Can Americans afford vacations anymore?

[Mike_Hunt]

1 hour ago, SiSePuede419 said:

That's what I said.  The majority of Americans are poor and can't afford to go anywhere except to go visit their Aunt Bertha because she just won $200 in the lottery and she's buying McDonald's for everyone. 😆

1) What's wrong with domestic travel?   The USA is a large country. 

2) What is your definition of poor?

[Mike_Hunt]

2 hours ago, SiSePuede419 said:

You can sit on a sidewalk and do fen.

You can beg for money.

You can carjack a car at a parking lot.

You can call American protestors "commies" and Soros supporters.

 

So much! 😀

WTF is wrong with you? 

[hotsun]

Id be more concerned about being a target in thailand. Most people there cant afford much anything anymore. Everyone is feeling inflation

[PoorSucker]

What was this topic about, lost it within 5 posts.

[SiSePuede419]

2 hours ago, Mike_Hunt said:

WTF is wrong with you? 

It's my fault the Farangs dog nipped at me, he said.  Karma or something, the Farang said.  I followed the Farang into 7, ashamed of myself.  How could I have been so evil in my past life that I deserved being bitten by his dog which was barking at me while he was laughing, assuring me it wouldn't bite.  HEY!  Your dog just bit me!  You said he wouldn't bite.  Haha, said the Farang.  It's just a Soi dog, he claims.  Hmmm, why the pedigree breed and collar then.

 

After I came out of the 7, I was carrying my iced coffee and snacks in one hand and cooly and calmly looked this dog in the eyes as it lay down waiting for it's owner inside.

 

And I swiftly kicked it in the face.

Karma. 🧘‍♀️

We're even Steven now, bad doggie. 😃

[Nick Carter icp]

5 hours ago, SiSePuede419 said:

This data was from 9 months ago?

You mean...

All data is from the past? 

Gee.

Because the future hasn't happened yet?

Wow.  So profound. 😄

 

   I was just pointing out that Trump wouldn't have been responsible , you will have to blame it on Joe Biden 

[SiSePuede419]

3 minutes ago, Nick Carter icp said:

I was just pointing out that Trump wouldn't have been responsible

When does Trump start being responsible for what he's been doing since January? 

 

C'mon.  Give us something.

 

You can't keep claiming he's new on the job forever, Mr. Clever Never.  🆕

[Nick Carter icp]

7 minutes ago, SiSePuede419 said:

When does Trump start being responsible for what he's been doing since January? 

C'mon.  Give us something.

You can't keep claiming he's new on the job forever, Mr. Clever Never.  🆕

 

   You posted an article and blamed Donald Trump without realising Biden was President when the report was published .

   You need to acknowledge your error  , retract the blaming of Trump and apportion blame to Biden .

   Can you bring yourself to do that ?

[Woke to Sounds]

6 hours ago, SiSePuede419 said:

The majority of Americans are poor and can't afford to go anywhere except to go visit their Aunt Bertha because she just won $200 in the lottery and she's buying McDonald's for everyone.

 

You are mocking this?  Pathetic.

[SiSePuede419]

49 minutes ago, Woke to Sounds said:

You are mocking this?  Pathetic.

No, Republicans are mocking this by pretending Trump didn't claim to fix inflation on Day One. 🤑

[SiSePuede419]

20 hours ago, daveAustin said:

Indeed and it is very beautiful, having done dozens of states back in the day.

Me, too. 

44 states, all over America.

Beautiful place.

Ain't disputing that.

 

Unfortunately, Republicans have been so busy destroying the middle class in America since 1981, only the wealthier people can even afford the gas money to go and see it.

 

Remember Motel 6?  It actually used to be $6 a night.  Have you checked the price lately?  And then to eat out?

 

No.

 

Poor people drag a boat to some mosquito infested lake and let the kids go waterskiing give them some pop and grill some burgers and hot dogs and call it a "staycation"

Yee haw.

Travel?

Who kin afford that 😄

[madone]

21 hours ago, SiSePuede419 said:

Thanks Donald Trump! 🙏

 right, because this happened overnight. 

American politics have been a dumpster fire for decades. Trump is the most vile of symptoms, not the underlying disease. 

[jas007]

18 minutes ago, SiSePuede419 said:

Unfortunately, Republicans have been so busy destroying the middle class in America since 1981, only the wealthier people can even afford the gas money to go and see it.

I think you should be blaming "politicians," not just Republicans.  The destruction of the middle class started long before 1981 and Ronald Reagan.  And both parties have contributed to the mess.  

 

Your train of thought is typical, though, of the current crop of Democrats. No matter what the problem, it's always "the Republicans" who ruin everything.  

[SiSePuede419]

4 minutes ago, jas007 said:

I think you should be blaming "politicians," not just Republicans.  The destruction of the middle class started long before 1981 and Ronald Reagan.  And both parties have contributed to the mess.

OK...

Politicians accepting money from rich people who don't want to pay taxes so we are forced to increase the debt to pay for tax cuts mostly for the already rich.  

And maybe anyone who supports Trump's next tax cut is "contributing to the mess", too right?

 

Know anyone who thinks that even though there's never been a tax cut in the past 21st century 25 long years now majority of them under Republicans ugh

that has produced long term economic prosperity only increased the debt...

 

That somehow someway Trump's next Big Tax Cut For The Mostly Rich will be all sparkles and pixie dust shooting out of Elon Musk's ass that will take everyone on earth on a magic rainbow to Mars...?!?

 

 

And then the drugs wear off. 😄

[jas007]

42 minutes ago, SiSePuede419 said:

OK...

Politicians accepting money from rich people who don't want to pay taxes so we are forced to increase the debt to pay for tax cuts mostly for the already rich.  

And maybe anyone who supports Trump's next tax cut is "contributing to the mess", too right?

 

Know anyone who thinks that even though there's never been a tax cut in the past 21st century 25 long years now majority of them under Republicans ugh

that has produced long term economic prosperity only increased the debt...

 

That somehow someway Trump's next Big Tax Cut For The Mostly Rich will be all sparkles and pixie dust shooting out of Elon Musk's ass that will take everyone on earth on a magic rainbow to Mars...?!?

 

 

And then the drugs wear off. 😄

 Like I said, blame them all.  I don't think for a second that the Fed ought to be lowering rates just so Trump can cut taxes.  But, the system is on the verge of collapse, so the Fed will eventually do what they always do, not to support any particular politician, but to keep the banking system from collapsing.  Remember, at the end of the day it's all about the Western banking system and US dollar's world reserve currency status.  And the Fed is owned by all the big banks. If the banking system collapses, we're all in trouble.  

 

So, I go with the flow. I watch what is happening and try to make the best of it.  Trump wants to cut taxes?  Fine.  Trump wants lower rates?  Not fine, but it'll happen one way or the other and I'll deal with it.  

[Mike_Hunt]

8 hours ago, SiSePuede419 said:

It's my fault the Farangs dog nipped at me, he said.  Karma or something, the Farang said.  I followed the Farang into 7, ashamed of myself.  How could I have been so evil in my past life that I deserved being bitten by his dog which was barking at me while he was laughing, assuring me it wouldn't bite.  HEY!  Your dog just bit me!  You said he wouldn't bite.  Haha, said the Farang.  It's just a Soi dog, he claims.  Hmmm, why the pedigree breed and collar then.

 

After I came out of the 7, I was carrying my iced coffee and snacks in one hand and cooly and calmly looked this dog in the eyes as it lay down waiting for it's owner inside.

 

And I swiftly kicked it in the face.

Karma. 🧘‍♀️

We're even Steven now, bad doggie. 😃

You have got to be the dumbest poster on this site. 

[Mike_Hunt]

5 hours ago, SiSePuede419 said:

OK...

Politicians accepting money from rich people who don't want to pay taxes so we are forced to increase the debt to pay for tax cuts mostly for the already rich.  

And maybe anyone who supports Trump's next tax cut is "contributing to the mess", too right?

 

Know anyone who thinks that even though there's never been a tax cut in the past 21st century 25 long years now majority of them under Republicans ugh

that has produced long term economic prosperity only increased the debt...

 

That somehow someway Trump's next Big Tax Cut For The Mostly Rich will be all sparkles and pixie dust shooting out of Elon Musk's ass that will take everyone on earth on a magic rainbow to Mars...?!?

 

 

And then the drugs wear off. 😄

The actual cause of debt is too much spending. 

[BLMFem]

On 3/21/2025 at 5:49 PM, Mike_Hunt said:

There are many things to do in the USA without leaving the country.   

You're right. One could for instance go looking for Teslas and Tesla dealerships. More and more people seem to be getting into that.

[TedG]

7 hours ago, SiSePuede419 said:

No, Republicans are mocking this by pretending Trump didn't claim to fix inflation on Day One. 🤑

Inflation was down in February. 

[Oliver Holzerfilled]

On 3/21/2025 at 4:00 AM, daveAustin said:

Indeed and it is very beautiful, having done dozens of states back in the day. However, most Americans don't really seem to travel since they tend to have scant knowledge of the outside world, or think it's beyond them, or too expensive, or too difficult etc. It's bizarre that the richest nation has its 'normal' folk having generally the least amount of vacation time allotted to them (is it even paid?) in the western world, then there's the whole paying through the nose for medical and the ridiculous tipping culture thing. What's the point in being super rich and 'the best' if you can't have time off and enjoy life? Not a dig at the place, and it's nowt to do with Trump, it's always been that way, but it's all a bit fugged up!

 

True the amount of vacation allotted, distances and high costs are factors.  But still Pew Research stated in 2023 - "Roughly three-quarters of Americans (76%) have visited at least one other country, including 26% who have been to five or more. About a quarter (23%) have not traveled internationally, though most in this group say they would if they had the opportunity."

 

Many Americans own an automobile which they can use for vacation travel.

 

A trip from a major European city like Madrid or Paris covering the same distance from New York to California would cross multiple countries on a bus, train or automobile trip.

 

Honolulu - Kahului was second busiest USA domestic route in 2024 with over 3 million seats, so over three million just within Hawaii.  LAX - Honolulu or LAX - Miami is ~ 5 to 6 hours flight time.  Other than for sex why would most American males travel 20+ hours to Thailand for vacation from the USA?   And it's too much hassle in most cases for a family to do it although many do it to Europe/Mexico/Canada since the flights are much shorter.  Many Europeans must travel internationally for a tropical vacation whether it is a normal family vacation to the Mediterranean Coast or incels looking for sex in Thailand/Cambodia/Philippines.      

 

JFK - Heathrow is the only international flight in the top 10 busiest international routes in 2024 that touches Europe/UK with over 4 million passengers.  LAX - Heathrow is over 2 million.  A fair amount of the JFK traffic is business travel but it still leaves a large leisure segment.

[TedG]

2 hours ago, Oliver Holzerfilled said:

 

 

A trip from a major European city like Madrid or Paris covering the same distance from New York to California would cross multiple countries on a bus, train or automobile trip.

 

When I lived in Northern California, it took over 10 hours to drive from the North Coast to LA.  

 

 

 

 

[TedG]

10 hours ago, SiSePuede419 said:

OK...

Politicians accepting money from rich people who don't want to pay taxes so we are forced to increase the debt to pay for tax cuts mostly for the already rich.  

And maybe anyone who supports Trump's next tax cut is "contributing to the mess", too right?

😄

 

The data does not support your post.   

 

https://taxfoundation.org/data/all/federal/latest-federal-income-tax-data-2024/

 

 

[TedG]

10 hours ago, SiSePuede419 said:

OK...

Politicians accepting money from rich people who don't want to pay taxes so we are forced to increase the debt to pay for tax cuts mostly for the already rich.  

And maybe anyone who supports Trump's next tax cut is "contributing to the mess", too right?

 

 

The real source of debt and deficit is excessive government spending. If you look at the spending graph, you will note that spending went up during COVID-19 and never returned to the old baseline.    Looking at the revenue graph, you will see that in 2022, Joe Biden recorded revenues and still had a considerable deficit.   This was because he and the Dems kept on spending after COVID ended.   Note that revenues tanked in 2023 and 2024 under Joe Biden. 

 

The USA will continue to have huge deficits if the current spending levels are maintained. 

 

 

[KhunLA]

Certainly they can and do holiday.  Yanks just don't need to travel that far for a diverse holiday or quality location.   The Americas offer most things the rest of the world offers, much closer and less expensive to get to.

 

I grew up poor, and didn't have much money, and before working for the airlines, and visited more than half the states of the USA.  Going west, a more northern route, and returning a more southern route.  Pennsylvania to California.  Up & down the east coast.  Where and when is all a bit weather dependent.  

 

USA being about the same size as Europe, and that's before the wall came down, and points eastward were available. 

 

The Americas have great beaches, high mountains (west), nice hills (east).  If leaving, just a couple hours away, have the Caribbean islands, Mexico, and that's before S. America.   Northward, have Canada & Alaska if wanting to freeze your butt off. or chill in the hottest summers.

[SiSePuede419]

18 hours ago, Mike_Hunt said:

The actual cause of debt is too much spending.

Correct!!!!

 

Spending too much

On tax cuts for Billionaires

And taxing them

Too little 👍

 

 

 

B-I-N-G-O 😭

[Presnock]

On 3/21/2025 at 3:45 PM, Mike_Hunt said:

This all started in Jan 2025?

Started with the latest generations of educating them for the older economy and not the current one.  Many of them also did AI jobs and created machines that cost less than them so they lost their jobs too.  On top of that, O & Co. told all of them that they needed a college degree in order to get a good job so they got degrees in liberal arts or something along those lines but at the same time to  go to the colleges, they got HUGE loans which they cannot begin repaying yet as they didn't find any worthwhile jobs.  Houses which used to be the dream of all are now costing way beyond the salaries available.  Houses are only owned by the baby boomers nowadays.  Citizens in many of the large US cities are relocating to states without the high taxes so many places with high prices just remain unsold.  If empty, squatters will move in as there are so many homeless now throughout many of the states, especially those run by democrats.  

[Presnock]

On 3/22/2025 at 11:10 AM, Nick Carter icp said:

 

   I was just pointing out that Trump wouldn't have been responsible , you will have to blame it on Joe Biden 

Have to blame it on several of our leaders including Trump the first time.

[BKKKevin]

Most Americans can't afford an Eggs Benedict & Champagne brunch... 

[SiSePuede419]

52 minutes ago, Presnock said:

Started with the latest generations of educating them for the older economy and not the current one.  Many of them also did AI jobs and created machines that cost less than them so they lost their jobs too.  On top of that, O & Co. told all of them that they needed a college degree in order to get a good job so they got degrees in liberal arts or something along those lines but at the same time to  go to the colleges, they got HUGE loans which they cannot begin repaying yet as they didn't find any worthwhile jobs.  Houses which used to be the dream of all are now costing way beyond the salaries available.  Houses are only owned by the baby boomers nowadays.  Citizens in many of the large US cities are relocating to states without the high taxes so many places with high prices just remain unsold.  If empty, squatters will move in as there are so many homeless now throughout many of the states, especially those run by democrats.  

Blaming Obama and Democrats ignores the historical reality that the biggest barriers to affordable education have come from policies favoring privatization, corporate profit, and reduced public investment—core tenets of modern Republican economics.

 

It’s a classic case of misplaced blame and historical revisionism.

 

The rising cost of education in the U.S. has been driven by decades of policy decisions, many of which were pushed by Republicans favoring privatization, reduced public funding for higher education, and predatory lending practices.

 

1. State Budget Cuts – Republican-led states have repeatedly slashed funding for public universities, forcing schools to raise tuition. This trend began well before Obama and has continued under GOP-controlled legislatures.

 

2. Student Loan Industry Influence – Policies deregulating student lending, often backed by Republican lawmakers, allowed private lenders to exploit students with high-interest loans. The Obama administration attempted to curb this with reforms like expanding income-driven repayment plans.

 

3. For-Profit College Boom – Under GOP-backed deregulation, predatory for-profit schools flourished, saddling students with debt for often worthless degrees. Obama cracked down on these institutions, but Betsy DeVos, Trump’s Education Secretary, rolled back those protections.

 

4. Pell Grant and Loan Subsidy Cuts – GOP lawmakers have consistently opposed expanding federal student aid. The Budget Control Act of 2011, which was a Republican-driven austerity measure, cut loan subsidies for graduate students.

 

In short, Republicans have done NOTHING to make education more affordable, much less a simple family vacation more affordable. ✅

 

[Harrisfan]

52 minutes ago, Presnock said:

Have to blame it on several of our leaders including Trump the first time.

Biden inflation worst since Carter lol

Trump had low inflation

Thanks Biden!