Quote:
Originally Posted by Dylflon
North American society is sort of structured to keep the class structure in place (with an erosion of the middle class). University education is so expensive that in most cases only well off kids go (unless you amass major debt). For example, in a sociology tutorial I was in, the TA said that working class kids don't go to university which I contested since I'm from a working class family. The TA then asked for anyone in the class to raise their hands if they paid any part of their tuition.
Only me and one other guy raised our hands in a class of about 25. The other guy was going to school through student loans making me the only person in the class working their way through school. Luckily I get help from my parents.
In the States if you're not well off, God forbid you get sick because you will be ruined. And it's hard to chase the american dream from financial ruin. Wages are becoming less livable, and there aren't as many single income families any more.
Government incentives are more for corporations and the rich than for he working class. Inflation isn't being matched by pay raises.
North America is a place of opportunity in that we can pursue our destinies to the best of our abilities and enjoy a fairly democratic society (I say fairly because while democratic structures are in place, I feel out peoples are being less and less represented by our governments).
But there are so many hurdles in place to keep normal people from getting rich that the 'American Dream' seems more like a carrot dangled in front of you to keep hope alive while the top wealthiest 1% of the population can enjoy their government tax incentives and rob the rest of the population blind (specifically your unregulated banking industry).
The American Dream as it plays out for Johnny from Detroit. Johnny is born to two working parents who don't have the time to raise him right. He muddles through an underfunded and inadequate public schooling system, graduates and can't afford to be sent to university. Jobs are low in his area since all manufacturing jobs are now in other places so Johnny most likely has to work for minimum wage to support his college tuition augmented by student loans. Johnny graduates in debt and even if he does moderately well for himself will still probably be underpaid in whatever profession he pursues or at least won't make enough to support a family on a single income. So Johnny and his wife both have to work and don't have to properly raise John Jr. who muddles through an underfunded and inadequate public schooling system etc, etc, etc.
P.S. Johnny lost his pension because of a failed banking industry :O
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My such rose colored glasses, lol.
A couple of things to add to the discussion to lend perspective.
Education rates in America:
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educati..._United_States
Its not as steep an upward curve as I'd loike to see, but we do see that education has become more accessible and not less.
School funding:
Quote:
Public schools in this country currently spend more than twice as much money per student as private schools. Yet many parents are willing to dig deeply for the privilege of sending their children to private schools where far fewer resources are expended on them.
Why?
Spending on public schools in the U.S. exceeds that of any other country on earth. Since 1970, teacher salaries have grown 18 percent in inflation-adjusted dollars, while teacher-faculty ratios have declined by one-fourth. During the 1960s and '70s, federal aid to education rose by 83 percent, and federal aid doubled as a proportion of the nation's total education budget. As expenditures rose, however, student performance declined precipitously.
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Read more:
http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci...#ixzz0iFbssv3P