your own way.

 

[eek.]

I'm not even registered to vote anymore because it's pointless.

All the parties are the same, you may as well be living in the USSR.

The way forward now is to amass cash and assets, and more than ever before, look after numero uno.

Modern politicians are pointless, and at the moment, the system maintains an environment where there are no alternatives.

WW2 was nothing more than a speedbump for the momentum of society towards what are basically one party politics.