Sad letter found in product from forced Chinese labour factory

[Qqmike]

I think you touched on some good points, NickStone. I like capitalism for its inventiveness, toughness, motivating value, and all that kind of stuff. However ... What happens when it results in there being a weak middle class? and/or large numbers of people at the very lower end? without education, health care, and basic necessities (like food and safe shelter)? What about the large number of US citizens working at service jobs paying just $8-$12 an hour (though $12 is not as bad as $10 wrt a poverty lifestyle)? But the long-term view for the USA? Do the politicians and corporate chiefs believe this is "OK"? What kind of country will we have? Does no one believe it will result in some kind of non-peaceful revolution, storming the castles? We all know people struggling to make it on a $10-an-hour job, with usually bad hours, sometimes not even 40 (and at the convenience of supervisors and managers), shaky benefits, lack of a real retirement savings plan, and no security. Takes two working adults to afford a modest apartment. And how to support children on that kind of lifestyle? I can't wrap my brain around this quandary we seem to be heading into.

As for the "point" of this thread, it goes without saying that the issue tek_ raises in #15 is not acceptable at best; more like deplorable. But it seems to be the result of the corporate-greed theme here.

[Flip the Switch]

Two hundred overtime hours per week? Luxury!!

We used to have to get up in the morning at 10 o'clock at night, half an hour before we went to bed, eat a lump of cold poison, work 29 hours a day down t'mill - and pay mill owner for permission to come to work - and when we got home our dad would kill us and dance about on our graves singing "hallelujah".

You try and tell the young people of today that... they won't believe you!

I recall you could get a taxi into town on a saturday night, scoff 17 pints of Watneys Red Barrel, smoke 40 Capstan, have a fish supper with an onion, and get a taxi home again all for twopence! And still have change left in the morning. (-:

[NickStone]

I recall you could get a taxi into town on a saturday night, scoff 17 pints of Watneys Red Barrel, smoke 40 Capstan, have a fish supper with an onion, and get a taxi home again all for twopence! And still have change left in the morning. (-:

Oh! Those were the days. We won't be seeing them days again. Shame!

[HalationEffect]

I recall you could get a taxi into town on a saturday night, scoff 17 pints of Watneys Red Barrel, smoke 40 Capstan, have a fish supper with an onion, and get a taxi home again all for twopence! And still have change left in the morning. (-:

Sounds good until you also recall that the average monthly wage at the time was a half crown