Friday, April 26, 2013

How do Immigrants succeed in the US? In a word: Sacrifice

Gotta love the corporate media or White House.. or both...

They keep saying its 'recovery' -- We know its ongoing recession..

They tout that 1Q 2013 GDP checked in at 2.5%   -- They fail to mention compared to 4Q GDP at 0.4%, 2.5 looks just super...

** As a comparitable, remember a couple weeks ago when the Dow dropped 200pts based on China's "bad" 1Q GDP?  They were 7.7%

They play with numbers, saying for instance Consumer Confidence in April was at 76.4, topping economists' expectations for 73.2 -- They fail to mention it dropped this month from 78.6 in March and 100 is the magic number where Americans are Truly feeling confident
They keep telling young people the best way to guarantee a good future is college  -- Occasionally they slip up and mention things like this:

"A survey released last week from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) reported that businesses plan to hire only 2.1% more college graduates from the class of 2013 than they did from the class of 2012...

It's not only a bleaker job outlook 2013 graduates face. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the class of 2013 will likely earn less over the next 10-15 years, than they would have before the recession hit and jobs were more plentiful."  (CNBC)
Good thing those student loans can get discharged when the college grad goes bankrupt.  Oh yeah, we forgot-- it can't be.

A more suffocating ball and chain than marriage..

So what to do?

Well, unfortunately there's no election of importance for a while, not that it would make much of a difference..

Like, really folks-- It's not like those Presidential libraries pay for themselves.   And if you think Reagan's or Clinton's or Bush 43's Library looks 'Wow!', just you wait till Obama's Library is built via Wall Street 'thank you' donations'..

So we're in a real predicament as a nation.
The young woman and man--possessors of debt and degrees in worthlessness can not find quality jobs that matches their intellect, skill sets and deserved pay scale.  The elderly are forced to work because the Fed took away their ability to live off savings, and the middle of the pack, the 30-60yr old set, is just trudging along paycheck to paycheck...

Yes, quite a pickle.

Now there are ways to beat the system and by 'beat' we don't mean anything illegal or unethical, but to live a life the most minimal if any debt and obligation.

The problem is, the options are limited and will take great personal discipline and sacrifice; the kind that to be frank, historically and presently, only first generation immigrants seem to possess...

Pretty much two options to survive in our non-manufacturing, non-creating anything economy:
Option 1: Do not even think about marriage until mid to late 30s.   And if you are male, or the one who normally picks up the check during dates, put off relationships as long as humanly possible.  Those meaningless restaurant meals and movies add up...

The sole focus should be on working whatever jobs are available and saving every penny humanly possible.  Don't look to be renting apartments or buying expensive clothes with silly polo-playing horseys.. Treat the public free library as your personal 'entertainment center' for books, CDs and movies...

 Dedicate yourself to living bare-bones and building up that nest egg....

Money is power and freedom.
Option 2:  If you do get married, both and and your spouse have to be zealously focused on working and saving every penny so your children don't experience debt.

We see this quite often with immigrant families... Total 100% dedication and self-sacrifice.  They know their lives will not be easy.  In some families, each spouse works 2 jobs..7 days a week.. no holidays...

Every penny put away for their children so they can attend college without the shackle of debt or so they can start their own business.  Nothing is frivolously fretted away.

And that's how you survive and beat this corrupt system that seeks to profit off you during every breath your lungs inhale and exhale between 18yrs old until death...
You must either sacrifice your need for instant gratification for a small portion of your life, choosing to live extremely modest and budgeted until you compile a true nest egg, or be dedicated to this pursuit of saving and thrift with a like minded spouse for mostly the entirety of one's life for the betterment of your children

This is why so many people succeeded here-- from the colonial immigrants from England, Scotland and Wales to the Germans and some Irish in the mid 1800's to the Southern and Eastern Europeans in the later part of the century to the Asians and now East Asian people today..

And of course we include Central & South American and African immigrants as well..   Overall, they seem to possess the drive and the focus it takes to be successful if not this instant, then for the future
And asked again, why or how did they achieve the American dream so quickly compared to other groups who still flounder about?

Because one generation... someone... HAD to sacrifice.  To be the one that figuratively or literally cupped their hands so the other could place their foot upon and propel upwards.

The days where everyone thinks of themselves and the children just automatically succeed on their own is history.. Only the super rich can do that..

To succeed in today's economy.. the economy of the early 21st century, someone has to be extremely disciplined... Someone has to sacrifice.

Or keep doing as has been doing, put everything on credit cards, and place your hope and faith in others; strangers...  worse, politicians to sort out your life.

The latter option is not a pleasant one...