I've noticed that people become more jaded and disconnected the more money they have to build and live in their own little worlds away from others, I think economic hardship would be a good lesson in relationship building and the reality that despite income everyone depends on everyone else, but most of the time the relationships are nicely compartmentalized away and out of the north american middle classes life... be a good thing to wake them up.

Economic power allows one to reinforce their own prejudices and divisions between people.

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For all those who grew up laughing at the parodies of Soviet life, multiple families living in a flat...well look in American mirror. The current American way of life is as corrupt and unjust as any old Soviet system.

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This was a good article but there are some advantages to having a roommate. I often have my own apartment, but for the previous 34 months, have had a roommate. He helps me with my Russian lessons and also helped at a moment's notice with translation services for my overseas Russian "friends", and now, my girlfriend, who lives in Ukraine (and can't wait to see me again in 66 days)! He's also a great guy and never a hassle. It also helps that I'm an extrovert and like talking to people, playing chess and NOT taking life so seriously! I take it very seriously and well, Rafshan doesn't! So he's been very helpful in having me lighten up a bit.

I think we need to recognize the humanity of everyone around us and it's very useful to have a roommate, at least for some. And yes, my rent is half what it otherwise would be! I've even got Rafshan into running and eating better food (I'm a nutritionist). Of course, it helps that he likes classical music!

So yes, I'm a writer in defense of having a roommate, at least when he/she is the right person. But I'm moving out in a few months but will have no regrets for the previous 3 years.

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Especially, but not exclusively, for single people old and young, in these days of wholesale attack and punitive policies (social, economic, cultural, political...) on all of us who belong in that nebulous region variously referred to as Labor, Middle-Classes, under-class, average people, ordinary people, there is much to be said in favor of living together in solidarity and developing forms of living that are of benefit to each involved. Why would one want to discourage such solutions? Sharing and dividing costs and labors of maintenance in houses, apartments, and other places makes sense!!

Keep a keen eye on lawyers and legislations that are sure to emerge placing terms and conditions on housing!! Fight them!!

Nothing wrong with roomates, socially economically, politically or culturally! Especially in these days. It helps in solidarity, it helps in organizing, it helps in becoming human.

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One critical piece of information is missing from this article: What was Ms Duyn's major in college? Did she get a marketable degree like electrical or biomedical engineering? Or is she just one more Art History major, surprised that no one wants to pay you for that knowledge? Since she has lived an entire decade working odd jobs and unable to secure her own living space, I assume she went for the Art History degree.

At age 33, she's "ready to be an adult now". Too late. She should have started that process when she was 18 and just entering college. The first "adult" act any person undertakes is preparing themselves for life as an adult. You don't wait until you're beginning middle age to prepare for adult life.

As for having roommates, I've had one my entire adult life. Normally, I call her "wife" rather than "roommate". We met at 18 in college, married at 21, and have been happy "roommates" for 30 years. We've lived in some interesting places, but there was never an extra roommate involved, just the two of us and our kids.

This article just serves to prove that if you just drift blithely through the first years of adulthood, with no planning or forethought, you're doomed to live like an adolescent the rest of your life.

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You chastise the author for not getting a "marketable" degree.

I don't know about you, but getting a degree in a field you have absolutely no interest in and spending the rest of your life working in that field, simply because it is "marketable", sounds an awful lot like a form to slavery to me. In a time of rampant mandatory overtime in many companies, the idea of spending the majority of one's waking hours for the next 40+ years or so in a job you hate sounds like a pretty miserable proposition to me.

It's quite similar to something many people do now; stay with miserable jobs they hate just because the benefits are good. And as more and more companies scale back benefits offered, particularly health insurance, this is a phenomenon that can't help but become more prevalent in the increasingly fewer companies offering good benefits.

Given the choice of spending my best years locked into a job I despise just for the money or having a job I love, but needing roommates, I'd pick the roommates.

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Plus you actually learn more and don't have to worry about being with a roommate who sucks.

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how the Rest of the World has been living, have they?

welcome to the Club, America.

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on steroids.

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When I was in my 20's, I was able to live alone, because rent was much lower (I remember paying $140/month for a 2-1/2 room apartment in Chicago, in the city).

In my 30's, I was married, so had someone to share rent, but after divorcing, it became too expensive to live alone.

Admittedly, living with roommates makes everything else (my car, yearly vacations, etc.) more affordable, but I do dream of having my own place some day.

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Roommates mean I can have a life. I don't have to work more than 30 hours a week. I can afford a bigger place in a nicer area with roommates. I can afford my utilities with roommates. I have someone around to keep my pet company with roommates.

I plan on living in a commune if things get really bad. And that doesn't worry me. People add spice to your life. Material possessions do not.

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Reading these posts, and wondering about my own life, I want to share some thoughts. Why do some people think marriage is the answer? Divorce is possible too and the author went from one relationship to the next. Women as they age are less likely to be married or remarried (according to AARP Bulletin).

I’ve lived in intentional communities for most of my entire adult life: single parent housing during most of high school, dorm rooms in college and later, studio apartments and after high school, and have always been able to keep rent at or below $300 a month. How? By being poor and finding affordable housing.

Now I own my own little (800 sq. ft.) condo with roommate and savings, but I did it by buying small and cheap, affording me the opportunity to pay off my mortgage early (paid off a 30 year in 7 years while having emergency savings to fall back on) and saving massive interest penalties.

It’s good to have roommates (mine has Social Security and the occasional job) but also to be the owner (or exclusive leaseholder) because if both of you are on the lease, well you can figure out the rest when money issues arise, and to those who think people should act like grown ups and settle down and have kids, good for you, but it doesn’t always work out, does it?

And explain how you survive as a married couple, after a divorce, because you are going to be in a similar circumstance as the author, who did have partner after partner, which the lesson here is not to have a romance with your roommate, be the exclusive leaseholder, and if possible, be the owner so you can circumvent the Landlord Tenant Act and “evict” them if they don’t come up with their share, which also means only letting them stay as long as they can come up with double (or more) of their deposit.

Also, I don’t know how common it is for apartment owners to charge a non-refundable maintenance fee, but you see my point, that it helps to be in charge and work your way up to empowerment, rather than rely on others, unless it benefits you. That’s a worthwhile goal, and along the way you can make decisions to be romantic or generous, because you now can afford it.

I used to be generous when I was stupid too, had let a tenant use his deposit then he couldn't make his rent and lost money evicting him through the legal system, trust me, it's not worth being stupid or powerless; use the time spent renting to save and learn these valuable lessons so that you can be generous as you grow financially and those deserving of your generousity will benefit as well.

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Great article.

This article is the first piece I have seen which deals with what happens to single people in our society.

There seems to be a very widely conception that young adults hook up and live through their lives in some sort of quasi married state. Whether this state is legal marriage, co-habitiation or same sex marriage the assumption that marriage is the normal state for adults persists.

But what happens when someone doesn't marry? Is that person expected to live alone? Are the deep and satisfying friendships that evolve between room-mates to be changed just to fit the popular idea that two middle-aged people should be on their own or in a relationship?

What about the economics? Imagine a brother and sister from the same family with equally employabel college majors.

The sister marries has kids, stays with her husband and in old age survives him, inheriting the home, his pension and their joint assets.

The brother stays wiht his college room-mate, they are straight so civil union does not apply, if he survives his room-mate he can lose his home, will not stand to gain survivor benefits from the pension, inherit the room-mates property or have any status to help him through his bereavement.

At an advanced, elderly age the sister has widowhood, children and the joint marital property.

At the same stage in life, the brother is left bereft, with diminished financial resources and extreme insecurity regarding his basic living conditions.

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Those terribly overpriced cities aren't necessarily the center of the universe anymore. Smaller cities in the US have a lot more to offer than they used to, even with the current economic pickle we're in. Bonus, you can live far more cheaply, and live alone if you want to. It's a matter of priorities.

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The nuclear family unit model is one that supports and serves the patriarchal system. Because it has been the norm in our society it is hard to think of another arrangement as desirable. Patriarchy is at the root of the system that is currently in self-destruct. Living in community is way more sustainable than private homes. Not having someone elses milk in the refridgerator means one refridgeration appliance per person, and one of everything else too. What planet can sustain that? If people are sharing space out of scarcity it is not likely to feel very good. However, people living in intentional communities report a sense of living in abundance. When relationships in community are built intentionally the rewards outweigh the difficulties, particularily if the group recognizes and respect the need for some solitude and privacy.
Buildings have been designed through recent decades to house the nuclear family, as we move into this new reality designs for community living will emerge that will make it an even more viable and desirable life choice.
As a single mom lucky enough to own a small house, once my daughter graduates I am on the hunt for my community. Living more or less alone is for the birds.

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. . . I'm 32 and have lived with roommates for most of my adult life. It's not always ideal, but sometimes having someone are to shoot the shit with, to share a meal with, etc., is nice.

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Well, I had one in the first year and I had to fight him tooth and nail for trying to be a bully. I finally used my karate skills to kick that motherfucker to the curb and my parents agreed to no more roommates unless I wanted to try again. The only roommate I got after that was my lovely wife and I'm proud of it.

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I had roomies while I was in the military- single people were not given the privilege of having their own rooms when I was enlisted (I've heard that has changed). The only way you could get your own place was if you had permission from your commander and you paid out of your own pocket.

I did the roomie thing for the first five or six years I was in- and it was in turns awful and wonderful. Awful if I had to deal with a party-girl sort, wonderful if I had a roomie who was more introverted and on my wavelength. I had a real cast of characters parade through my life- the anorexic who liked to borrow my clothes without my permission, the food stealers, the religious fanatic who burned some of my metaphysical books to 'save' me, the homesick whiner who ran up an $800 bill on my phone...

The second I was able to do so, I got my own place. The peace and quiet was worth the price. When I got out of the military, I had to live with my parents until I got back on my feet financially- but as soon as I was able, I bailed out.

I'm in that 'through the cracks' demographic who will probably never be able to own a home on my own. I make good money, but not enough to afford a mortgage. My money simply does not go as far. My father was able to support a family of five on his salary- which wasn't much more than what I am making now- but his money was worth more, and homes were a lot cheaper.

Roomies might be good for some people, but not for everyone. I need my solitude. I need a place without other people underfoot.

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...apartment just up the road from San Diego City College for $625 a very short few years ago. I managed costs by not driving a car (walking distance to SDCC, a short trolley ride to work at 32nd St. from the nearest stop) and by living pretty simply by excluding things like $100 cable bills for TeeVee I'd never watch, anyway. I sacrificed a fair bit of partying, but met another tenant and...well...private parties are the best kind, lol.

Looking at average housing/rental prices is a tad deceptive, by the way. After all (as the beaten to death story goes) when Bill Gates walks into a bar, the average income of everyone in the bar skyrockets in the millions. Folks making near-minimum wage won't be able to afford to stay "average" against Bill Gates, therefore there will be swaths of the market with lower prices.

Nonetheless, it is true that housing in the more posh, exclusive beats like San Fran and Manhattan costs a lot more money than living in a trailer on the outskirts of Little Rock. In both cases, folks will get exactly what they are willing to pay for. If that means finding an apartment to rent with multiple folks, you'll do just that. If you want your money to go farther, you'll head for areas with a drastically lower cost of living.

Enjoy your options!

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Is the nuclear family occupying its own space an aberration or the norm? Consider communal living in nomadic people world-wide, Native Americans in particular; the monastic tradition.

There’s sure to be a glut of mini-mansions on the market that will afford an abundance of swank accommodations for the neo-poor.

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been aware of this trend for years now; since the death of my son, for whom I was caregiver, I have lived with my daughter; then my sis and her right-wing husband the past two years.

Since Obama, for whom I voted, was elected living under the same roof with 'uncle doofus' has become untenable; and, in a few weeks I will move back to my daughter's in another state. Being disabled my small income will not allow me to live alone; I'm lucky to have a daughter who does not view me as a burden.

Trust me, our story is just one of the millions in similar circumstances; pooling our resources to keep a roof over our heads. Hard working people are struggling and yet, still listen for the wolf at the door!

I will be happy to get back to my daughter's; where right-wingers are not tolerated!

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What a timely article for me. My class load has just been cut in half! Again! I hate my apartment and the neighborhood I live in. I was resigning myself to ask an elderly cousin if I could move in with her for a bit till I figure out what I want to do. Unfortunately, there is nothing, but nothing I enjoy in life more than solitude! I would almost rather go out in the country and live in a wee trailer than share my space with anyone. Has anyone come up with any creative living solutions where they can be a hermit most of the time, but still be close enough to employment? Please let me know!

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hubby and i might be looking for roommates soon. we bought a 4-bdrm, 3-bath ocean view house 10 miles south of san francisco in 1999. so far, we're keeping up on payments, no problem. they are cheaper than rent. property tax and repairs are hellish though. if he loses his job, we are definitely going to be looking at roommates.
problem is, most folks in the SF Bay Area want to live in urban areas where you don't need a car and this is definitely a very car-oriented town (huge hills and canyons...).
it's been great having the house for 9 years but we know this could easily come to and end. i am 47, he is 41. no kids and no plans for kids.

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Letter writers brought up several issues but no one discussed them openly:
1. The law of _supply and demand_ in desirable metro areas.
Hey, the Bay, Manhattan and San Diego! What's not to like? Well, the 12 million people (give or take) who flock to those cities can't be wrong; yet, everyone with some expectations and who embraces the glitter of big cities will be penalized with: higher mortgages/rents, cramped quarters, noise, lines, etc. The perks, at least in Manhattan: reliable, affordable mass transit 24/7, delicious affordable meals, Central Park, cheap used books, world-class museums, etc.
Can you blame the young and enthusiastic for heading there? On the other hand, if our _elected officials_ enacted laws that made it attractive to bring those big-city "perks" to mid-size cities (reliable trolley-type mass transit, for one), people would reconsider moving to the Apple, the Bay or SD, I assume (big assumption?). The Bay and San Diego have incredible weather (no snow storms or hurricanes) and SD has the greatest free beaches on the planet!
Any landlord, corporate or individual, knows that those are desirable spots to live and gouges accordingly. You can't build on the ocean... And that is inflationary.
2. Inflation. I don't set the buying power of my hard-earned dollar. A committee of bankers known as the Fed does. In fact, they cold-bloodedly set the amount one can buy, borrow money at. Their votes directly affect employment and unemployment nationwide and the buying power of _our_ dollars and the real value of my savings and retirement accounts. Thus, they "establish" the room-mate-need patterns discussed in this piece.
Nothing like being in the "currency-valuing" business...
Why focus on the "consequences" without at least discussing the variables that lead to them? None of these economic impacts occur in a vacuum.
Inevitably, I read over and over again in the piece and in the letters that these people blame _themselves_. Incredible! That takes amazing amounts of propaganda and toxic memes. People work and study and produce just as hard (and I suspect, much more) as they did in my grandfather's and father's day. That they are "falling behind" economically is not their fault. Wall Street, the Fed and our spineless Congress have a lot to answer for.
Perhaps I've been a class warrior far too long...

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As someone who has had roommates throughout late teens and early twenties, then a spouse for eight years, and now single with two kids and living with my sister, I can appreciate where the author is coming from. However, I can also appreciate many of the points made from the posters above in regards to communal living and sustainability.

I can't help but crave wanting my own little space in the world that I do not have to share with another (aside from my children, but that's quite different) yet to me, it seems selfish. There's also the financial aspect that makes single person/family dwelling unreasonable at this time.

So is there an alternative that is more of a happy medium? Is it enough to have smaller housing on shared lots, for example, and still satisfy the requirements of lower-cost, sustainable, and independent?

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Wow. I will never complain about rents in Marin County again. We're pikers out here compared to that.

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Around the world, people rarely live alone. It isn't even good for them.

So some of us have gotten used to having a whole house or apartment or house to ourselves. Now things are returning to normal.

Maybe we should focus on making collective living more satisfying.

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Living in Oakland, CA is having to move because of landlord issues, having been in the same place for 16 years. He is being shown $1800/month post-meth houses and will have to have a roomie to find a decent place under $2000 a month. So much for the crisis in plummeting home values.

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So far we have not heard that our daughter is moving home- but having just bought a house in AZ in june at an outrageous price, we won't be surprised if that call comes. of course they may have to reaach Us at my mom's house since we have been skimming along for the last few months ourselves.It's not the mortgage payment that's killing Us.but the ever increasing credit card interest rates on cards we used to cover the difference between income and costs for the last year.
of course with my parents retirment fund being held hostage in stocks, that phone may be disconnected too.Perhaps I should stock up on Stamps or be looking up how to communicate through smoke signals before I lose the internet.
has anyone else realized the WallStreeters and their Repug's have not only destroyed us economically, but also sociologically?McCain has 7 houses, and we will end up having 7 families in one house. hey mac Guess why your disparaging remarks about the 'Redistribution of Wealth' Lost you the elections. Your party and your Corp buddies have been starving out 95% of Americans. We not only want to Redistribute the wealth, we are Demanding it!
ya Dirty Rotten Treasonous SOB!!!!

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Manhattan and San Francisco working jobs like waiting tables and booking bands are not really that conducive when you want to be saving money to get a place of your own. Six month long trips to Europe don't help either. My conclusion is that you are living your life as you wish, which is great. You could opt for a less hedonistic lifestyle and move to middle America, settle down, get a job in education or health care or whatever. You could save a little, perhaps ask parental units to assist in purchasing your little cottage with the white picket fence and two cats in the yard. You could get involved with community arts, maybe run for school board or city council. It may not have the glamor of New York or San Francisco, but I gladly call it "home".

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I've owned my own home since I was 27, which is now paid off. It's a very small house that needs repairs I can't afford, but it's all mine and it's in a safe neighborhood.

My son is a young adult who recently moved out on his own. He has no roommates, never has. He works a blue collar job in a factory and the rent on a perfectly adequate one bedroom apartment is $420 a month. He has no problem paying his rent and was also able to buy himself a brand new car after moving out.

For the rent amounts mentioned in this article, one could rent a palace where we live; a small city in the south. We also have the luck to live in one of the cheapest places in the country for gas. Though both of us would like to move back north where we came from, the cost of living keeps us here.

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My experience is if one is meant to be with people, then you will be, no matter what. No matter how secretive one may be about one's moving plans, you still may run into someone you know by "coincidence", and this person will need to move in immediately, while praising you for the savior you are. He/she may do this in front of the landlord/lady who may tear up the rental agreement, if you turn your back on a friend in need. This is usually what happens to me. If one is not meant to be by oneself, then you won't be.

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I love having roommates. but then again, I'm one of those twenty-something college students who is supposed to have a roommate. I can't imagine living alone- I would be so lonely. Right now, living with just one other person bores me to death. But this is what scares me...

"But at what point does having a roommate contribute to the fact that we're still single and lonely? It's all too easy to get stuck in that twentysomething, no plans, no worries, no furniture kind of lifestyle. The one where you go out for beers with your buddies every Friday night, crash on your futon and never get around to saving for retirement or contemplating a more permanent relationship."

Great. I love college, but do I want to be living this life for the next ten years?

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I used to live with a Thai couple for about 7 years. Sadly, they had to return to Thailand. The great thing about them is they were 100% trustworthy when it came to financial matters. It was great living with them, well, except that the female half of the couple tended to mother me, which had it's good and it's bad side.

However, I've heard all the horror stories about roommates from others. The advantage of the previous relationship was love, so we were more like a family than roommates. I'm happily living alone again (in the cheapest place I could find). I miss my friends, though.

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When the coming financial crash really hits

Its not just going to be about practical skills - its also going to be about psychological and social skills

Have you ever survived living on the street - if so then you have an excellent chance of surviving because you already know how bad it can get

Fucking room mates???

You will die to back with them - relatively safe and warm

This economic crash could be so incredibly nasty - it really could be a fight for personal survival and that is not going to happen unless you can relate to the poorest - because they already have those survival schools

Give them a hard time in a posh suit and you are their dinner

Tony

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Take heart, there will be plenty of houses and apartment available soon.

Then rent control will be easier to implement, because it will guarantee rents for the landlord.

Have a nice day.

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For thirty years, we've been intensively programmed into a neo-Calvinist world view, the necessary accompaniment to the free-market approach to life. If you have money, you are one of the elect and deserve special treatment. If you lack money, God clearly doesn't care about you, and so no one else has to either. You are a "LOSER" and fair game.

This article shows that programming clearly -- its basic hypothesis is that it is shameful to live with people you're not married to, and that you are visibly not a grown-up if you do. Cara's "Cold Hearts" piece in today's issue of AlterNet is the perfect accompaniment to this piece -- here's a woman whose life has been ruined by medical expenses, and that fact alone makes her fair game for every right-wing sociopath with access to a microphone.

Every married person lives with a roommate too, and sometimes many roommates who don't do their fair share of anything and never have their own milk. Even when you're married and/or related to them, you don't always like sharing space with people. It's just that this form of space-sharing is socially approved, so the added burden of public shame and social not-okay-ness is not attached.

Right now, the enormous housing bubble is still affecting the cost of shelter. Banks recognize this when they prefer to let a foreclosed house stand empty and rot, rather than rent it to someone at a "caretaker" rate. Unfortunately, there's still a lot of air in housing prices, which will continue to leak out for awhile. The next "bubble" in prices is likely to be food -- there's a hair-raising article at TomDispatch that describes the droughts and food shortages affecting huge areas of the globe right now. That would make it shameful to be skinny. Or the next "bubble" could be water. That would make it shameful to be grubby.

Whether our society acknowledges it yet or not, we have entered into the post-neocon, post-Friedman era. We're going to have to learn to value our own lives, and other people's too, on factors other than how well our income fits whatever bubble is making one of life's basics unaffordable.

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I posted a rather heavy response - most sourced from Kucinich's website (although deleted - it was still in Google's cache - must try harder lads - I thought google were on your side???)

And Alternet have not just deleted my comments and banned me - (well obviously they haven't banned me again yet - or you wouldn't be reading this)

But the entire article has disappeared - unless I am mistaken and they decided to replace it with an article from Monty Python's Michael Palin's Daughter and the kid doing the editing made a mistake - I have noticed that the editing department has seriously fucked up recently - putting up articles which have absolutely no content - except a link to a non-existant website - but hey quality is going down the tube all round - and Alternet's budget is probably being cut as I fart

Obvious Zbigniew Brzezinski and George Soros are taking notice of what is being said on Alternet

They do fund it after all

The Men Behind Barack Obama

have edited the content of the comments to at least the second of these two videos within the last few hours. They probably haven't hacked the content of the videos themselves yet - but probably will presnting a really nice lip synch version so that Webster Tarpley will say really nice things about Obama and those who are in control of him

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knJV4fBCm3Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuS1LReRI-E&

Tony

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Is that I met an old friend of mine who had just got back from Afghanistan

He does things like Aid Projects in Poor parts of Africa and South America

He travels out - usually by himself to some really poor remote part of the World - risking his life just to get there

And he talks to all the officials (some very high up in Government) and he deals with the local police corruption as best as he can (he ain't rich - he went to Africa travelling by himself in a beat up old Ford Mondeo)

And he comes back with all the information - about the practicalities of doing it - and then sets about raising as much money - and getting the practical industrial help and supplies and a team of people to do it - and goes back and does it

They do things like cleaning "hospitals" and providing basic health education and providing clean water and repairing "schools" and providing basic sports equipment and providing tons of books and writing material

Now you can call my mate a cunt if you like because he spent a year with "coalition forces" in Afghanistan if you like - but you haven't yet heard what he has to say about it - and he has not yet updated his website

http://www.jockandthebeanstalk.com/

And I really wanted to know what he had to say about his experiences in Pakistan and Afghanistan - but when he mentioned that the situation became incredibly dangerous and he ended up travelling with the coalition forces - the atmosphere in the pub got extremely heavy against him

I didn't get a chance to speak to him any further

However he is doing a two hour Presentation in a top London Hotel next week

He might actually have invited us - if he had got the chance to do so

But now I have found out even more about US/UK involvement in Afghanistan

I reckon I will have to cut my hair and wear a posh suit - and say - yes he is our friend to the security - and get them to contact him - and I know that if he gets the message he will allow us in

And there is a "Cash Bar"

And I won't smoke

So at the end of the lecture which will obviously be in fromt of the main establishment - his mates from the BBC etc

I might actually get a chance to ask some embarrassing questions on camera

Not that I would embarrass him

But he does owe me a couple of pints

Tony

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10 years ago in the UK I used to post under the handle compo

There was this guy who completely hated me and everything I posted

But I respected him and his views - and hey he was funny too

And then once he went completely overboard and gave me a really hard time - it was only words - but some of the stuff he posted was deemed by the moderator as evil

How could his words hurt me?

He was just an old Scottish guy typing behind a computer screen

And so BigChin got banned

I pleaded with the moderator to re-instate him

But the moderator wouldn't let him post again

So I thought fuck this

And I committed the unforgivable sin

Something that you simply were not allowed to do on the internet 10 years ago

I posted my handle and my password

And at first posters were shocked

And a few just tried as a little test

posted by compo

test

posting under the handle

compo - was incredibly difficult for most posters to do - it was like - we are cheating

And then a few hours later

Everyone was posting under the handle

compo

Every post

was from

compo

It was the most hilarious thing I have ever seen on the internet

I got banned

And completely gave up posting for 6 months

And then came back

as

opmoc

Tony

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The surest way to get a

Best Seller

Be it a

Book

a

Song

or

a

Computer Game

is

to

try

and

Ban

It

If it is good enough to be banned it is good enough to sell in MILLIONS all over the World

What are you trying to censor

The Truth About The Obama Administration

And before you start having a go at people like Mike

Get off your own fucking arse and do something useful and good

Its a big world out there

And you can travel

Seriously

If you really want to get there

You Can

If You Try

You might not be able to change the World - but you can find out for yourself what the World is really like - rather than watching the TV and believing everything you read about how dangerous the world is

You ain't going to be protected by hiding behind your sofa eating shit

You need to get out and try and change the world YOURSELF

You are a Human Being

Why are you behaving like a slug?

Tony

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One of the things I haven't seen mentioned in the context of this article is rent gouging by rotten landlords. Roommates are fine and good and in fact, landlords count on them so they can charge more for two and three bedroom apartments, but tenants need some protection from the landlords who exploit them. I have been a renter for all of my adult life (45 years) and bad landlords are definitely in the majority. Most of them are just out for as much money as they can extract from the tenants for as little value as possible. Here in Sacramento CA which is no great shakes, a one bedroom starts at over $700 and that's likely a pretty shabby cheapie box with few amenities and probably no central heat or outdoor space. You might get a bit cheaper if you go out to the boonies where there is no public transportation. There are NO EFFECTIVE CONTROLS of any kind on landlords and really no consequences for being a slumlord unless the place burns down around you due to neglect and then you are dead and don't care anyway. Landlords here feel that they can raise rents in this economic crisis because more people will be renting due to foreclosures and inability to get loans.
Until cities and towns are willing to pass laws to rein in greedy and unethical landlords, these situations will continue. Once in a while you get a decent landlord and they will do the right thing without oversight but THEY ARE RARE. Probably landlords will be posting rebuttals to this, but believe me I know of whence I speak!

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The British Way is to send teenagers in - just as a part of their normal school course growing up

That's what English teenagers do in their school holidays

They don't go out to fight - they go out to build schools and paint stuff and make friends in poor third world countries

And then when they get older

They do things like join Oxfam and go out and put back together

All the FUCKING DEVASTATION

THAT YOU AMERICANS CAUSE

You Fucking Wankers

Tony

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There are several causes of being stuck like that

#1 Bad major or no marketable skills

#2 Everyone has taken a pay hit . In such an economy the only things you can raise prices on are housing and food. Everything else people can do with less.

#3 Immigration, legal and illegal Most new immigrants live in magnet cities. This pushes rents through the roof.

If we don't find a fix pretty soon I can guarantee we won't like the results. The more people who live in cities the faster the population of educated people falls.

Its not a bad thing in the short run but unchecked it will wreck a country.

We'd better fix the roommate situation pretty quick if we wo

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American and British Armed Forces Could Stop Using Their Drones To Kill Wedding Parties

And send all their weapons

To the Conversion Plant Built in Afghanistan

That Converts all the guns and bombs

into weapons of survival

Spades to dig the earth

Nuclear Energy To Provide The Power To Drive The Force For Good instead of evil

Clean energy and water

And good education

Paricularly for girls so that they have the power over their own sexuality and have the skills and desire to have no more than one or two children

And turn our world into a nice place where we can all live in peace

But changing American's minds is rather a tough job

Because they think the entire World Hates Them

Which is Because The Entire World Hates Them

Because They are so completely Utterley and Completely STUPID

Sorry to give you the bad news

The Rest Of The World Really Does Not Like Americans

We Judge You on What You Do

Only You Can Change

You Can Start To Build Rather Than Destroy

But that is up to you

If you don't change

The rest of us will sit back and sadly watch you while you destroy yourself

We are not like you - we just want to get on with our lives and live in peace

Not live in Hatred and Fear

You need to change

Tony

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Life is not a TV show and everybody doesn't get to live in Manhattan or see the Golden gate Bridge out the window. There are more affordable places to live than any place on Manhattan Island- The Bronx for example. Oakland would serve a similar purpose for SanFran.

The whole argument is kind of like whining about why Porsches are so damned expensive, asking when will sanitation workers ever be able to afford one. There are gazillions of small towns and smaller cities that are much more affordable.

Whatever happened to living within one's means? A common problem among slackers and the generations following is that they expect to leave college and move right into the lifestyle their parents have after 25-30 years of hard work. Earth to slackers- most 22 year olds don't drive BMW's, live in Manhattan and wear designer clothes on a teacher's salary.

Now that the Rethugnicans, DINOs and others have stolen the country blind and crashed the economy a little re-calibration of expectations is in order.

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I'm a 26 years old female and I've shared living space with 41 other people, not counting the 30-some sorority sisters I lived with at one point.

I've had good roommates and bad roommates, and the bad roommates made me wish I could afford not to have roommates. But the good roommates have been my guardian angels at times, and right now with a boyfriend on another continent and every single close girl friend of mine in a serious/live-in relationship, it's nice to come home to a cozy shared space with two other 20-something unmarried girls. They are Craigslist roommates, might I add, who turned out to be amazing. I think I'd be lonely without them.

A few of the bad roommates have really shaken my sense of stability in life at various points. It's hard when you don't want to go outside your room for fear of an unpleasant confrontation with someone. But it made me stronger and indeed taught me a lot about people and dealing with sensitive situations. The first comment to this article resonates with me in the sense that opening up to living with strangers prevents you from just sinking into the depths of your own little world. It is healthy to be reminded in a very real way every day of other people's existence. America has become too separated by white picket fences and people have become too focused on their own individual lives to the exclusion of their community and the wider world.

I recommend the movie "L'Auberge Espanole" (The Spanish Apartment) to anyone who has ever studied abroad and lived with other foreign students....priceless.

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Baby boomers were also the source of hippies, communes, and back-to-the-land thinking, along with permaculture and recycling. Oh yes, and those "boomers" kept renewable energy alive during the neocon years. Sorry to tell ya, the boomers are likely to do very well in the coming upheavals.

Maybe they'll rent you a room -- boomers make damn good roommates. Though I'm not sure I'd want you as a roommate -- your nasty little post is shortage thinking at its most extreme.

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___________________
video converter for mac

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