What is currently holding YOU back from success???

[bucs90]

Seems the common theme is:

Whiner: "I'm being held back by society and the rich and corporations and it's not a fair share!!!!"

Others: "What exactly is it that is holding you back"?

Whiner: "It's none of your damn business!! But I'm angry about it!!"

 

[Mr Natural]

The Peter principle states that in a hierarchically structured administration, people tend to be promoted up to their "level of incompetence".

 

[Dragon]

So in other words....................nothing in particular. There is nothing holding any individual back.

If you got that out of what I said, you really need to work on your reading comprehension. Let me try this again.

1) Jobs are scarcer and pay less.
2) College tuition costs are higher and non-loan financial aid has become scarce.
3) Medical insurance costs have risen dramatically, reducing everyone's effective income.

I see people improving their place in life all the time. It's hard for everyone, and has always been hard, for decades. Nothing has changed except facebook and 24/7 media has made protesting seem a lot cooler.

Wrong. Everything I listed above has changed. Maybe the problem is simply that you are too young, although that, too, is something I shouldn't assume. But when I was a boy, my father could own a home, own two cars, and send me and my brother and sister to college, all on a single blue collar income. THAT has changed, greatly changed for the worse.

Your first sentence would refute this if and only if someone were saying that success has become IMPOSSIBLE. No one is saying that. But it has become a lot harder, and all so we can funnel more and more money to the richest people. And that's wrong.

When you make it harder to succeed, more people are going to fail. That's just reality. Whether I, personally, am a victim of all this is, as I said, irrelevant (except to me) and none of your business. But some people are. And that's wrong.

 

[bucs90]

As a community, we can come together to help those in need. But first we must know "What do you need?"

So I ask.......whats holding you back? If the answer is "It's just too hard" or "The bar is too high (which someone said)" well you probably can't be helped. Simply saying you are not willing to work as hard as the answer may require is not acceptable.

It's just a fact that in many people's lives, there is a time you may have to work 80 hrs a week, at 2 jobs you hate, for several years, and have no social life, no iphone, no flat screen TV, and drive a 10 year old used car...........just to make ends meet. Millions have gone this route, and ended up with a good job later in life.

It sucks. It's reality.

I just wonder exactly what is stopping any individual from doing this? Even those with college degrees which (SUPRISE) did not guarantee a great job.

 

[bucs90]

So in other words....................nothing in particular. There is nothing holding any individual back.

If you got that out of what I said, you really need to work on your reading comprehension. Let me try this again.

1) Jobs are scarcer and pay less.
2) College tuition costs are higher and non-loan financial aid has become scarce.
3) Medical insurance costs have risen dramatically, reducing everyone's effective income.

I see people improving their place in life all the time. It's hard for everyone, and has always been hard, for decades. Nothing has changed except facebook and 24/7 media has made protesting seem a lot cooler.

Wrong. Everything I listed above has changed. Maybe the problem is simply that you are too young, although that, too, is something I shouldn't assume. But when I was a boy, my father could own a home, own two cars, and send me and my brother and sister to college, all on a single blue collar income. THAT has changed, greatly changed for the worse.

Your first sentence would refute this if and only if someone were saying that success has become IMPOSSIBLE. No one is saying that. But it has become a lot harder, and all so we can funnel more and more money to the richest people. And that's wrong.

When you make it harder to succeed, more people are going to fail. That's just reality. Whether I, personally, am a victim of all this is, as I said, irrelevant (except to me) and none of your business. But some people are. And that's wrong.

Globalism changed all of the above. Thats an era that is long gone.

The new reality is my last post. It's gonna suck. It's gonna be hard. But it's possible.

Im not that young. I'm 38. I did 8 years working 2 jobs I hated. Drove a shitty car. Got a better job later in life.

 

[bucs90]

YOu may have to redefine "success". Being able to afford a home, 2 cars and send 2 kids to college.......all off 1 factory blue collare job, are days LONG GONE.

Success is now being able to provide a roof and food to a family, and be comfortable in life.

 

[Lonestar_logic]

FTR unemployment rate for college graduates is 4%.

 

[Iridescence]

Oh, are we discussing something political? Is this a typical conservative confusion between what's right for the country and what's right for me, personally? I thought it was just a butinsky, nosy request for personal information to which none of you are entitled.

Over the past thirty years we have seen the bar of success rise higher and higher, as real wages have fallen, more and more families require two earners to maintain the living standards that used to be possible with one, college tuition has risen and non-loan financial aid has fallen, and health-care costs have soared through the roof. While it is still possible, certainly, to achieve success, it has become a lot harder than it used to be for everyone except the very wealthy.

When I, or any other progressive/liberal, points this out, you are NOT entitled to any assumptions about my/our personal circumstances. That's simply none of your business. Also, any suggestions, job offers, business offers, or other attempts to help me/us personally out of what you assume (without basis) to be my/our personal difficulty, totally miss the point.

Because it's not about me.

It's about America.

Um, what? YOU and what you represent IS America.

 

[Dragon]

Globalism changed all of the above. Thats an era that is long gone.

The new reality is my last post. It's gonna suck. It's gonna be hard. But it's possible.

Wrong. That's just the excuse we've been given. In fact, the global economy has been with us for a long time, all of my life in fact. We had a global economy in the 1930s -- why do you think the collapse of the U.S. economy at that time brought down the rest of the world?

No, that's not what's changed; what's changed is that the government changed its policies in the mid-70s and even more in the 1980s, to favor the accumulation of wealth by the very wealthy instead of dispersal of wealth throughout the economy. The government became anti-union instead of pro-union and so union strength has declined from a high of 39% of the work force to today's figure of around 5%. The government abandoned the progressive tax structure of the past for an almost flat tax structure, and together with repeal of regulations this encouraged investors to play get-rich-quick financial shell games with their capital instead of investing it in real job-creating business.

It doesn't have to suck, and in fact for the richest people in this country it DOESN'T suck. If the rich were hurting, too, that might give what you say some credibility, but they're not. They're flying high, the rest of the country is hunkering down. And that's wrong.

 

[Dragon]

Seems the common theme is:

Whiner: "I'm being held back by society and the rich and corporations and it's not a fair share!!!!"

Others: "What exactly is it that is holding you back"?

Whiner: "It's none of your damn business!! But I'm angry about it!!"

The first of those is something I have NEVER said. Not about myself.

And it is none of your business.

 

[Dragon]

YOU and what you represent IS America.

No, I am not America. I am only one American. There's a difference.

 

[Mr Natural]

YOu may have to redefine "success". Being able to afford a home, 2 cars and send 2 kids to college.......all off 1 factory blue collare job, are days LONG GONE.

Success is now being able to provide a roof and food to a family, and be comfortable in life.

Fast forward 30 years and success will be measured by finding the best dumpster to eat out of and the best cardboard box to live in.

 

[JamesInFlorida]

College is more expensive. Because demand skyrocketed. Supply vs demand. Same with healthcare.

Eat healthy and workout. Dont be fat. That solves so many healthcare problems.

Education? Degrees are worth so much less these days. It's often times NOT SMART to take out a 40K loan for a worthless degree. Tech or community college, while not nearly as "cool" or "fun", may often be a better choice than a 4 year liberal arts (party time) school. But people CHOOSE that route for some reason (wanna have fun, drink, etc).

I just dont see the things that are blocking success. I see hard work. Of course. But no walls.

I disagree. While I agree any degree in liberal arts is worthless...I have 4-year degree and got a much better job when I got out than my friends who didn't go to college. I also left college owing exactly $0. Mainly because I ran my own business while going to school. It's called not be lazy. People from all works of life don't work: and when somebody isn't working as hard as they can-there's 10 people out there who are.

 

[Dragon]

College is more expensive. Because demand skyrocketed. Supply vs demand. Same with healthcare.

What's one of the first predictions about a market economy? That supply grows to meet increased demand. No. College is more expensive because an increased share of the cost is being put on the individual student and less and less of it is socialized.

Eat healthy and workout. Dont be fat. That solves so many healthcare problems.

Good advice but completely irrelevant to the discussion.

I just dont see the things that are blocking success. I see hard work. Of course. But no walls.

When ONE person fails to achieve success, you can perhaps blame that on a failure of hard work.

When MOST people fail to achieve success, you can't.

 

[DiamondDave]

So in other words....................nothing in particular. There is nothing holding any individual back.

If you got that out of what I said, you really need to work on your reading comprehension. Let me try this again.

1) Jobs are scarcer and pay less.
2) College tuition costs are higher and non-loan financial aid has become scarce.
3) Medical insurance costs have risen dramatically, reducing everyone's effective income.

I see people improving their place in life all the time. It's hard for everyone, and has always been hard, for decades. Nothing has changed except facebook and 24/7 media has made protesting seem a lot cooler.

Wrong. Everything I listed above has changed. Maybe the problem is simply that you are too young, although that, too, is something I shouldn't assume. But when I was a boy, my father could own a home, own two cars, and send me and my brother and sister to college, all on a single blue collar income. THAT has changed, greatly changed for the worse.

Your first sentence would refute this if and only if someone were saying that success has become IMPOSSIBLE. No one is saying that. But it has become a lot harder, and all so we can funnel more and more money to the richest people. And that's wrong.

When you make it harder to succeed, more people are going to fail. That's just reality. Whether I, personally, am a victim of all this is, as I said, irrelevant (except to me) and none of your business. But some people are. And that's wrong.

Changed...?? Really??? Then again, I thought your Obami preached how change was good...

Face it... things change... things are not supposed to be easy... and quite frankly, everything you are complaining about is a bar that you wish to hurdle...

You may have limits to your abilities or what you can learn or what you can do... and you cave to them... or simply don't want to break enough of a sweat to overcome them.... the rest of us, will adapt and overcome, as we always have and always will... and still listen to the incessant whining of you and your ilk

 

[The T]

Nothing but Government regulations.

 

[Lonestar_logic]

College is more expensive. Because demand skyrocketed. Supply vs demand. Same with healthcare.

What's one of the first predictions about a market economy? That supply grows to meet increased demand. No. College is more expensive because an increased share of the cost is being put on the individual student and less and less of it is socialized.

Eat healthy and workout. Dont be fat. That solves so many healthcare problems.

Good advice but completely irrelevant to the discussion.

I just dont see the things that are blocking success. I see hard work. Of course. But no walls.

When ONE person fails to achieve success, you can perhaps blame that on a failure of hard work.

When MOST people fail to achieve success, you can't.

Where's your evidence that MOST people are failing to achieve success.

And please define your idea of success.

 

[Iridescence]

YOU and what you represent IS America.

No, I am not America. I am only one American. There's a difference.

You are not wrong... however, you do matter and what you stand for matters as well. It is an unavoidable fact proven by the historical mentality of the people that dwell upon our land(s). It is not a convenient truth, nor a comfortable fact.

 

[Dragon]

Face it... things change... things are not supposed to be easy...

But for those who already have wealth, they ARE easy, easier than they have ever been, even while they're harder for everyone else. That's what makes claims like this so totally without credibility.

and quite frankly, everything you are complaining about is a bar that you wish to hurdle...

Quite frankly, you are talking out your ass. You don't know me. You don't know my circumstances. You are jumping to conclusions, and all you are really demonstrating is that you are a very selfish, self-centered person, because you can't even imagine anyone believing that things are unfair in this society unless it's for selfish reasons.

 

[The T]

I'm interested in hearing what some may say.

We can bitch all day long about how we wish things were.

But fact is.....it may suck....but it's possible to succeed. May have to work 2 crappy jobs for a lot of years before a breakthrough. But seems like so many people did just that in the last 30 years, and all of a sudden, young people aren't willing to "suck it up" for a few years.

Of course it is. Actually? WE have it alot easier than our forefathers did. Imagine if they took the same tact these whining little moochers do?

I have ZERO sympathy for any of them.