Ah, but that's just it.  They don't need or want a STRONG middle class.  Just enough to string along the poor to give them hope, while cycling them in and out of poverty.  The lucky ones might even get to ride the coattails of the ruling class if they toady up hard enough. 

The worst thing about fox news is the realisation that its all my own countries fault.

just to point this out: the only way many people can BE rich is by exploiting workers...either in their own nation or overseas, heck USA MNC's have what are essentially workhouses in most developing nations, worse yet in 3rd world nations too.

but you Yanks dont care, so long as you get cheap shitty products that you dont need, sadly video games may well be among those that are made this way.

think of it like this, for every dollar less you pay for a shirt you buy at Primark, 500 or so kids must live in poverty in other countries.

capitalists are the slave drivers of the modern world.

but they are fair and balanced....lol

So Google's (and many other Tech companies) well paying jobs with excellent benefits are "screwing" their employees?

If you go and actually talk with many of these "Exploited" workers in third world countries you would find that they desperately want to work in these "Low Wage" positions because of how well paying they are. While $1 to $2 per hour seems like slave wages to those of us who live in the western world, many of these individuals would earn (roughly) $1 to $2 per day if it wasn’t for these industrialists. On top of that, these wages cycle through the local economy and increase the standard of living of everyone; and you can see this effect in China and India today (compared to what they were several years ago) and you can see the end result of this "Exploitation" in Japan and South Korea.

If your employer is not giving you a fair wage find another job, and if no employer will pay you the wage you desire to do work they believe you’re capable of start a business and make the money for yourself; and if you can’t find someone to pay you what you desire regardless of whether you’re an employee or an entrepreneur, maybe your skills just aren’t that valuable.

The CEO gets paid what the board of directors thinks he's worth, and his salary is paid for by there there profits. If they thought it was a better deal to pay someone 150 million a year, and not 300 million a year, they would. And if they were right, they would pocket the 150 million (as would all the other share holders). No one working for the company would make more money.

And just out of curiosity, why are you looking at the top of a company to improve the salaries of the workers? Shouldn't you be looking at the workers? 

I am more of the mindset, that if your in a warehouse busting your ass for $7.50 an hour, and you think your underpaid, you have three choices. One is you educate yourself, the other is you look for another job doing something in your skill set for more money, and the last is just do nothing and hope the CEO or government does something for you.

Why would you leave something this important in someone else's hands? Do it yourself. If more people did, it would be harder to find someone to do that shit warehouse job, and the wage for it would go up. The only reason they pay so low, is if you quit, you could be replaced in an hour.

Find something to do, somewhere that's harder to replace, and is more value to the person paying you, and you will make more money.

There are very simple ways to improve your lot in life as a worker, so as long as those avenues are there, why look elsewhere to get it done?

Hmm... that's not a bad idea. I could make a video podcast, or do something on justin.tv.

I will think about it. Thanks! :)

so, exploitation is okay if people have no other choice because you keep those nations in debt and oppressed?

seriously, that kind of justification is so pathetic, all it does is show how capitalists are a bunch of self righteous scum who would gladly sell the rest of the world into slavery to get an extra car.

Give me a break.    A dozen greedy replacements will fill your shoes in the first week.  

Your illustration of a guy working his way up to being regional manager illustrates the flaws in how you think and why I could never agree with you. He worked his butt off and now has to pay more taxes.  Oh no.  He has to help people financially the way he was helped.  With public schools and subsidized health care and likely at least somewhat publicly funded higher education, and in a million different ways that our tax dollars help us all every day.  

Because as we all know, someone getting promoted and rising to the top is always based solely on one man's dedication and ambition.  There's no racial/gender/class bias, no luck, no hard work from all the fellow employees that may or may not also earn promotions, no nepotism, no favoritism.  It's all pure and clean.  So why not take all the spoils one can manipulate the system to garner for one's self, and why not just leave the others to fend for themselves.  Survival of the fittest, right?  If those poor people wanted to make more money, they'd just try harder.  It's as simple as that.  

The tax burden in this country - especially with the loopholes and advantages in tax code for the wealthiest - is so low when compared to our own history and to that of so many countries worldwide - that to whine about it is new heights of greed and selfishness and egocentrism.  

So good luck in New Zealand.  And since you don't like the government using our money, please renounce your citizenship and stay away from any ambassadorships, security and any aid that the U.S. may provide any Pacific nations.  Don't want to waste the precious tax dollars.

Yes very simple ways.  It's all so easy for everyone.  How is there still a working class at all?  We should ALL be CEO's just because we decide we should.  You're really delusional.  How does one quit their crap job when they have no other source of income and there are no other jobs to be found?  Don't even get me started on education funding and the limited paths and overwhelming costs of high education in relation to the median salaries of the country.

It's just mind-blowingly NOT simple.  It's anything but simple.  Why don't people in refugee camps in Africa just decide to become CEO's of G.E.?  if they just wanted to, they all could.  Just get some education and quit their crappy jobs and they'd be fine.  Why doesn't that kid born into overwhelming poverty and forced to attend a completely dismantled school just pull himself up by his bootstraps and change the world on his own?  It's so simple.

Simple simple simple.  Of course, it's because people are just lazy and they WANT to be at the bottom of the economic food chain.