The growth of Suburbia is fueled by the skyrocketing costs of living closer to urban centers. A good example would be all the people that commute two hours up the 101 into San Francisco to work there when they can't afford to live there. Same in L.A. and New York, etc. Suburbia grows because people are moving there in droves for the "better schools", "less crime", or whatever other reason they can rationalize getting away from the dilapidated cesspools of the inner-city. Do you really think people intentionally saddle themselves up with an extra hour commute each way simply because their paycheck isn't suffering? No, it's because the sticks is all they can afford since they've been bottom-dollared at work. Instead of looking out your own suburban window, look out the window of a house that once belonged to a middle-class family in 1960s Detroit. Look at all the boarded-up houses that were once homes to families that had an auto plant worker bringing in the bread.

Since you seem to have only glanced over that link, let me point out a few key facts relevant to this argument that are mentioned there:

As real wages have declined, Americans are working longer hours to make ends meet. Today, the average American worker is, incredibly, working a full month longer each year compared to 20 years ago. The average American today is working longer hours than the people of any other major country on earth.

In recent years, everyone in the family has had to work harder to make ends meet. It is increasingly uncommon to see a middle-class family that does not have two breadwinners. The average middle-income family is working almost two months longer every year compared to 20 years ago. Whether they want to stay home with the children or not, many parents are now forced to work because their families need two incomes to pay the bills.

Between 1977 and 1997, the number of Americans putting in 50 or more hours jumped from 24% to 37%. During the same time, middle-income families increased their work hours by 4%, and productivity increased by 9.7% — but median family income (adjusted for inflation) grew only 0.6%.


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All of those points suggest that America's middle-class is not doing as well as it was 20-30 years ago. We're alive, but certainly not doing as well as you believe.

Obivously you did not understand what i was trying to say, my point is that while we as americans countinue to buy items that are made in other countries at a growing rate while the value of the dollar against those same currencies that we buy these products from we are having to pay more american dollars for the same product we bought ten years ago. Since you may not understand this still i will use an example. If ten years ago a tv made in japan cost 100 yen to get to the USA it would cost us about let say 50 dollars. Well now that the dollar keeps droping now that TV which still cost 100 yen is going to cost 100 dollars, meaning it doubled in price. What fuels the drop of the dollar is the countinuing drop of the confidence in american fiscal policy.

Yes I was refering to walmart which is known for going into small commuties and destroying them with their supercenters. Maybe in the big cities where people have the chance to go somewhere else it is not as big. Were i grew when the first walmart went in, it shut down almost all of the smaller shops that sold things with in a ten mile radius.

One thing i think that is going to hurt americans also is the fact that the amount of credit in use today is alot higher then ten years ago. I have not worked numbers but it might be possible that this economic boom that bush and his cronies talk about is all on borrowed money. When this comes to a stop with the increase in interest rates what is going to happen?

Also I agree with the fact that 20 years ago most american families could survive on one income. Now days most barely survive on two with credit cards. That shows a trend were the middle class income is not keeping up with cost of living. But you look at the the top 5% of the country and they have increased the amount of money they make by alot. Just look at the Forbes riches people, there are a growing amount of multi billionares every year.

Thats pretty much it. They move out of the intercity to a place where they can have their clean air, little pink houses, a backyard, and whatever else. It was the pursuit of the American Dream that drove people to the suburbs, not the cost of living being out of control in the intercity.

What was once the suburbs is now the intercity. Look at all the new housing complexes going up in the present day suburbs.

After doing a little research I realized your getting your facts from a self declared democratic socialist. After all this and reading the banter you've been engaging on another thread, I can't say I'm surprised.

So will91, to answer your question on this topic - yes it is safe to fly on aircraft maintained overseas.!!

Not really. The reasons are as dynamic and varying as individual are.
Many move for the reasons you say. Some move for lower costs as was said before. Many admit to their me that they move to the 'burbs (like even in MN!) just so they can be away from blacks and Hispanics.
I personally hate the city (and I'm a native new yorker) and prefer the burbs for lower cost of living, and slower pace and relative safety. Oh yeah and I cant afford to live in the city. Hell I cant live in the whole Northeast!



And? Read above


Lets not get crazy. Theres no need to flame the guy. We need a balance of both to be able to keep from going to the extremes of either end. Who says you have to be a socialist to be a democrat? Oh yeah, a republican!

Wow, a three and a half line run on sentence, thats impressive. If I understand correctly, inflation is what your concern is in the above. If you haven't taken a macroeconomic course I would encourage you to do so as it is a very complex issue.

Again, no one is making a person stay where they are at. Pack up and move to that greener grass if they are unhappy about the opportunities at their present location.

This thread begin as debating outsourcing, moved to the trade deficit, then onto the believed decline of middle class America, suburbs, inflation, and now this. Seriously, take some econ courses, read some books, educate yourselves some how. Most economic issues are far more complicated then they appear on the surface.

Agreed.

And what? As cities grow, the suburbs grow and the intercity grows. This would explain why you would see the boarded up house - what was once the suburbs is now the ghetto in some places.

I'm not saying extremes on either end are good, nor was I ever advocating that. Deadsticks got the facts in his above post form congressman Bernie Sanders who is a self proclaimed democratic socialist. I appologize I effed up my original post on the guy - he is a democratic socialist, not socialist democrat as I originally posted. It's late and I'm getting dyslexic.

Sorry but I do not think you have to take an economics course to realize that the middle class is declining, the state of the US economy is starting to decline, the housing market is starting to tank, the interest rates are going up because of inflation, Walmart is the biggest low wage employer in the world, and the rich are getting richer every day. Get your nose out of the books and look at the real picture of America and then apply the knowledge you have to the problem that is there.

And if I wanted an english grade I would go back to college. This is a forum and I am not going to take the time to reread my post to please others.

What about when they begin to outsource pilot jobs? When open skies takes effect you could see a Chinese crew up front of your next ride on a regional. Why wouldn't Skywest or any other company hire contractors to take over crew training and staffing? US pilots fly all over the world what is to stop the world from flying here? It could happen.

SkyHigh