Happened to come across the following blog post earlier today:
http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/article/520657/The-U.S.-Middle-Class-Is-Being-Systematically-Wiped-Out:-Heres-the-Stats-to-Prove-It
According to a certain "Michael Snyder", we are fast dissolving into a deep division between the poor and the rich, with the compromise middle class slowly being torn into two halves.
Hmm. I'm not so sure. I would guess that the majority, if not a supermajority of RHPers would fall into the "middle class" description. While the rich may be getting richer, an idea supported by the article and supposed "statistics", that doesn't necessarily weaken the "poor's" impact, or even the existence of a middle class. It seems that it would be more accurate to say the poor (and subsequent lower and upper middle classes) are in fact getting richer, but getting richer more slowly than the very richest, who are pulling away from everyone else.
Is that a bad thing, though? Would you rather live in a world where you have a slightly larger house, slightly more possessions, and slightly more comfort if you knew that your next door neighbor has a disproportionately larger amount of all of those? Or in a world where you're as rich as you are today, never improving, but safe in the knowledge that you're more wealthy neighbor ain't getting much richer, nor is that much richer than you anyway?
Originally posted by abejnoodusually when the rich get richer, the difference comes mainly from the pockets of the middle class and the poor. the only other source for the money is growth of GDP, and it's safe to say there hasn't been much of that going around the last few years.
Happened to come across the following blog post earlier today:
http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/article/520657/The-U.S.-Middle-Class-Is-Being-Systematically-Wiped-Out:-Heres-the-Stats-to-Prove-It
According to a certain "Michael Snyder", we are fast dissolving into a deep division between the poor and the rich, with the compromise middle class slow althy neighbor ain't getting much richer, nor is that much richer than you anyway?
why is it a problem? -not because the rich get richer nor because the middle class is vanishing. but because the poor get even crappier end of the stick than before. disease, suffering & death.
furthermore, history knows no example in which the continued extreme division of wealth between classes hasn't been equalized sooner or later. and it has almost invariably happened together with a massive blood bath. more disease, suffering & death. then it starts all over again...
Originally posted by abejnoodYour in the wrong forum and cut out the class envy BS
Happened to come across the following blog post earlier today:
http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/article/520657/The-U.S.-Middle-Class-Is-Being-Systematically-Wiped-Out:-Heres-the-Stats-to-Prove-It
According to a certain "Michael Snyder", we are fast dissolving into a deep division between the poor and the rich, with the compromise middle class slow ...[text shortened]... althy neighbor ain't getting much richer, nor is that much richer than you anyway?
Originally posted by abejnoodThe Left wing, progressive, MoveOn.org, Daily Kos, Huffington crowd..... its been that way here for 5 years at least
I think "General" forum is better than the "Debate" forum because General will, for this issue, be a larger sample of random, or normal people. Debate forum probably slants towards a certain class group.
Originally posted by abejnoodreally? when I was a kid, my father worked in a paper mill, and earned enough money to put a roof over our heads, food on the table and sandals on our socked feet. in fact most house holds could subsist on a single income. Now the majority of house holds need duel incomes to maintain the kind of lifestyle America enjoyed 35 years ago. The ability to by cheap disposable consumer goods (read as electronics) does not make us richer. The food quality was better then, now everything is over processed, literacy rates were higher because mom tutored the kids, clothing was better made and lasted longer (I was the youngest and got LOTS of hand me downs), now clothes won't last 6 months. People didn't need or hardly ever use credit cards.
Happened to come across the following blog post earlier today:
http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/article/520657/The-U.S.-Middle-Class-Is-Being-Systematically-Wiped-Out:-Heres-the-Stats-to-Prove-It
According to a certain "Michael Snyder", we are fast dissolving into a deep division between the poor and the rich, with the compromise middle class slow althy neighbor ain't getting much richer, nor is that much richer than you anyway?
you are young so it is difficult for you to imagine how lifestyles have changed in the last 35-40 years, but the truth is the middle-class is definitely shrinking
Originally posted by duecerBang on, I can't think of a single thing to disagree with there! ( I don't think we knew what a credit card was.)
really? when I was a kid, my father worked in a paper mill, and earned enough money to put a roof over our heads, food on the table and sandals on our socked feet. in fact most house holds could subsist on a single income. Now the majority of house holds need duel incomes to maintain the kind of lifestyle America enjoyed 35 years ago. The ability to by cheap ave changed in the last 35-40 years, but the truth is the middle-class is definitely shrinking
Dang it! 😠