What happened to the American dream? Can someone tell me what I did wrong? I went to college, got out in 4 years, and started working. I could only find a job that pays 14/hr where I'm constantly stressed and receive no health benefits. I can't afford the payments on my 30K student loan debt, combined with food, gas, car insurance, and rent. I don't have money left over at the end of the month for my savings. Raised in crummy apartments my parents rented, my dream is to own a decent home. With my low paying job, college debt, and lack of savings for a down payment, I feel like I will never have a place of my own. Sorry for the rant, I'm just so frustrated.

Hang in there Well, first up I think you learned a more valuable life lesson than the four years of college. The world does not owe you a living. Having said that, most everyone starts out rough. Just keep trying and I have found the harder you work, the luckier you get.

The Republicans killed it

Aw, that's just politics

I agree every single republican administration ended in recession or depression. It's a fact. The entire purpose of the Republican (uber-rich) party is to destroy the middle class so the uber-rich can get cheap labor to tend their fields and do their housework.

Wall St GREED and deregulation stole it. Hang in there, though. Now the King of Hope is president and we'll all be doing better - any decade now! He did inherit a humongous mess, though, to cut the guy some slack, at least. Hey, you are entitled to rant. It's free and deserved. I used to work for the now maligned corporation that was OK then, Fannie Mae, which touted the American Dream of home ownership. Only thing is, as an administrative worker, they didn't pay me enough to buy a home! My boss tried to lobby with the higher-ups for me, but to no avail. I defied it all and started by buying a suburban condo with a mountain view, sold that for a profit, then worked my way up to a house and yard when I finally started earning more and house prices weren't as hyper-inflated as they are now. Look at it this way. If you can get a job that pays decently and not run up debt while houses are dropping price every day, you may be able to scoop up a bargain as one of the few people who still has money and decent credit.

Blame Game Yay, lets play the blame-game. Isn't that what happened over the past 8 years? What good comes out of getting hung up on the past? Lets move on and do something about our lives instead of siting there and blaming others.

those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it The people who don't want to play the blame game are people who are to blame. Read history. The republicans have caused more damage to this country's economy than any other force. Each republican administration had cabinet members who stole from the public coffers and many were sent to jail. Bush would have had more than any, but his lackeys in the justice department wouldn't prosecute their friends. I blame them. From U.S. Grant to now. They were all crooks and thieves.

Not quite Let us all not forget the term 'Sub-Prime Mortgage', the thing that started all of this, started with the Clinton Administration. In 1998, Clinton wanted everyone to have a piece of the American dream. So he creates this idea... sub-prime mortgages. In this idea, he has two companies manage this idea. Know who they are? Freddie Mac and Fanny Mae. Lest we also forget, Enron, Adelphia Cable, Tyson... I can go on... all happened on the Clinton Administrations watch. Furthermore, for a good portion of time, while a Republican was in office (i.e. Bush, the first Bush, Regan, etc), Democrats controlled Congress. Historiy speaking, normally when one party is in office, the other controls Congress. What are you going to say next? The New Deal got us out of the Great Depression? Looking back... historiy speaking (I have a theme going here)... the New Deal worsened the depression (then and now, ask any economist). Scary thing is, whats happening now is being mirrored after the New Deal. The only thing that got us out of that mess was World War II. Now do us all a favor. Put the information you got back in the Cracker Jack box you found it in. Yes, you have some validity. But don't sprout off all these kooky ideas to people who will believe you without presenting both sides. For instance, I blame Clinton 50% for the sub-prime mess. I blame Congressional Republicans in the 1990's for the other 50%, because they passed the darn thing. That's how one would present both sides of the argument.

bait and switch You ignore my points and spout red herrings. I don't chase red herrings. My points remain, as you point out in the last part of your red herring post. Republicans historiy cause recessions and depressions. It's a fact. Deal with it.

Red Herrings? I prefer swordfish myself. Theres this great place in Boston... anyways... you missed my point. You can't blame a party for the failings of everyone. Yes, the President is the face of the nation. But Congress is the part that makes things happen. Republican presidents did a lot of bad stuff with Democrats pulling the strings (see the 1980's). And that can be turned around; Democrats did a lot of bad things with Republicans in office. Look, I'm a republican through and through. But I'm not an ignorant republican. Yeah, Bush sucked (pardon my French). But he did have democratic support on many occasions (with a few exceptions). It wasn't until the press got a hold of things were democrats (with a few exceptions) all up in arms about things. I may be a republican, but I'm also a realist and have education in political history. Where there was one party stealing from the coffers or making stupid decisions, the other party was looking the other way. They are all a bunch of crooks. And you can lump in there CEO's and such. Millions of dollars while many Americans are losing their jobs. That's criminal.

back to the original point when someone says don't play the blame game, it is usually someone who is to blame. Your argument is rationalizing the Republican party's history of causing recessions and depressions. No matter how you slice it, every time we have had a republican presidency, we have ended in a recession or depression. It is a fact. You can rationalize why it happened and try to spread the blame, but the fact remains.

When did I change the point? All I'm saying is theres more hands in it then you are willing to admit. You can't just blame one party for one thing. You want to blame democratic administrations for Vietnam? Kennedy? Johnson? Was it a republicans fault the Civil War happened? You're agruement, although intriguing, is missing one basic fact: there are more hands in economic downturns then just a republican president. I could make the same argument and say right before the economy turns around, a republican is president. You think Clinton stopped the resession in the 80's? No. He helped, but he didn't get the ball rolling. That would have been Regan and Bush. Before you start throwing around facts, make sure you have all of them. Its frusturating debating with someone when they sit on what they think they know and are not open to the flip side of things. Don't get me wrong, you know what you're talking about, but theres more to the story (understanding we are both biased, but then again it wouldn't be fun if two ppl from the same party debated, right?)

the dream was a myth to begin with, what happened is you're just beginning to see this now.

Here's what your problem is A degree is more of a long term investment and is not instant gratification. I didn't make a decent salary until 4 years after graduation. With the exception of a select few majors like engineering and finance, most of your general business degree grads don't walk into a job with a degree with a $70k paycheck. You need to start at the bottom and work your way up.

i did start from the bottom at a dead end job

That's how most people do it. Unless you're a Gates or a Trump, you are going to start at the bottom when you're a new grad. Ask anyone you know who is a success and how they got there. Chances are you'll find they washed dishes or some other menial job at some point in their lives. Go to Boston, you'll see many Harvard grads waiting tables. A degree is no guarantee of a good position anymore. It's a combination of hard work, being at the right place at the right time, networking, and making people like you.

sometime i think my manager didnt't want me to move up in other position because i was so good at what i did. therefore, i made her job much easier for her. i was waiting to get her job after grad. college, when i finally did, the company closed after been there 14 years

See what you did

what about web design degrees?

does marketing fall under a general business degree?

Ha you got isled again yesterday, member?

If I got isled, wouldn't I not be able to post here anymore? And no, I've just been too damn busy to post this week. Not cause I got in trouble.

Isled deleted whatever.

She got isled! Doesn't want to admit it.

hi Millionaire!

Wrong yet again. Same ole line different day.

So why can't I take LT capital loss on my worthless degree?

This is what happens to the... American Dream. For to long now we have been told more is better. We were all told that a college degree(s) was the answer to every financial problem. Read this link for a humerous look at the American Dream.