Forum #17: Imagine a Country - Mr. E's Forum: 2006-2007

Date: May 9, 2007

Forum #17: Imagine a Country

Date: May 9, 2007

Twenty Facts:

1.Imagine a country where some of the worst CEOs make millions more in a year than the best CEOs of earlier generations made in their lifetimes. CEOs made 45 times the pay of average production and nonsupervisory workers in 1980. They made 96 times as much in 1990, 160 times as much in 1995 and 369 times as much in 2001. Back in 1960, CEOs made an average 38 times more than schoolteachers. CEOs made 63 times as much in 1990 and 264 times as much as public school teachers in 2001.
2. About one out of four workers makes $8.70 an hour or less. Thats not much more than the real value of the minimum wage of 1968 at $8.27 in inflation-adjusted dollars.
3. Imagine a country where for more and more people a job doesnt keep you out of poverty, it keeps you working poor. Imagine a country much richer than it was 25 years ago, but the percentage of full-time workers living in poverty has jumped 50 percent.
4. Imagine a country where more workers are going back to the future of sweatshops and day labor. Corporations are replacing full-time jobs with disposable contingent workers.
5. Where childcare teachers dont make enough to save for their own childrens education.
6. Imagine a country where productivity went up, but workers wages went down.
7. Imagine a country where living standards are falling for younger generations despite increased education.
8. Imagine a country where homelessness is on the rise, but federal funding for low-income housing is about 50 percent lower than it was in 1976, adjusting for inflation.
9. Imagine a country where the concerns of working people are dismissed as special interests and the profit-making interests of globetrotting corporations substitute for the national interest.
10. Imagine a country where nearly two-thirds of women with children under age 6 and more than three-fourths of women with children ages 6-17 are in the labor force, but affordable childcare and after-school programs are scarce.
11. Imagine a country where women working full time earn 76 cents for every dollar men earn. Women dont pay 76 cents on a mans dollar for their education, rent, food or childcare.
12. The average woman high school graduate who works full time from ages 25 to 65 will earn about $450,000 less than the average male high school graduate. The gap widens to $900,000 for full-time workers with bachelors degrees.
13. Imagine a country where childcare workers, mostly women, generally make about as much as parking lot attendants and much less than animal trainers.
14. Imagine a country where most minimum wage workers are women, while 95 percent of the top-earning corporate officers at the largest 500 companies are men, as are 90 percent of the most influential positions, from CEOs to executive vice president.
15. Less than 2 percent of corporate officers at the largest companies are women of color.
16. Imagine a country where violence against women is so epidemic it is their leading cause of injury.
17. About a third of all murdered women are killed by husbands, boyfriends, and ex-partners (less than a tenth are killed by strangers). Researchers say, Men commonly kill their female partners in response to the womans attempt to leave an abusive relationship.
18. Imagine a country whose school system is rigged in favor of the already privileged, with lower caste children tracked by race and income into the most deficient and demoralizing schools and classrooms. Public school budgets are heavily determined by private property taxes, allowing higher income districts to spend much more than poor ones.
19. In rich districts kids take well-stocked libraries, laboratories, and state-of-the-art computers for granted. In poor schools they are rationing out-of-date textbooks and toilet paper. Rich schools often look like country clubswith manicured sports fields and swimming pools. Poor schools often look more like jailswith concrete grounds and grated windows. College prep courses, art, music, physical education, field trips, and foreign languages are often considered necessities for the affluent, luxuries for the poor.
20. Imagine a country whose constitution once counted black slaves as worth three-fifths of whites. Today, black per capita income is about three-fifths of whites.

Date: May 9, 2007

Imagine a Country
1. Imagine a country where one out of five children is born into poverty and wealth is being redistributed upward
2. Imagine a country where economic inequality is going back to the future circa the 1930s.
3. Imagine a country with a greed surplus and justice deficit.
4. Imagine a country where the poor and middle class bear the brunt of severe cutbacks in education, health, environmental programs, and other public services .
5. Imagine a country which demands that people work for a living while denying many a living wage.
6. Imagine a country where health care aides cant afford health insurance.
7. Imagine a country where productivity went up, but workers wages went down.
8. Imagine a country where the minimum wage just doesnt add up.
9. Imagine a country where some of the worst CEOs make millions more in a year than the best CEOs of earlier generations made in their lifetimes.
10. Imagine a country that had a record-breaking ten-year economic expansion in 1991-2001, but millions of workers make wages so low they have to choose between eating or heating, health care or childcare.
11. Imagine a country where living standards are falling for younger generations despite increased education.
12. About one out of four workers makes $8.70 an hour or less.
13. The average woman high school graduate who works full time from ages 25 to 65 will earn about $450,000 less than the average male high school graduate.
14. In rich districts kids take well-stocked libraries, laboratories, and state-of-the-art computers for granted
15. If you need a full-time job, but youre working part-timewhether 1 hour or 34 hours weeklybecause thats all you can find, youre counted as employed
16. At least 170 senators and congresspeople are millionaires.
17. Imagine a country waging a racially biased War on Drugs.
18. Imagine a country that has been criticized by human rights organizations for expanding, rather than abolishing, use of the death penaltydespite documented racial bias and growing evidence of innocents being sentenced to death.
19. Imagine a country with full prisons instead of full employment.
20. Imagine a country where there is a shortage of jobs, not a shortage of work.

Date: May 10, 2007

1.) Imagine a country where one out of five children is born into poverty, and wealth is being redistributed upward.Its important to know American society because we live in America, and we should know our history. Its important to know this because this happens around the world all the time. This means we should do something about this situation if this was occuring.
2.) Imagine a country where economic inequality is going back to the future circa the 1930s.
3.) Imagine a country with a greed surplus and justice deficit.
4.) Imagine a country where the poor and middle class bear the brunt of severe cutbacks in education, health, environmental programs, and other public services .
5.) Imagine a country which demands that people work for a living while denying many a living wage.
6.) Imagine a country where health care aides cant afford health insurance.
7.) Imagine a country where productivity went up, but workers wages went down.
8.) Imagine a country where the minimum wage just doesnt add up.
9.) Imagine a country where some of the worst CEOs make millions more in a year than the best CEOs of earlier generations made in their lifetimes.
10.) Imagine a country that had a record-breaking ten-year economic expansion in 1991-2001, but millions of workers make wages so low they have to choose between eating or heating, health care or childcare.
11.) Imagine a country where living standards are falling for younger generations despite increased education.
12.) About one out of four workers makes $8.70 an hour or less.
13.) Imagine a country where for more and more people a job doesn't keep you out of poverty, it keeps you working poor.
14.) Imagine a country that sets the official poverty line well below the actual cost of minimally adequate housing, health care,food, and other necessities.
15.) Imagine a country whose school system is rigged in favor of the already privileged, with lower caste children tracked by race and income into the most deficient and demoralizing schools and classrooms.
16.) In rich districts kids take well-stocked libraries,laboratories and state-of-the-art computers for granted.
17.) Imagine a country whose constitution once counted black slaves as worth three-fifths of whites.
18.) Imagine a country where racial disparities take their toll from birth to death.
19.) Imagine a country where the government subsidized decades of segregated suburbanization for whites while the inner cities left to people of color were treated as outsider cities-separate, uneaqual and disposable.
20.) Imagine a country where the typical non-Hispanic white houshold has seven times the net worth as the typical household of color.

Date: May 10, 2007

Assignment: After reading the article, choose 20 facts from the imagine a country lists that are important to you. 1) List them here and 2) explain after each one why it is important to know in American society today. In other words, what does it mean to you? Why is it important to know? What impact will it have on the future?

1) the top 1 percent of household has doubled their share of nations wealth
nly one percent has doubled. thats all.that caught my eye because it wasnt alot.

2)the top 1 percent had a larger share pf after-tax income than the bottomd 50 percent.
i dont relaly no what it means but i think that its a dramastic change.

3)people working in food industry depend on food banks to help feed their children.
thats rediculous. how you work for the company and you cant even purchase there product becauyse htey dont provide you with enough money.

4)where a couplee with two children would have to work more there three full time jobs at 5.15min. wage to make ends meet.
i think that when minimum wage goes down that low... everythin gelse would have to go down lower too. so i dont think tht this statement is correct but...if it is then how do most of society survive?

5)workers are going back to the futrure of sweatshops and daylobor.
thats true. its starting to get as bad as it was before. where people will do ANYHTING for a lil extra money.e ven if it takes there self esstteeem and respect down to a lower level.
'
6)workers productivity has risen 81 percent while the average hourly wage barely budged, i hate this fact. people do ten time more work now .. and we dont get payed enough cuz the goverment is cheap!

7)millions of workers make wages so low they have to choose between eating or heating, heathcare of childcare.
choosing things like that is a hard thing. do u chooose healthcare for you .. so ull be here for ur kids.. or do u choose childcare? what about heating and eating? u have to eat!!!! but yet ... u dont want ur hildren to freeeeze while they have dinner.
8 jobs dont keep you out of poverty it keeps you working poor.its true. some jobs dont even let give u enough money to save. u have to pay to live. so there is no help for an average job to give u extra "fun" money.

9)the official poverty line is well below the actual cost of min. adequate housing, helth care food and other nessecities.
how do they exsepect people to live? honestly?i dont thin that i could eer dothat.

10)drunk driving accidents killmost of the young kids age 15-24.
thats true kids who drink underage even if they are overage they still drink and drive and i htnkt hats rediculous. i mean ..... seoruisly. if u drink... sleeep out/. whats the big deal?

Date: May 10, 2007

Valdir wrote:

Twenty Facts:

1.Imagine a country where some of the worst CEOs make millions more in a year than the best CEOs of earlier generations made in their lifetimes. CEOs made 45 times the pay of average production and nonsupervisory workers in 1980. They made 96 times as much in 1990, 160 times as much in 1995 and 369 times as much in 2001. Back in 1960, CEOs made an average 38 times more than schoolteachers. CEOs made 63 times as much in 1990 and 264 times as much as public school teachers in 2001.
2. About one out of four workers makes $8.70 an hour or less. Thats not much more than the real value of the minimum wage of 1968 at $8.27 in inflation-adjusted dollars.
3. Imagine a country where for more and more people a job doesnt keep you out of poverty, it keeps you working poor. Imagine a country much richer than it was 25 years ago, but the percentage of full-time workers living in poverty has jumped 50 percent.
4. Imagine a country where more workers are going back to the future of sweatshops and day labor. Corporations are replacing full-time jobs with disposable contingent workers.
5. Where childcare teachers dont make enough to save for their own childrens education.
6. Imagine a country where productivity went up, but workers wages went down.
7. Imagine a country where living standards are falling for younger generations despite increased education.
8. Imagine a country where homelessness is on the rise, but federal funding for low-income housing is about 50 percent lower than it was in 1976, adjusting for inflation.
9. Imagine a country where the concerns of working people are dismissed as special interests and the profit-making interests of globetrotting corporations substitute for the national interest.
10. Imagine a country where nearly two-thirds of women with children under age 6 and more than three-fourths of women with children ages 6-17 are in the labor force, but affordable childcare and after-school programs are scarce.
11. Imagine a country where women working full time earn 76 cents for every dollar men earn. Women dont pay 76 cents on a mans dollar for their education, rent, food or childcare.
12. The average woman high school graduate who works full time from ages 25 to 65 will earn about $450,000 less than the average male high school graduate. The gap widens to $900,000 for full-time workers with bachelors degrees.
13. Imagine a country where childcare workers, mostly women, generally make about as much as parking lot attendants and much less than animal trainers.
14. Imagine a country where most minimum wage workers are women, while 95 percent of the top-earning corporate officers at the largest 500 companies are men, as are 90 percent of the most influential positions, from CEOs to executive vice president.
15. Less than 2 percent of corporate officers at the largest companies are women of color.
16. Imagine a country where violence against women is so epidemic it is their leading cause of injury.
17. About a third of all murdered women are killed by husbands, boyfriends, and ex-partners (less than a tenth are killed by strangers). Researchers say, Men commonly kill their female partners in response to the womans attempt to leave an abusive relationship.
18. Imagine a country whose school system is rigged in favor of the already privileged, with lower caste children tracked by race and income into the most deficient and demoralizing schools and classrooms. Public school budgets are heavily determined by private property taxes, allowing higher income districts to spend much more than poor ones.
19. In rich districts kids take well-stocked libraries, laboratories, and state-of-the-art computers for granted. In poor schools they are rationing out-of-date textbooks and toilet paper. Rich schools often look like country clubswith manicured sports fields and swimming pools. Poor schools often look more like jailswith concrete grounds and grated windows. College prep courses, art, music, physical education, field trips, and foreign languages are often considered necessities for the affluent, luxuries for the poor.
20. Imagine a country whose constitution once counted black slaves as worth three-fifths of whites. Today, black per capita income is about three-fifths of whites.

Importance:

CEOs are overpaid, and its ridiculous that they are making over 234 times more than teachers, people who make just as much of a difference in this world as CEOs. I think with time the salaries will only get higher.
Too many people are working for wages that are equivalent to the minimum wage of forty-years ago.
Its important to know that many people today are working tremendously hard but still are in poverty. Costs are too high that these peoples paychecks go to bills and theres hardly enough to save.
Corporations are cheating those who want permanent full-time jobs and are supplying them with contracts and leases.
I think this statement shows how bad off the middle class is at the moment. Things have to be done so that parents can work, pay for expenses, and still have money to save for their childrens education.
This goes back to the wage issue in which many wages today are equivalent to the minimum wage of forty-years ago.
I think it has to become easier for our youth to make be able to make a living coming out of college.
I think this fact is important to know because it shows the lack of attention we pay to the homeless. We need to make it easier for them to afford housing and transportation, and increase funding to housing programs; not the opposite.
I think America needs to do a better of valuing its workers.
Women who balancing careers and a family, or those who are doing this individually, need better and more exposure to affordable health care and after school programs. Things like these can help lighten the load mothers in this position are facing.
Women deserve equal pay as men if theyre able to do the work. Discrimination such as this should be a thing of the past.
Again women are being unfairly discriminated against. Regardless of gender if you do the same work you should be due equal pay.
I think a lot of workers are under appreciated and paid below what is necessary. This statement is an example of that.
The statement shows the difference gender makes in most influential working positions.
Its difficult for women, especially women of color to succeed in an environment that is dominated by members of the opposite sex. More opportunities need to be presented to minorities to help balance out this equation.
Domestic violence and violence against women is occurring much too often in this nation. Issues such as these should be top priorities to lawmakers.
The percentage of women murdered by husbands, boyfriends, and ex-partners is incredible. Its eye-opening how much of this occurs with the U.S. Its important for women report abuse the first time and not let it get to the point where they fear for their life.
More funding needs to go to impoverished schools in which things like computers are luxuries. They need more attention and the money that will allow them to prosper and look more like schools as opposed to prisons.
This statement shows the how necessary it is for poorer schools to receive additional funding.
This statement shows the progress or lack of the black community has made in society. Even though slavery is outlawed, the black people have suffered many injustices, and its effects still cripple the community today.

Date: May 10, 2007

Assignment: After reading the article, choose 20 facts from the imagine a country lists that are important to you. 1) List them here and 2) explain after each one why it is important to know in American society today. In other words, what does it mean to you? Why is it important to know? What impact will it have on the future?

1. Imagine a country where one out of five children is born into poverty, and wealth is being redistributed upward. That definitely caught my eye because this proves that the problem of poverty is not just in countries around the world. this problem is taking place in our own backyards.

2. Imagine a country where living standards are falling for younger generations despite increased education. This shows that even though there are a lot more educational opportunities available for young kids, the amount of kids actually bettering their lives is getting lower and lower.

3. Imagine a country where for more and more people a job doesnt keep you out of poverty, it keeps you working poor. I never really looked at it this way but it is so true. The fact of the matter is that everything is gradually becoming more and more expensive so working doesnt automatically mean that everything is going to be fine.

4. Imagine a country where homelessness is on the rise, but federal funding for low-income housing is about 50 percent lower than it was in 1976, adjusting for inflation, or price increases. This in a way shows the federal neglect that is going on in our world today. Many people dont see this part of the story all the time but it is very much around. If the federal funding were put into things that are really needed and are more of a priority, there wouldnt be as much homelessness around.

5. Imagine a country where nearly two-thirds of women with children under age 6 and more than three-fourths of women with children ages 617 are in the labor force, but affordable childcare and after-school programs are scarce. This is so true!!! The demand for women to work has definitely increased but the amount of programs where kids could be kept arent around as much and if they are around they are much to expensive for the mothers to put their children into those programs.

6. The average women high school graduate who works full time from ages 25 to 65 will earn about $450,000 less than the average male high school graduate; the gap widens to $900,000 for full-time workers with bachelors degrees. I definitely think that the amount of money was that different among men and women. Its almost scary to think that even though the world has come a long way there is still so much more to go. There is still not full equality!!

7. Imagine a country where the awful labeling of children as illegitimates has again been legitimized. This is such an awful thing, but so true. Many people have labeled children and mothers who had those children out of certain situations. They automatically label those children born out of wedlock, those children that were left with no parents, etc, as being illegitimate in todays society.

8. Imagine a country where violence against women is so epidemic it is their leading cause of injury. Its so sad to admit but this is very true. The mistreatment of women is not so much of a shock anymore and that is a shock! Its so crazy to believe that something so awful is in a way a very big part of society. When a woman is beaten not much is done because peoples initial reaction is that if she really wanted to she could get away. Society has held back on that and thats why it just getting worse.
I still have to finish the rest!!!!! biggrin

Date: May 10, 2007

9. Wealthier citizens argue that lack of money isnt the problem in poorer school, family values are, until proposals are made to make school spending more equitable. Then money matters greatly for those who already have more. That is also a very true point!! Its always crazy to see how much matter means to those who are very well off. They take it as their number one priority.
10. Imagine a country where racial disparities take their toll from birth to death. Depending on your nationality, it is almost already picked out the type of life you are going to have. It also said in the packed that a black persons life expectancy is 6 years less than that of a white person.
11.Imagine a country that imprisons black people at a rate much higher than apartheid South Africa. I never looked at it this way. But its a statistic that one of seven black men is incarcerated. The truth is that race has a lot to do with it the simple fact that they are black. Black women are five times more likely to become incarcerated than a white woman.
12. Imagine a country that ranks first in wealth and military power and 34th in child mortality. The country seems to focus more on its wealth and power among the other countries and not enough on the health and well being of so many little children who constantly die preventable deaths.
13. Imagine a country where health care is managed for healthy profit. Something that to many other countries is a right is something that many people cant afford to have. Its so sad because its the cause of so much sickness and diseases resulting in so many deaths.
Almost done!!!!!

Date: May 11, 2007

Imagine a Country

1)Imagine a country with a greed surplus and justice deficit. That would change a lot in america with all the greed and justice and i think it wouldn't be a bad idea.
2)Imagine a country where the poor and middle class bear the brunt of severe cutbacks in education, health, environmental programs, and other public services. That wouldn't be good in any way if they cutback education or health because then a lot of people would be in danger and a lot of people would die with out no public services.
3)Imagine a country which demands that people work for a living while denying many a living wage. Thats another thing that means a lot to me is the pay they dont pay use a lot so many people are becoming poor and it is messing there lives because is they dont have money they dont eat or drink or even get some health care so they exspect use to work so hard for not getting payed that much.
4)Imagine a country where living standards are falling for younger generations despite increased education. If the living standards are falling but education is increasing that still wont make a diffence because you need money to live and if thats going down ur education is going down to because many kids will quiet school to pay for there living standards so the education wount do any good if the kids are not going to school.
5)Imagine a country where more workers are going back to the future of sweatshops and day labor.I dont know why they would want to back then is know better then what it is know we actually get payed morew then back then and back then there was a lot of work to be done not really like now because we have electronics to help.
6)Imagine a country where childcare workers, mostly women, generally make about as much as parking lot attendants and much less than animal trainers. Well thats good because some jobs are harder then others and i think they should get payed more there shouldnt be the same pay for each job because some people work more at there jobs then others.
7)Imagine a country where violence against women is so epidemic it is their leading cause of injury. Woman should be one of the last people to get hurt know matter what the cause is.
8)Imagine a country where homicide is the second-largest killer of young people, ages 15-24; accidents, many of them drunk driving fatalities, are first. There is really nothing we can do about that if the kid is drinking age all we can try to do is take there keys at each bar and call them a cab and for kids they should be drinking or driving in the first place.
9)Imagine a country that has been criticized by human rights organizations for expanding, rather than abolishing, use of the death penaltydespite documented racial bias and growing evidence of innocents being sentenced to death. They should always have evidence to sentence some one to the death penalty if they are innocent then that goes on the police and detectives who has dont that but in order for the death penalty you need a lot of information to do that and a lot of the times there right.
10)Imagine a country waging a racially biased War on Drugs. There shouldnt be a war on drugs they should just go harder on the law with drugs.
11)Imagine a country that abolished aid to families with dependent children while maintaining aid for dependent corporations. That would not be good a lot of kids will die with know help from anyone.
12)Imagine a country whose military budget tops average Cold War levels although the break up of the Soviet Union produced friends, not foes. Well that would be good because we wouldnt have a lot of enemies and there would be a lot of wars going on.
13)Imagine a country that ranks first in the world in wealth and military power. That would be good because then there taking care of a lot of people if theres more money and more power but other thing it isnt good because the more countries wont like use becaue of all the power that we would have.
14)Healthcare is literally a matter of life and death. Yes it is because if you dont have health care more people start to die because they dont have money to pay for they health so know one helps them.
15)Imagine a country where half the eligible voters dont vote. If they dont vote and we get a bad president and the U.S is starting to fall they should all know who to blamb them selves and i think they should all vote.
16)Imagine a country where on top of discrimination comes insult. Thats not good we get into more trouble that way then every one discriminates others and the comes the wars.
17)Imagine a country where 500 years of plunder and lies are masked in expressions like Indian giver." Thats not good thats how wars start and the country is in danger.
18)Imagine a country which has less than 5 percent of the worlds population, but uses more than 40 percent of the worlds oil resources and about 20 percent of the coal and wood. There should be know need for that if the population is small they should just trade with other countries.
19)Imagine a country where the government subsidized decades of segregated suburbanization for whites while the inner cities left to people of color were treated as outsider citiesseparate, unequal, and disposable. I think that they all should be equal equally and that we all should help each other.
20)Imagine a country whose constitution once counted black slaves as worth three-fifths of whites. I think they should all equal each other the same know racial favorits or anything like that they should be all equal and treated equal to.

Date: May 13, 2007

Imagine a country where one out of five children is born into poverty and wealth is being redistributed upward. Imagine a country where healthcare aids cant afford health insurance. Since 1968/, worker productivity has risen 81% while the average hourly wage barely budgeted and adjusted for inflation and the real value of the minimum dropped 38%. About one out of four workers makes 8.70 an hour or less. On average, households need more than double the official poverty threshold to meet basic needs. Women dont pay 76 cents on a mans dollar for the education, rent, food, or child care. The gender wage gap has closed just 12 cents since 1955. Women earned 64 cents for every dollar earned by men. Theres still another 24 cents to go. The average woman high school graduate who works full time from ages 25-65 will earn about 450,000 dollars less than the average male high school graduate. The typical womans pay is lower than her male colleagues even when she has the exact same qualifications, works just as many years, relocates just as often, provides the main financial support for her family, takes no time off for personal reasons, and wins the same number of promotions to comparable jobs. If woman earn as much as simarily qualified men, poverty in single mother households would be cut in half. So-called domestic violence accounts for more visits to hospital emergency departments, in car crashes, muggings, and rapes combined. Nearly a third of all murdered women are killed by their husbands, boyfriends, and ex-partners less than a tenth is killed by strangers. The jail and prison population has nearly quadrupled since 1980. The nation is number one in the world when it comes to locking up their own people. In 1985 1 in every 320 residents were incarcerated. One out of seven black men ages 25-29 are incarcerated. Many more are on probation or on parole. Looking just at prisons and not local jail, 10% of black males ages 25-29 were locked up at the end of 2001. The black infant morality rate is more than double that of whites, black life expectancy is nearly six years less. Black unemployment is more than twice that of whites and the black poverty rate is almost triple that of whites.

weirdface

Date: May 13, 2007

I think those twenty facts are important to know because we need to know where our money goes. Also, about poverty and wealth in our country. A woman making less than men in my opinion is a big issue in this country. I believe that is gender discrimination. I think its good to know about your countrys future and whats going on in society today in all states.

blankstare

Date: May 15, 2007

11. Imagine a country where nearly two-thirds of women with children under age 6 and more than three-fourths of women with children ages 6-17 are in the labor force, but affordable childcare and after-school programs are scarce.

12. If you need a full-time job, but your working part-time whether 1 hour or 34 hours weekly because thats all you can find, youre counted as employed

13. Imagine a country waging a racially biased War on Drugs.

14. Imagine a country where women working full time earn 76 cents for every dollar men earn. Women dont pay 76 cents on a mans dollar for their education, rent, food or childcare.

15. At least 170 senators and congress people are millionaires.

16 Imagine a country where childcare workers, mostly women, generally make about as much as parking lot attendants and much less than animal trainers.

17 The average woman high school graduate who works full time from ages 25 to 65 will earn about $450,000 less than the average male high school graduate. The gap widens to $900,000 for full-time workers with bachelors degrees

18. Imagine a country where most minimum wage workers are women, while 95 percent of the top-earning corporate officers at the largest 500 companies are men, as are 90 percent of the most influential positions, from CEOs to executive vice president.

19. In rich districts kids take well-stocked libraries, laboratories, and state-of-the-art computers for granted

20. Imagine a country that has been criticized by human rights organizations for expanding, rather than abolishing, use of the death penalty despite documented racial bias and growing evidence of innocents being sentenced to death.

Date: May 15, 2007

1. Imagine a country with a greed surplus and justice deficit.

2. Imagine a country which demands that people work for a living while denying many a living wage.

3. Imagine a country where health care aides cant afford health insurance.

4. Where people working in the food industry depend on food banks to help feed their children.

5. Where childcare teachers dont make enough to save for their own childrens education

6. Imagine a country where the minimum wage just doesnt add up.

7. Where minimum wage workers earn more than a third less than their counterparts earned a third of a century ago, adjusting for inflation.

8. Where a couple with two children would have to work more than three full-time jobs at the $5.15 minimum wage to make ends meet.

9. About one out of four workers makes $8.70 an hour or less.
10. Thats not much more than the real value of the minimum wage of 1968 at $8.27 in inflation-adjusted dollars.
11. Imagine a country where for more and more people a job doesnt keep you out of poverty, it keeps you working poor.
12. Imagine a country much richer than it was 25 years ago, but the percentage of full-time workers living in poverty has jumped 50 percent.
13. Imagine a country where homelessness is on the rise, but federal funding for low-income housing is about 50 percent lower than it was in 1976, adjusting for inflation.
14. The largest federal housing support program is the mortgage interest deduction, which disproportionately benefits higher-income families.
15. Imagine a country where more workers are going back to the future of sweatshops and day labor.
16. The average woman high school graduate who works full time from ages 25 to 65 will earn about $450,000 less than the average male high school graduate.
17. The gap widens to $900,000 for full-time workers with bachelors degrees. Men with professional degrees may expect to earn almost $2 million more than their female counterparts over their work-life, says a government report.
18. Imagine a country where discrimination against women is pervasive from the bottom to the top of the pay scale and its not because women are on the mommy track.
19. Imagine a country that doesnt count you as unemployed just because youre unemployed.
20. Imagine a country where there is a shortage of jobs, not a shortage of work.

Date: May 15, 2007

what i think they mean!

1. I think its true we have more people getting away with things because of deals then getting the true punishment.

2. Its true because minimum wage is barely live able.

3. Meaning health care aide workers cant even affords there health care they sell.

4. meaning people who work in fastfood reasurants cant afford to feed there children with out help. Poverty !

5. meaning teachers dont make enough to save for there children wich means they dont even make enough for a future for their kids.

6. meaning our minimum wage doesnt even add up to living expenses.

7. that they are being treated rich stay rich poor get poorer.

8. that minimum wage is not even enough to live on.

9. that we are a poor country so how are we the richest.

10. we are not progressing as a country.(the poor part)

11. that jobs dont get you out of poverty because the living cost is very high.

12. rich people dont work hard for the great amount of money the receive while poor people get little money for the hardest work.

13. we are getting poorer as a whole since the poor people make up a lot of the country.

14. that the benefits we have for housing doesnt help poor people get more money is keeps middle class families we they are.

15. that we are getting poorer and using money making methods that we ah dint he past (dangerous day laborer jobs and sweatshops.)

16. that women still dont get equal benefit to women.

17. we are not treated equal and men are still treated as more superior

18. meaning the country hasnt realized the equal of intelligence and skills women have to men.

19. meaning only people who are hurt and or have a good reason why they were layed off will get unemployment money.

20. there is still so much work but yea jobs are being cut because Americans are lazy.

Date: May 15, 2007

1. Imagine
a country where one out of five children is born into
poverty and wealth is being redistributed upward.
-This is disturbing to hear that one out of five children is born into poverty, when you think about it, that's an awfully high number.
2. Imagine a country with a greed surplus and justice deficit.
-Greed is one of the 7 deadly sins and a justice deficit would be breath taking you should never exceed fairness.

Date: May 16, 2007

14. Imagine a country where women working full time earn them 76 cents for every dollar a man makes. This just continually proves the point that there is still so much discrimination against women by men in society. Society has yet to realize that women are able to do just about anything that men can do.

15. Imagine a country where homicide is the second largest killer of young people ages 15-24; accidents, many of them being drunk driving fatalities, are first. This shows the negligence that is around towards kids, young kids. Most of them have this mind set that its cool to get drunk and that has a lot to do with the media. The media has still not realized the importance of putting out the message that getting drunk and drunk driving is something that often kills so many young people. Now in days lectures are being given for kids that are already in high school but I think that once kids are in high school its already too late to start showing them these stuff because they are already know what they want to do and it would be a lot harder to completely change their mind about something. I think that these same lectures should be available in elementary schools and in junior high schools. That way kids could be warned way before they have the opportunity to do anything stupid.

16. Imagine a country whose school system is rigged in favoring the already privileged, with lower caste children tracked by race and income into the most deficient and demoralizing schools and classrooms. No matter how much this country swears to be a country of opportunities, the simple fact is that there is still so much discrimination and racism towards those who maybe dont have the money to get really nice stuff or get a much better education. This is so true. This statistic proves the simple fact that school systems are still much based on how much income one gets, and what race you are from being the basis of what kind of a school you get into and what kind of a class you would be put into.

17. Imagine a country where there is a shortage of jobs, but not a shortage of work. Many people now in days are in desperate need of work but there arent enough jobs available to those who are in need of work. If there were a lot more jobs available there wouldnt be so much need for money in the world. The society should get a hint of this and then they wouldnt be in so much need and wouldnt turn to other remedies to get the money that they need.

18. Imagine a country where the cycle of unequal opportunity is intensifying. No matter how much we want to protect our country the truth is that by all of these statistics pointing to the US we can see that we are still very much divided and that no matter how much we want to look at it, there are much more opportunities for those people who are white than those who are part of a minority group.

19. Imagine a country whose military budget tops average Cold War levels although the break up of the Soviet Union produced friends, not foes. This is so true!!! The country spends so much money on wars and not enough on bettering our country as a whole. I think that before we give out money to wars and stuff we should put the money where its needed most. Our country has a long way to go and that should be the main focus of the government.

20. Imagine a country where half of the eligible voters dont even vote. This should say something to the government. Even though so many people are given the opportunity to vote they dont feel that they are even going to be heard so many people dont even bother doing anything about it. I think that if the government and media would maybe promote it a little better there would be more participation.

Date: May 21, 2007

Assignment: After reading the article, choose 20 facts from the imagine a country lists that are important to you. 1) List them here and 2) explain after each one why it is important to know in American society today. In other words, what does it mean to you? Why is it important to know? What impact will it have on the future?

20 Facts:
1.Imagine a country where the poor and middle class bear the brunt of severe cutbacks in education, health, environmental programs, and other public services to close state and federal budget deficits fueled by ballooning tax giveaways for wealthy households and corporations.
Well, if we keep up with this, soon the working poor will become the working homeless.
2.Imagine a country which demands that people work for a living while denying many a living wage.
I know this is just going to get worse for the generations to come. As it is now, we are all going to have to work every day of our lives in order to make enough money to have a small house. The retirement age is going to go up, as well as inflation, and the wages will go down.
3.Imagine a country where health care aides cant afford health insurance.
If you are a health care aide, and you aren't even being paid enough to afford health insurance we have a problem. Especially since they would probably have a discount for being in the health care feild.
4.Imagine a country where productivity went up, but workers wages went down.
People are trying so hard right now to work as much as possible just to get some food on the table. The lower the wages, the harder we will have to work in order to survive.
5.Since 1968, worker productivity has risen 81 percent while the average hourly wage barely budged, adjusting for inflation, and the real value of the minimum wage dropped 38 percent.
Minimum wage didnt really increase, inflation did. It just sounds like more money. We are currently at $7.50. That is definitely not enough to support any kind of household.
6.Imagine a country that had a record-breaking ten-year economic expansion in 1991-2001, but millions of workers make wages so low they have to choose between eating or heating, health care or childcare.
This government is SICK if they think people are going to be able to choose between food or heat, health care or childcare. How are we going to be able to survive?!
7.About one out of four workers makes $8.70 an hour or less. Thats not much more than the real value of the minimum wage of 1968 at $8.27 in inflation-adjusted dollars.
In 1968, there werent even as many people in poverty as there are today. We need to make this a number one priority in this country. It needs to be fixed. At the rate its going now, we won't be able to survive once we have families of our own.
8.Imagine a country where more workers are going back to the future of sweatshops and day labor. Corporations are replacing full-time jobs with disposable contingent workers. They include temporary employees, contract workers, and leased employeessome of them fired and then rented back at a large discount by the same companyand involuntary part-time workers, who want permanent full-time work.
Factory owners know that people coming into the United States will do anything to get money. So sweatshops are the easiest and cheapest way of doing so.
If you have no other options except for working in conditions like these, then you pretty have to.
9.Imagine a country that sets the official poverty line well below the actual cost of minimally adequate housing, health care, food, and other necessities. You were not counted as poor in 2001 (latest available final data) unless you had pre-tax incomes below these thresholds: $9,214 for a person under 65, $8,494 for a person 65 and older, $11,569 for a two-person family, $14,128 for a three-person family, and $18,104 for a family of four. On average, households need more than double the official poverty threshold to meet basic needs.
It doesnt make sense how the government can actually do this and get away with it. We just assume that they wouldnt set the poverty line lower than living costs. If we cant afford to live, how do they figure we'll be fine?
10.Imagine a country where the concerns of working people are dismissed as special interests and the profit-making interests of globetrotting corporations substitute for the national interest.
See, whatever will make the country richer will be called the national interest. It's all about who has the most money. Nevermind the people who need to work for a living.
11.Imagine a country where women working full time earn 76 cents for every dollar men earn. Women dont pay 76 cents on a mans dollar for their education, rent, food or childcare. The gender wage gap has closed just 12 cents since 1955, when women earned 64 cents for every dollar earned by men. Theres still another 24 cents to go.
Women are supposed to have the same rights as men, as well as equal paying jobs. The difference between the wages of women compared to men has only risen 12 cents? Thats it?? That won't even buy a piece of gum.
12.Imagine a country where most minimum wage workers are women, while 95 percent of the top-earning corporate officers at the largest 500 companies are men, as are 90 percent of the most influential positions, from CEOs to executive vice president. Less than 2 percent of corporate officers at the largest companies are women of color.
We are definitely spiraling downward here. Why can't we fix these things?
13.Imagine a country where violence against women is so epidemic it is their leading cause of injury. So-called domestic violence accounts for more visits to hospital emergency departments than car crashes, muggings, and rapes combined. About a third of all murdered women are killed by husbands, boyfriends, and ex-partners (less than a tenth are killed by strangers). Researchers say, Men commonly kill their female partners in response to the womans attempt to leave an abusive relationship.
This is one of the scariest things that women face. One in three women are in an abusive relationship. What will the odds be in the future?
14.Informational material from a national shooting sports foundation asks, How old is old enough? to have a gun, and advises parents: Age is not the major yardstick. Some youngsters are ready to start at 10, others at 14. The only real measures are those of maturity and individual responsibility. Does your youngster follow directions well? Would you leave him alone in the house for two or three hours? Is he conscientious and reliable? Would you send him to the grocery store with a list and a $20 bill? If the answer to these questions or similar ones are yes then the answer can also be yes when your child asks for his first gun.
So...becuase your kid is tall enough to reach the stove, can he cook you dinner without burning down the house? No. This is why we have so manys shootings. Parents are giving their "mature" 10-year old (boys apparently) guns. Not just any gun though, it's their first gun. So they will obviously have another one. They make it seem like kids ask their parents for guns in the same way they would ask for an allowance.
15.In rich districts kids take well-stocked libraries, laboratories, and state-of-the-art computers for granted. In poor schools they are rationing out-of-date textbooks and toilet paper. Rich schools often look like country clubswith manicured sports fields and swimming pools. Poor schools often look more like jailswith concrete grounds and grated windows. College prep courses, art, music, physical education, field trips, and foreign languages are often considered necessities for the affluent, luxuries for the poor.
The rich kids will always take these types of things for granted. They can have whatever they want. They will be pretty much garanteed a well-paying job, and will be able to afford to but what they want. Poor kids try and made due with what they've got becuase they are used to not being able to have everything handed to them on a silver platter. They will have to work for the rest of their lives pretty much.
16.Imagine a country whose constitution once counted black slaves as worth three-fifths of whites. Today, black per capita income is about three-fifths of whites.
The only thing that has changed, is slavery is illegal. I seriously dont understand how we can be so oblivious to things like this.
17.Imagine a country where the typical non-Hispanic white household has seven times as much net worth (including home equity) as the typical household of color. From 1995 to 2001, the typical white households net worth rose from $88,500 to $120,900 while the net worth of the typical household of color fell from $18,300 to $17,100.
I cant even imagine what would cause this to happen. If we have come a long way since prejudiced times, then how did their net worth drop $10,000?
18.Imagine a country with full prisons instead of full employment. The jail and prison population has nearly quadrupled since 1980. The nation is number one in the world when it comes to locking up its own people. In 1985, 1 in every 320 residents were incarcerated. By 2001, the figure had increased to 1 in every 146.
People are getting out of control. If we had full employment, we wouldnt need all of these jails or prisons because people would have money, and now-a-days, money buys happiness. And if we would stop giving kids guns when they are "mature enough" (number 14) then we wouldn't have much of a problem.
19.Imagine a country waging a racially biased War on Drugs. More than three out of four drug users are white, according to government data, but three out of four state prisoners convicted of drug offenses are black and Latino. Racial disparities in drug and other convictions are even wider when non-Hispanic whites are distinguished more accurately from Latinos.
When i watch the news, every day i am bound to see someone being busted for drugs. I probably see about 2 white people busted, the rest are black or hispanic.
20.Imagine a country which has less than 5 percent of the worlds population, but uses more than 40 percent of the worlds oil resources and about 20 percent of the coal and wood. It is the number one contributor to acid rain and global warming. It has obstructed international action on the environment and climate change.
With all of the troubles in the world, this one has me the most worried. Not only are we killing the environment, we are using our own greed of natural recourses to kill everyone else on the planet. We think global warming won't happen. Those of you who have seen "An Inconvinient Truth" know what i mean. We want to be so oblivious to this, becuase we fear that it might actually happen. Well it WILL happen, and by not doing anything about it, we are making it worse. 10 years from now, we wont be able to go outside for 20 minutes without wearing sunblock or else we'll get cancer (even faster than it happens now)

Date: May 21, 2007

ash days wrote:

11. Imagine a country where nearly two-thirds of women with children under age 6 and more than three-fourths of women with children ages 6-17 are in the labor force, but affordable childcare and after-school programs are scarce.

12. If you need a full-time job, but your working part-time whether 1 hour or 34 hours weekly because thats all you can find, youre counted as employed

13. Imagine a country waging a racially biased War on Drugs.

14. Imagine a country where women working full time earn 76 cents for every dollar men earn. Women dont pay 76 cents on a mans dollar for their education, rent, food or childcare.

15. At least 170 senators and congress people are millionaires.

16 Imagine a country where childcare workers, mostly women, generally make about as much as parking lot attendants and much less than animal trainers.

17 The average woman high school graduate who works full time from ages 25 to 65 will earn about $450,000 less than the average male high school graduate. The gap widens to $900,000 for full-time workers with bachelors degrees

18. Imagine a country where most minimum wage workers are women, while 95 percent of the top-earning corporate officers at the largest 500 companies are men, as are 90 percent of the most influential positions, from CEOs to executive vice president.

19. In rich districts kids take well-stocked libraries, laboratories, and state-of-the-art computers for granted

20. Imagine a country that has been criticized by human rights organizations for expanding, rather than abolishing, use of the death penalty despite documented racial bias and growing evidence of innocents being sentenced to death.

15. At least 170 senators and congress people are millionaires.
Its funny how the people who decide how low the poverty rate should be are wiping their butts with 20 dollar bills. Thats just my opinion.

Date: May 22, 2007

updated

Date: May 23, 2007

1.imagine a country where one out of five children is born into poverty and wealth is being redistributed upward.
2.Imagine a country where economic inequality is going back to the future circa the 1930s
3.Imagine a country with a greed surplus and justice deficit
4.Imagine a country where the poor and middle class bear the brunt of severe cutbacks in education, health, environmental programs, and other public services to close state and federal budget deficits fueled by ballooning tax giveaways for wealthy households and corporations.
5.Imagine a country which demands that people work for a living while denying many a living wage.
6.Imagine a country where health care aides cant afford health insurance. Where people working in the food industry depend on food banks to help feed their children.
7.Imagine a country where productivity went up, but workers wages went down
8.Imagine a country where the minimum wage just doesnt add up.
9.Where a couple with two children would have to work more than three full-time jobs at the $5.15 minimum wage to make ends meet.
10.Imagine a country where some of the worst CEOs make millions more in a year than the best CEOs of earlier generations made in their lifetimes
11.Imagine a country that had a record-breaking ten-year economic expansion in 1991-2001, but millions of workers make wages so low they have to choose between eating or heating, health care or childcare.
12.Imagine a country where living standards are falling for younger generations despite increased education
13.Imagine a country that sets the official poverty line well below the actual cost of minimally adequate housing, health care, food, and other necessities.
14.Imagine a country where homelessness is on the rise, but federal funding for low-income housing is about 50 percent lower than it was in 1976, adjusting for inflation.
15.Imagine a country where more workers are going back to the future of sweatshops and day labor.
16.Imagine a country where after mass layoffs and union busting, just 13.5 percent of workers are unionized. One out of three workers were union members in 1955.
17.Imagine a country where the concerns of working people are dismissed as special interests and the profit-making interests of globetrotting corporations substitute for the national interest.
18.Imagine a country negotiating free trade agreements that help corporations trade freely on cheap labor at home and abroad.
19.Imagine a country where nearly two-thirds of women with children under age 6 and more than three-fourths of women with children ages 6-17 are in the labor force, but affordable childcare and after-school programs are scarce.
20.Imagine a country where women working full time earn 76 cents for every dollar men earn

Date: May 23, 2007

20 facts

1.At least 170 senators and congresspeople are millionaires. Thats nearly one out of three members of the house and senate. Just 1 percent of the population they represent are millionaires.
Alright thats a little crazy how are they all milliionaires but then again theres millions of poor people in the world ?

2.Imagine a country where half the eligible voters dont vote.
half people dont vote? but then again when the president does somethign bad everyone has something to say about ...people should start voting and pick a good president

3.Imagine a country which has less than 5 percent of the worlds population, but uses more than 40 percent of the worlds oil resources and about 20 percent of the coal and wood.
k thats a alot of resources i think we should find a new way to use things rather then wasting all of the oil and coal

4.Imagine a country that ranks first in the world in wealth and military power
well its good to no that the U.S has alot of power and money...

5.

Imagine a country that imprisons black people at a rate much higher than apartheid South Africa. One out of seven black men ages 25-29 are incarcerated. Many more are on probation or on parole. Looking just at prisons and not local jails, 10 percent of black males ages 25-29 were locked up at the end of 2001, compared with 1 percent of white males. Black non-Hispanic women are five times more likely to be imprisoned than white non-Hispanic women.
k ummm alot of black people go to jail which is a little weird i think america should do somethign to stop putting so many people in jail

6.Imagine a country where violence against women is so epidemic it is their leading cause of injury. So-called domestic violence accounts for more visits to hospital emergency departments than car crashes, muggings, and rapes combined. About a third of all murdered women are killed by husbands, boyfriends, and ex-partners (less than a tenth are killed by strangers). Researchers say, Men commonly kill their female partners in response to the womans attempt to leave an
abusive relationship.
well i think that america should do something so man can stop beatting there women because a third of all murdered women are killed by husbands which is a little scary

7.Imagine a country negotiating free trade agreements that help corporations trade freely on cheap labor at home and abroad.
well honstly i think america shoudl stop doing this because when they sttart shutting down the corporations in america and opening them up in other countrys many americans will lose jobs and then what will happen?

8.Imagine a country where for more and more people a job doesnt keep you out of poverty, it keeps you working poor.
yeah thats a little redicilous because if your working i dont think you should be poor unless you have a really crappy job that pays NOTHING the u.s should try to lower some things soo people wont be as poor

9.one out of four workers makes $8.70 an hour or less. Thats not much more than the real value of the minimum wage of 1968 at $8.27 in inflation-adjusted dollars.
clearly the u.s likes to se peoeple be poor b ecause they keep raising the prices of things and not pay people more for working? doesnt make sense to me

10.Imagine a country where productivity went up, but workers wages went down.
that is craaaaaaazyy i think that they need to raise wages

Date: May 24, 2007

11.Imagine a country whose constitution once counted black slaves as worth three-fifths of whites. Today, black per capita income is about three-fifths of whites.
I dont think anything has changed except that the fact that slavery is illegal but there still paying color people less then white people

12..Imagine a country that had a record-breaking ten-year economic expansion in 1991-2001, but millions of workers make wages so low they have to choose between eating or heating, health care or childcare.
alright i think america should lower prices on things instead of lowering wages how could people choose between eatting or health care every american citizen should have that.

13.Imagine a country with full prisons instead of full employment. The jail and prison population has nearly quadrupled since 1980.
America should try to do things to keep so many people out of jail not only is it expensive but what are they doing in there NOTHING there just sitting there for something they did wrong it doesnt seem like a big punishment to me

14.Imagine a country where on top of discrimination comes insult. Its common for people of color to get none of the credit when they succeedportrayed as undeserving beneficiaries of affirmative action and reverse discriminationand all of the blame when they fail.
welll america has a problem with discrimination and it needs to stop cause people shouldnt be judged.

15.The average woman high school graduate who works full time from ages 25 to 65 will earn about $450,000 less than the average male high school graduate
alright thats prettyy sad that women make that much more less then males

16.Imagine a country where homicide is the second-largest killer of young people, ages 15-24;
hmm thats a little scary

17. nearly one out of three black men and women ages 16-19 are officially unemployed, as are one out of five ages 20-24.

18.A study in a prominent medical journal found that drug and alcohol rates were slightly higher for pregnant white women than pregnant black women, but black women were about ten times more likely to be reported to authorities by private doctors and public health clinicsunder a mandatory reporting law. Poor women were also more likely to be reported.

19.Imagine a country where women working full time earn 76 cents for every dollar men earn

20.Imagine a country where some of the worst CEOs make millions more in a year than the best CEOs of earlier generations made in their lifetimes

Date: May 24, 2007

updated

Date: May 25, 2007

20 facts:

1. Imagine a country where productivity went up and workers wages went down.
2. Imagine a country where the minimum wage just doesnt add up.
3. Imagine a country that had a record-breaking ten year economic expansion in 1991-2001, but millions of workers make wages so low they have to choose between eating, healthcare or childcare.
4. Imagine a country where living standards are falling for younger generations despite an increase in education.
5. Imagine a country where homelessness is on the rise, but federal funding for low income housing is about 50% lower then it was in 1976, adjusting for inflation.
6. Imagine a country nearly two-thirds of women with children under the age of 6 and more then three-fourths of women with children between the ages of 6 and 17 are in the labor force, but affordable childcare and after school programs are scarce.
7. Imagine a country where women working full time earn 76 cents to every dollar a man earns.
8. Imagine a country where a woman high school graduate who works full time will make about $450,000 less than the average male high school graduates.
9. Imagine a country where the awful labeling of children as "illegitimate" has been legitimized.
10. Wealthy citizens argue its not the lack of money in the poorer schools thats the problem, its family values, until proposals are made to make spending more equitable; then money matters greatly for those who have enough already.
11. Imagine a country where the typical White household has seven times the net worth as the typical house of color.
12. Imagine a country thats waging a racially bias "War on Drugs".
13. Imagine a country that ranks first in wealth and military powers, and 34th in child mortality, tied with Malaysia...
14. Imagine a country where half the eligible voters dont vote.
15. Imagine a country with a president who, even more then his father before him, "was born on third base, and thought he had hit a triple".
16. Imagine a country whose leaders misuse a fight against terrorism as camouflage for undermining democracy.
17. Imagine a country where childcare workers, mainly women, make as much as parking lot attendants and much less then animal trainers.
18. Imagine a country discrimination against women is pervasive from the bottom to the top of the pay scale, and its not because women are on the mommy track.
19. Imagine a country where homicide is the second leading cause of death among young people, ages 15-24.
20. Imagine a country where a then presidential press secretary boasted to reporters You can say whatever you want in a debate, and 80 million people hear it. If reporters document that a candidate spoke untruthfully, so what. Maybe 200 people read it, maybe 2000, maybe 20,000.

Date: May 25, 2007

cont'd.
3. Imagine a country which demands that people work for a living while denying many a living wage.
This is terrible, slavery or work without pay isn't the way to live and it's almost impossible.
4. People working in the food industry depend on food banks to help feed their children.
This doesn't add up, how could you work for a comapny but depend on food banks to help feed your children. They're clearly not providing enough pay to their employees.
5. Workers productivity has risen 81 percent while the average hourly wage barely budged
This means that we work more and get paid less and without any sort of raise, although, the government raised minimum wage to $7.50 this past January and is going to raise it to $8.00 next January,the government just takes out more taxes and personally, I thought that I was making decent money compared to the previous minimum wage of $6.75 but now I make almost the same thing as a new employee.
6. Millions of workers make wages so low they have to choose between eating or heating, heathcare of childcare.
It's almost impossible to choose healthcare for yourself so, you can be there and take care of your children, or childcare, so in case anything happens to you're children, then they're covered. You have to eat to survive, you don't need heat to survive but it does help quite a bit and you and your children won't have to be cold while you eat a meal.
7. About one out of four workers makes $8.70 an hour or less. Thats not much more than the real value of the minimum wage of 1968 at $8.27 in inflation-adjusted dollars.
Several people are working for almost the same pay from 39 years ago that's a tad ridiculous.
8. Imagine a country where for more and more people a job doesnt keep you out of poverty, it keeps you working poor. Imagine a country much richer than it was 25 years ago, but the percentage of full-time workers living in poverty has jumped 50 percent.
Now a days we work harder and make less, people like myself work paycheck to paycheck because we have to pay for car insurance and gas so we can further our education and go to work plus when we leave our parents we'll have rent to pay, gas, heat,electric and these are just necessities minus the phone bill,cable,or internet.
9. Imagine a country where more workers are going back to the future of sweatshops and day labor. Corporations are replacing full-time jobs with disposable contingent workers.
Corporations are cheating those who want permanent full-time jobs and are supplying them with contracts and leases.
10. Where childcare teachers dont make enough to save for their own childrens education.
I think this statement shows how bad off the middle class is at this point in time. Parents need to work and also spend timewith their children, pay for expenses, and still have money to save for their children's education.
11.The average women high school graduate who works full time from ages 25 to 65 will earn about $450,000 less than the average male high school graduate; the gap widens to $900,000 for full-time workers with bachelors degrees.
This amount of money is doubled and it's not right then men always make more than women it's not fair and we need equality.
12. Imagine a country where violence against women is so epidemic it is their leading cause of injury.
When women suffer from abuse the initial reaction is it's her fault and she could leave if she wanted to but she chooses not to. This is a false interpretation because many men threaten their partners that they will kill them if they leave them.
13. Imagine a country where racial disparities take their toll from birth to death.
Depending on your background, where you're from and your nationality your life expectancy is judgmentally already chosen for you This isn't true at all because regardless of your race, you live as long as you take care of yourself and eat and exercise although, nothing can be done if you develop a disease like cancer.
14. Imagine a country that ranks first in wealth and military power and 34th in child mortality.
A country should focus on the well being of children because they are the future and not its wealth and military power.
15. Imagine a country where health care is managed for healthy profit.
Although, the country's trying to help people who need health care, still somepeople cannot afford it although, Massachusetts does have MASS Health which covers people who hold a job or have children at a young age but cannot afford health insurance.
16. Imagine a country where the poor and middle class bear the brunt of severe cutbacks in education, health, environmental programs, and other public services.
Several people in a country strictly rely on public services and couldn't possible survive without them and they lives as well as their children's would be in danger.
17. Imagine a country waging a racially biased War on Drugs.
More than three out of four drug users are white, according to government data, but three out of four state prisoners convicted of drug offenses are black and Latino.
It's not right that white drug users are not convicted as high as black and latinos are. They shouldn't have a country waging a biased War on Drugs, they should focus on correcting these issues and having harsher penalties.
18. Healthcare is literally a matter of life and death.
Your health is what keeps you living, without good health, you'll die. People allaround the world however are suffering without healthcare because they do not have the money to afford it.
19. Imagine a country where half the eligible voters dont vote.
Everyone has a voice and opinion they just need to let it be heard. If they don't vote they have no one to blame for a badly elected candidate except for themselves.
20. Imagine a country whose constitution once counted black slaves as worth three-fifths of whites.
Everyone should be created equal, as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stated, they should not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

Date: May 25, 2007

I completely agree with what you think they mean. keep up the good work!=]

Date: May 25, 2007

Imagine a country where one out of five children is born into poverty, and wealth is being redistributed upward. This needs to change because the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer.
Imagine a country where the poor and middle class bear the brunt of severe cutbacks in education, health, environmental programs and other public services to close state and federal budget deficits fueled by ballooning tax giveaways for wealthy households and corporations. This is sort of happening now. The poor and middle class are suffering from high taxes, high gas prices and low minimum wage. This is going to lead to nothing but problems.\
Imagine a country where the minimum wage just doesnt add up. Where minimum wage workers earn more than a third less than their counterparts earned a third of a century ago, adjusting for inflation. Where a couple with two children would have to work more than three full-time jobs at the $5.15 minimum wage to make ends meet. If the world keeps going as it is this may happen in the future. Minimum wage has not risen for many years now and a lot of prices are going up. If this does happen it may cause another Great Depression.
Imagine a country where some of the worst CEOs make millions more in a year than the best CEOs of earlier generations made in their lifetimes. This is going on now. For example, the CEO of a cigarette company is making millions for selling a product that kills millions.
Imagine a country where living standards are falling for younger generations despite increased education. There are already college graduates who are having a hard time finding work after school. I hope this changes because I am starting college and do not want to have to struggle in life, neither do I want any other graduates to struggle.
About one out of four workers makes $8.70 an hour or less. Thats not much more than the real value of the minimum wage of 1968 at $8.27 in inflation-adjusted dollars. This statistic is ridiculous because of all the prices rising on everything else. That was many years ago, and I thought America had progressed more than that.
You were not counted as poor in 2001 (latest available final data) unless you had pre-tax incomes below these thresholds: $9,214 for a person under 65, $8,494 for a person 65 and older, $11,569 for a two-person family, $14,128 for a three-person family, and $18,104 for a family of four. On average, households need more than double the official poverty threshold to meet basic needs. If people are working for minimum wage then you need to be counted. Even others that make a little more than minimum wage should still be counted because a lot are still struggling and working pay check to pay check.

Imagine a country where homelessness is on the rise, but federal funding for low-income housing is about 50 percent lower than it was in 1976, adjusting for inflation. This should change quickly because you never know where you will end up in the future.

Date: May 29, 2007

Imagine a country continued 9-20

Imagine a country where more workers are going back to the future of sweatshops and day labor. Corporations are replacing full-time jobs with disposable contingent workers. That just happened here in New Bedford with all the illegal immigrants. This incident was a big wake-up call for us Americans to see how the world is changing.
Imagine a country negotiating free trade agreements that help corporations trade freely on cheap labor at home and abroad. I would not be surprised if this ends up happening in the future because of this war already and by the way the government works now. That is why I feel it is important to get a new democratic president in office and also change some other seats in office and try to clean things up with the way we live.
Imagine a country where nearly two-thirds of women with children under age 6 and more than three-fourths of women with children ages 6-17 are in the labor force, but affordable childcare and after-school programs are scarce. Apparently, kids are expected to have three parents: Two parents with jobs to pay the bills, and another parent to be home in mid-afternoon when school lets outas well as all summer. That is why women are having a hard time finding work when they have children because it is hard to find a job that can be accommodated with daycare.
The average woman high school graduate who works full time from ages 25 to 65 will earn about $450,000 less than the average male high school graduate. This fact is upsetting and unfortunate because I am a woman who is about to graduate from high school and will be very upset if I work the same hours as a man, doing the same job and still make less money. I dont understand how this is fair. This is another major reason why I believe it is time for a female president. Not only to change things like that, but also show society that women can do the same job as a man and still be successful at it.

13. Imagine a country where most minimum wage workers are women, while 95 percent of the top-earning corporate officers at the largest 500 companies are men, as are 90 percent of the most influential positions, from CEOs to executive vice president. Less than 2 percent of corporate officers at the largest companies are women of color. This is also very disturbing to me because I am also planning to go to college and I am also a women of color. This statistic just shows how much more America still has to progress.
14. Imagine a country where instead of rooting out discrimination, many policy makers are busily blaming women for their disproportionate poverty. If women earned as much as similarly qualified men, poverty in single-mother households would be cut in half. This is extremely true because I know many people including myself who have single mothers that work but still struggle. This could be avoided if women were receiving the same pay.

15. Imagine a country where homicide is the second-largest killer of young people, ages 15-24; accidents, many of them drunk driving fatalities, are first. This is happening already because it is so easy for young people to purchase guns now.

16. Imagine a country whose school system is rigged in favor of the already privileged, with lower caste children tracked by race and income into the most deficient and demoralizing schools and classrooms. This comes to no surprise to me because I already feel it is easier for kids whose parents have money. If there parents have money they can only focus on school, not on getting a job to be able to have a car or get their license. They dont even have to worry about paying for college while for most underprivileged children dont even think about going to college because they know they cant afford it.

17. Imagine a country where racial disparities take their toll from birth to death. The black infant mortality rate is more than double that of whites. Black life expectancy is nearly six years less. Black unemployment is more than twice that of whites and the black poverty rate is almost triple that of whites. This is because there is still discrimination in America. We still have a lot of growing and understanding to do.

18. Imagine a country where there is a shortage of jobs, not a shortage of work. Millions of people need work and urgent work needs peoplefrom creating affordable housing, to repairing bridges and building mass transit, to cleaning up pollution and converting to renewable energy, to staffing after-school programs and community centers. This is due to illegal immigrants coming in and doing the jobs for hardly no money.

19. Imagine a country that has been criticized by human rights organizations for expanding, rather than abolishing, use of the death penaltydespite documented racial bias and growing evidence of innocents being sentenced to death. I actually agree with the death penalty. I feel that when you have someone who is a serial killer or a serial rapist deserves to be sentenced to death. When dealing with people that have admitted to a crime and has been found guilty more than once for the same crime deserves to be put to death. Why should our tax money go to keeping them in jail with food, a place to sleep, and a chance to even rehabilitate.

At least 170 senators and congress people are millionaires. Thats nearly one out of three members of the house and senate. Just 1 percent of the population they represent are millionaires. This is due to our government and who we put in office. Republican people hire other Republicans who only change things for the rich. This is why we need to start voting to make sure we have only democratic people in office so they can change things for the poor.

Date: May 29, 2007

Catherine, i agree with some of your comments on Imagine a Country statements and statistics. A lot of your opinions were like mine. Good Job!!!!

Date: May 29, 2007

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