How do the rich get even richer?
By spcbrass
@spcbrass (1190)
United States
December 19, 2006 4:02pm CST
These days the seperation between the have's and the have not's is getting larger. The rich keep getting richer and the poor keep getting poorer. Even the so called middle class is not safe. We are getting poorer as well. We may have all of the expensive toys and nice houses, but are they paid for? Until your debt is zero and your bank account growing every month you are just another poor person with expensive tastes.
Why is this happening in today's society? There are a lot of factors that have contributed to this. The cost of living has risen dramatically while the cost of wages has barely moved by comparasin. Large corporations downsize and small companies cut costs by hiring less people which creates a smaller job market but increases profits for corporations and thier shareholders. The shareholders want more and expect more out of CEO's and presidents od companies now. They want to see profits maximized. The costs of goods and services is up so the sale of certain luxury goods and services are down, meaning that certian companies are not making a much money. You now back the presidents and CEO's of the corporation into a corner telling them that they had better maximize profits or it could be their job. What happens is cutbacks in personnel, and lower wages for the employees. This still puts money in the rich man's pocket by not putting it in the poor mans pocket. This is perfectly legal, but is it ethical?
I am not asking for a handout. I would just like the opportunity to earn more money and live a happier and healthier life. I don't need to worry about the difference in the vacation I can take with 12 million versus 13 million when I am having a hard enough time deciding if I can even go on vacation if my salary in 35,000 or 40,000.
This folks is the sad state of affairs that we all live in today. The seperation only continues to get larger with each passing year.
What are your thoughts?
1 person likes this
5 responses
@spcbrass (1190)
• United States
19 Dec 06
I have heard on many occasions where it takes money to make money. All of us could make money if we had some, but at this point many of us are not making near enough to live out every day lives and pay all of our bills on time. In this case the rich are not willing to part with any of the money that someone else has earned for them.
@Chapman15 (1492)
• United States
21 Dec 06
I agree. So many people are underpaid! It's funny how the managers and people "high up" in many stores barely get paid more than the employees below them. Don't you think that some of the larger companies would want to compensate the people in charge of keeping their workers happy accordingly?
@RAMPersona (2033)
• Philippines
20 Dec 06
their strategy is 10 years ahead while ours is just 1 year. so we need to change our game plan so that our pessimism will turn to optimism, from "i've done my best, but" to "just do your best, bet you'll get there"
@RAMPersona (2033)
• Philippines
20 Dec 06
ammending our foolproof plan won't hurt a bit.
and there are real honest-to-goodness financial experts around the globe, over the Net to have consultations.
(i've seen one in a local tv talk show in my country)
@Chapman15 (1492)
• United States
21 Dec 06
One of my really good friends from High School had one of those 10 year plans going from the day I met him. I'm not sure if he knew exactly what it would become, but he's the most successful guy of my good friends! He somehow just made things work for him, and now he's making 160,000 plus at 24 years old! Some people just know how to get it done I think!
@srhelmer (7029)
• Beaver Dam, Wisconsin
19 Dec 06
If you look at the rich, you'll find that many of them are very protective of their money and put it in safe investments. If you look at the people who struggle to make a living, you'll find they waste more money than they really should.
@spcbrass (1190)
• United States
19 Dec 06
There is no wasting money when you are deciding at the end of every month which bills to pay and which bills not to pay. Everyone wants more money, rich and poor alike, but the sad reality of it all is that only the rich are going to get what they want because they control the money. Again I am not asking for a handout here, give people what is due to them and let them lead successful lives too.
@spcbrass (1190)
• United States
21 Dec 06
Interesting to see those high profile people in public on a regular basis. I have seen some local sports figures at home before and have found most of them to be down to earth as long as you aren't star struck when you talk to them. I used to see a lot of the baseball and football players all the time, but I never once asked for an autograph or anything. A few times a friendly conversation with them has earned me a free dinner or something like that.
I budget my money each month so that my girlfriend and I have extra to spend so that we don't go completely crazy. We budget enough to eat in a nice restaraunt once a month and maybe go to see a movie. We waste very little of what we make, and sometimes we cut corner just so that we have that time for us. She is in a fortunate situation where her company does reward her with a 5% pay increase every year and promotions every 3 or 4 years.
@Chapman15 (1492)
• United States
21 Dec 06
Weird thing is the more money you have the more you waste! I did some sales for awhile, and on months I made a lot of extra cash, I'd just buy better stuff like my Plasma TV, Tacoma, etc... So, compared to many we are rich to even have choices to buy things like this.
It's interesting because I've met alot of filthy rich people when I was working at a golf course, and they were very generous... The Colts owner Jim Irsay was afraid to give me $200 for getting him a tee time when it was already part of my job. Even Trump came to play a little golf and was handing out Benjamins to everyone who helped him. Which brings me back to your point, the rich will get what they want, because they control so much! (On a side note, Clint Eastwood and Reggie Jackson aren't good tippers! They came in all the time too!)
@mirage108 (3402)
• United States
20 Dec 06
There is not much I can say about it but it is all true. I could use more money and am looking at ways of getting it and saving it.
@spcbrass (1190)
• United States
20 Dec 06
This is one of the reasons why the workforce drove me completely insane. The last company I worked for had one person that left because her husbadn was transerred to a different part of the country. Of course she went with him. Rather then promote me to her position or hire someone new for that position they decided to combine the two positions into one. Mind you, I was making $35,000 and she was making $60,000. I received no compensation in August when she left. I received the smallest Holiday bonus in the entire company, and when it came time for yearly evaluations, my boss gave me the highest one possible, still everything was out of his hands and in the hands of HR. When pay raises came out for the year I got a $2000 increase. So the owners of the company benefited by eliminating the other girl's salary and not passing it on to me.
