Standards of Living

[KurtFF8]

It is of course one of the most common arguments that proponents of capitalism make: Capitalism has increased standards of living significantly. Look at the United States!

But I've heard more and more that the standards of living in places like the US have been declining in recent decades. I know that wages have flat lined and decreased, making workers borrow credit, take second and third jobs, etc. But I don't know where to look for any information on the "standards of living" and how its been decreasing. Anyone have any useful links?

[mykittyhasaboner]

There is actually a lot of useful information on wiki, as well as the reference links.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_of_living_in_the_United_States

[Pawn Power]

It is of course one of the most common arguments that proponents of capitalism make: Capitalism has increased standards of living significantly. Look at the United States!

But I've heard more and more that the standards of living in places like the US have been declining in recent decades. I know that wages have flat lined and decreased, making workers borrow credit, take second and third jobs, etc. But I don't know where to look for any information on the "standards of living" and how its been decreasing. Anyone have any useful links?

Capitalism brings a great standard of living for the economically top 1% of society. They are livin' great and when everyone believes in unlimited social and economic mobility they believe they can live like that too some day, regardless of that virtual impenetrable obstacles to this.

Standards of living for the majority of people living in the US have been declining for the last 30 or so years. Real wages have been going down since the 1970's. There has been, what some people call, the "Third Woldization" of American within urban cities and rural areas where the standards of living are just as low, or lower, then the most impoverished nations on earth.

Capitalism is working... for the rich. It is not working for us.

Some links on the Third Worldization of America and of growing inequality:

The Third Worldization of America (http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Third_World_US/ThirdWorUS_DarkVic.html)
The Other America (http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Third_World_US/Other_America.html)
The South in the North (http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Globalization/South_In_North_VFTS.html)

[The Idler]

In Marxist theory, those workers (proletarians) in developed countries who benefit from the superprofits extracted from the impoverished workers of underdeveloped countries form an "aristocracy of labor." The phrase was popularised by Karl Kautsky in 1901 and theorised by Vladimir Lenin. Lenin's theory contends that companies in the developed world exploit workers in the developing world (where wages are much lower), resulting in increased profits. Because of these increased profits, the companies are able to pay higher wages to their employees "at home" (that is, in the developed world), thus creating a working class satisfied with their standard of living and not inclined to proletarian revolution.

[KurtFF8]

In Marxist theory, those workers (proletarians) in developed countries who benefit from the superprofits extracted from the impoverished workers of underdeveloped countries form an "aristocracy of labor." The phrase was popularised by Karl Kautsky in 1901 and theorised by Vladimir Lenin. Lenin's theory contends that companies in the developed world exploit workers in the developing world (where wages are much lower), resulting in increased profits. Because of these increased profits, the companies are able to pay higher wages to their employees "at home" (that is, in the developed world), thus creating a working class satisfied with their standard of living and not inclined to proletarian revolution.

Indeed, I'm familiar with this. The topic itself was more of a request for some sources for the "third worldization" of America to have good on hand cations for dealing with the standards of living argument.