USA falling apart?

[Mnevis]

When you get to the edge of sanity, dive.

Glad to see this thread is exactly as serious as I've been assuming while ignoring it for fifty-seven pages.

[Gothicshark]

STOP EATING OUT!! Jesus. I live in Canada and buy my groceries in the States because it is cheaper and I still don't even come close to needing $550 a month on food. $10 a meal are you serious lol. Learn how to cook or accept your stupidity. One person can survive with $150 a month on food easy. My god stop eating fast food every night.

Food in California is a little more expensive. for 150 a month I would only be able to afford rice, flour and 30 cans of beans.

1lb of chicken is on average $2-3, tuna is $1.25 a can for the cheap stuff, vegetables average $1.50 a can.

When you consider the cheapest rent is a studio for $900, utilities run about $150 a month, fuel costs $4 a gallon and there is hardly any public transportation.

Here is what usually happens here, a guy gets laid off from his job because the company is moving to china. He gets unemployment. it usually works out to $1000 a month, and he gets it for 2 years. To survive he moves in with friends or family because $1000 a month does not pay rent for anything in California. He has to maintain a cell phone and a car to look for work, the insurance is $60-75 a month, the phone service from Metro PCS is $30 a month. Since looking for work means going to job sites he has to spend $60-70 a week on gas, He has to also pay $400-$500 for the couch/closet/tiny room he has. Add this together? $670 so far, he now has to buy food for the month, only he is limited in storage space due to roommates, so he buys food to cook on a limited bases this is a bout $200 in pasta and caned sauces. $870, he then eats out 2-3 times a week usually the cheap stuff so make that $50 a month, $920. this leaves him with $80 for everything else, of course that is $20 for razors hygiene, and $40 for the inevitable overdraft fee.

this is typical for unemployed people, the EDT cards go out only to people with children or on disability, a single person almost never can have one.

---------- Post added 2012-11-15 at 07:47 AM ----------

Says the guy who spends $10 on breakfast everyday :P

Grokan aka wells, hola man, nice to see ya

I actually only eat once a day, I cook and make my own food from scratch, I make my own breads and Pizza. I can go cheaper than you can imagine, but I also know the cost of food in California, I also know how much it costs to cook food at home. California has some of the most over inflated energy prices and food costs. We live in a state where food, water, and essential living consumables are not supposed to be taxed, so they got around that and now tax the packaging food comes in. a half full basket at any supermarket will be $75-150 depending on what you get. to live on $150 you would have to buy ramen, which is $0.30-0.50 a package, also you could only buy re-fried beans which are $0.99-$1.25 a can. Another sad fact of southern California is the lack of viable drinking water, I use filters because that is the best value, but many people cannot afford the start up cost which is about $100, so they go to water stores and buy water at $1.25 a gallon, during the summer a person can easily drink 2-3 gallons a day.

My numbers are based on what I know people spend weekly for food and water, typically it is about $200 a week per person. I spend a lot less because I have enough money to afford the things that let me cook my own food.

---------- Post added 2012-11-15 at 08:15 AM ----------

What I find saddest though is that everyone swamps the secession petitions, while the one wanting to add a state is still thirteen thousand short.

Thanks for the reminder.

[Jarl Balgruuf]

Interesting theory on the surge of secession petitions I found on reddit:

http://www.reddit.com/r/FanTheories/...petitions_are/

Definitely makes some sense.

[belfpala]

Glad to see this thread is exactly as serious as I've been assuming while ignoring it for fifty-seven pages.

I apologize for the shoddiness of my service today. That's not how we do business around here.

Here's a free cake.

And a gift certificate for a free appetizer for next time.

Please come again.

[pacox]

Its funny how the people who had enough sense to draft official petitions are unable to fully think this whole thing out. Most of this is a fad brought on by the popularity of social media.

Let's say a state does secede. Well they now in a whole lot of trouble because now have US citizens, federal infrastructure, and US military bases behind their borders. Do they not think the US would want all of that back? They have also disrupted trade and commerce of the union. On top of that, there is no way for them to set up a government fast enough before US rivals and drug cartels infiltrate their new found "country".

Any sort of rebellion would be put down swiftly but the US would most likely take two course of action. The "country" would be blockaded and starved into submission or the "countries" capital would be taken in 24 hours and the US will "occupy" the "country" until all rebel leaders have met justice, which is death or life in prison.

[smelltheglove]

so, apparently all 50 states have one of these petitions now... am i the only one that finds the image of all 50 states leaving the union simultaneously hilarious? i guess that could leave peurto rico as being the United State of America?

[Gothicshark]

so, apparently all 50 states have one of these petitions now... am i the only one that finds the image of all 50 states leaving the union simultaneously hilarious? i guess that could leave peurto rico as being the United State of America?

Viva, Estados Unidos de America. LOL, that would be a troll fest on the world.

[Haven]

Welcome comrade! Our numbers are growing and with Obama in power, there is nothing to stop us! Now, where is that moose and squirrel?

Rocky and Bullwinkle? You must be insane! Sam & Max!

[Jshadow]

Sucks to live in the world which is ruled by greed and hatred.

Still surprised how my posz got +1k posts in about a week =P.

[hythos]

I blame MTV and the rising glamorization of drugs and alcohol for our decline of decency.
Americans values are declining because of the "what's in it for me" and "I want it nao" factors.

It's a sad time when people want to party, get high and wasted vs being productive and accomplished. Just reference Kesha's "we're gonna die young" BS, or that other song by Britney about dancing until the end of time, and others.

[Rommon64]

I blame MTV and the rising glamorization of drugs and alcohol for our decline of decency.
Americans values are declining because of the "what's in it for me" and "I want it nao" factors.

It's a sad time when people want to party, get high and wasted vs being productive and accomplished. Just reference Kesha's "we're gonna die young" BS, or that other song by Britney about dancing until the end of time, and others.

"I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on
frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless beyond
words... When I was young, we were taught to be discreet and
respectful of elders, but the present youth are exceedingly wise
[disrespectful] and impatient of restraint"

-Hesiod, 8th century BC

"What is happening to our young
people? They disrespect their elders, they disobey their parents. They
ignore the law. They riot in the streets inflamed with wild notions.
Their morals are decaying. What is to become of them?"

-Plato, 5th-4th century BC

"The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for
authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place
of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their
households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They
contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties
at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers."

-Socrates (apparently disputed), 5th century BC

Moral decry sure takes a LONG time...

[Beavis]

I'm glad this ridiculous thread was resurrected.

[Roose]

Moral decay sure takes a LONG time...

Or perhaps it is cyclical.

[Falrinn]

I wouldn't say we are falling apart just yet, there's still plenty of track to get ourselves back on track.

IF political gridlock continues to increased unabated and results in extreme negative consequences for the average citizen, and IF the political extremes start militarizing on a significant scale, I could see a second civil war breaking out in maybe 10-20 years.

Right now there is a lot of anger but very little actual violence. We still have it too good in this country for people to do anything more then grumble about whoever they blame for their ills. Political gridlock, if intense enough, could change that if the government finds itself in shutdown too often for too long.

[Rommon64]

Or perhaps it is cyclical.

Or not happening at all.

[soulcrusher]

Ron Paul was the best president you never had. He'd have beat Obama and turned things around. Sadly you ended up with two candidates owned by Goldman Sachs. The rest is history.

[slime]

It won't be because of that petition by Texas, but all great empires fall eventually - at least that is what history teaches us... I don't see why the USA is any different.

[pacox]

It won't be because of that petition by Texas, but all great empires fall eventually - at least that is what history teaches us... I don't see why the USA is any different.

And if history tells us anything, the US has many years to come. Its still a very young country and a newborn when it comes to superpower status.

[Raybourne]

Or not happening at all.

no it's definitely happening.

[Rommon64]

no it's definitely happening.

My argument isn't that it's not getting crappy, but that it's never BEEN not crappy.