I live relatively simply. I bicycle to work. I live on grains, beans and home grown vegetables and berries.

My family has two small toyotas (my wife and son each commute ten miles).

My house is still poorly insulated, so very cool in winter (uncomfortable now that I'm in my mid-50's).

I rely on the public library for books, music, entertainment. I have a circle of musician friends that play together weekly.

And, I make double what some others in the same business make, with the same number of kids, cars, obligations.

How do they get by?

Houses are still too expensive to live in. Health costs are high (especially in Massachusetts where it is mandatory that everyone have health insurance. Its their version of universal health coverage, forced.)

Sometimes I consider that you naively assume that "justice makes magic".

I don't see it. I believe that progress is constructed, and that both you on the left, and the idiots on the right are reacting more than constructing.

First sentence:
"please take the time to thoroughly discuss with people that have DIFFERENT perspectives than yourself, and not for the purpose of critiquing them."

Next sentence:
"both you on the left, and the idiots on the right are reacting more than constructing."

Do you see what I mean about your warped consciousness, Richard? You are entirely unable to even take your own advice!! If it's good enough for Phil, isn't it good enough for you? I've seen your posts, totally oblivious to what others with different perspectives than your own have to say, just hammering out the same old same old, over and over again. Do you even think about it, or does it just spew forth like radioactive effluent from a faulty nuke plant? Or perhaps you're just too busy constructing new settlements in your mind?

PM

The average person surely has to be hurting, since many were relying on credit before the economy took a dive. Pay increases surely aren't keeping up with price increases for most.

Isn't it great that the "globalized rich" are looking out for the rest of us by negotiating for more cheap labor and professional visas, while taxing the rest of us for substandard schools. The "poor" in this nation will be foreigners in their owm land, competing for ever decraesing scraps with the cheapest migrants that world/market can provide. Ayn Rand would be proud!

How big is the problem? I would say that it is big, and I don't think that it helps that the perception is that corruption is a huge issue.

Is it a problem when the majority loses faith in the system? The 60s were turbulant, but I'm not sure that the majority of Americans had lost faith then. Maybe it's different now?

Truckies on the TV news nightly saying they are going under in droves and our food can't all be delivered without them. Qantas airlines, safest in the world, have two serious midair problems due according to unions to cuts to maintenance staff – this due to rising fuel costs.

New house approvals at lowest since the 60s. Rents up over 20% in Sydney. My parents are retiring, and my dad tells me his fund has lost 20 grand of his superannuation this year.

Other stories involve our local bilionaires, developer Frank Lowy – who is up on charges of evading multimillions in tax via offshore havens, and Richard Pratt (nee Ryszard Przecicki) who has been convicted of market fraud worth perhaps 700 million to Australian consumers. Oh and the deceased Rene Rivkin, who is featuring in the murder trial of a young woman who was livivng with his driver. Her family claim she told them she was afraid she knew too much about his insurance frauds.

'I sense that the big gulf between globalized rich and poor in our society is playing itself out in this economic crisis.'

You should look at James Kunstler's blog Clusterfuck Nation for graphic descriptions of this trend, and some rather frightening prognostications based thereon.

Interesting blog. I'd never heard of him before.