Americans Overpaid?

[vaxcardinal]

as a government employee...no, i'm not overpaid. I'm underpaid.

[ChartsandGrafs]

Originally Posted by dangolegators

Typical all or nothing, black and white view.

Pot, meet kettle. Here is your statement:

They don't have to pay for the things (those pesky regulations) that make quality of life better.

According to you, and without any specific qualification, regulations make quality of life better. Pretty black and white, no? I responded with an example of a nation that is governed heavily with the regulations you claim make quality of life better. Obviously this is false, and you don't like it.

If you don't like stupid statements being thrown back at you, don't make them. Simple.

Since some government regulations are bad, all must be bad, right? Our only 2 alternatives are no regulations whatsoever, or Cuba.

Some regulations may be necessary in some situations, but the problem with regulations is their inherent need for strengthening, oversight, and then more regulations when the previous regulations fail. Since regulations are intended to limit behavior, people will naturally and predictably look for loopholes to exploit them. This then leads to a need for a new regulation to close the newly discovered loophole. That regulation is eventually exploited and a new regulation needs to be concocted again, and on and on it goes.

Eventually, the cost of the regulatory structure imposed to limit a certain, supposedly negative behavior, ends up costing more than the damage from the behavior if left unchecked. The U.S. economy is a perfect example of this. There are so many regulations in place and so much manipulation of market mechanisms that an economy of 300 million people is no longer productive. Regulations are choking our economy to death, and those who can leave it and do business elsewhere are doing so.

The United States is more regulated now than at any previous time in it's history. How is quality of life? Is it improving? Are people happier and healthier than they once were? Are you sure regulations increase the quality of life?

[JerseyGator01]

Parts of Princeton, NJ have insane levels of business regulation simply because George Washington might have marched down a certain street. Government in this country has become a religion. CORRUPTION RULES!!!!!

[vertigo0923]

Originally Posted by rpmGator

I bought a Ford Gran Torino Sport off the showroom floor for $4,200 when I was working as a bag boy at Winn Dixie for $2.50 an hour. I could have gotten a Datsun 240Z for $3,600 that same year.

Now a car the size of the Torino will cost you at least five times more while the pay for bagging groceries has not gone up to 15 bucks an hour.

The problem is wages have not kept up with prices and we have less wealth when fewer and fewer can buy a car or a home.

I understand why we can't pay 15 bucks for some jobs, but don't blame unions for all ills, when a Nissan Z car has gone up more than a Ford did.

well said.