The 22 statistics detailed here prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the middle class is being systematically wiped out of existence in America.
The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer at a staggering rate. Once upon a time, the United States had the largest and most prosperous middle class in the history of the world, but now that is changing at a blinding pace.
So why are we witnessing such fundamental changes? Well, the globalism and “free trade” that our politicians and business leaders insisted would be so good for us have had some rather nasty side effects. It turns out that they didn’t tell us that the “global economy” would mean that middle class American workers would eventually have to directly compete for jobs with people on the other side of the world where there is no minimum wage and very few regulations. The big global corporations have greatly benefited by exploiting third world labor pools over the last several decades, but middle class American workers have increasingly found things to be very tough
Found by QB.
Conservatism did this.
I know some of you hate me for calling you out, but it’s true.
Conservatives have systematically worked to shift the middle class downward. And make the rich richer.
Haven’t liberals been saying this for twenty years if not longer? I’m sure they’ll be saying this in another 20 years.
If there is anything that is attacking the middle class it is policies that make middle class life more expensive, like energy taxes, car mileage mandates and the like.
Seems to be the case. It’s been hard to get a well paying job, even if you have the skills. Those jobs have headed to the third world, where the pay rates are a fraction of what we were paid in the past.
Result? people are buying (for instance) used cars instead of new ones.
Communism did this.
I know some of you hate me for calling you out, but it’s true.
Communists have systematically worked to shift the middle class downward. And make the rich richer.
~ism’s did this.
I know some of you hate me for calling you out, but it’s true.
~ism’s have systematically worked to shift the middle class downward. And make the rich richer.
There is always that outcry that “third world s getting our jobs”. But, same as farming business claims that they need cheap labor – this is fake. It is just a symptom of refusal to proceed from the point where past good economy have delivered us to the future by NOT doing the same old. Farming must go to much more industrialized phase in USA or it will not be viable. Many other industries need to completely die out. New industries must be developed. Eco-solar crowd supported by present admin. is a tiny fraction of that new wave, which in order to prevail needs exactly what current admin. is not willing to give: extreme deregulation. Examples: communications, nuclear industry, biotech – all hold extreme possibilities but only if let alone to prosper without BigBrother squatting on their backs. There are future middle class jobs.
Globalism did this. The “middle class” is a phenomenon that only exists in certain “Western” parts of the world, while developing countries aspire to it – but the weight of global demographics is not on the side of the middle class.
I believe JCD is acquainted with Jerry Pournelle (e.g. TWiT), who’s fond of citing Aristotle on the importance of a middle class in maintaining a “polity” e,g. http://jerrypournelle.com/archives2/archives2view/view255.html . Aristotle’s “polity” can be described as a mix of pure democracy and oligarchy, something like the “bicameral” (2 house) systems in effect in the USA, UK and elsewhere – which is not a coincidence, considering how influential Aristotle was on Enlightenment constitutional scholars.
The US no longer has any kind of comparative advantage in terms of industry; this is to be expected as the rest of the world finds economic parity.
If you don’t want to be taxed or regulated? By all means, please leave. But be aware that as other countries continue to develop, they’ll come to resemble the US more and more.
I’d really love to see Goldman Sachs move wholesale to China, and more to the point, I think they should be made to do so. You wanna live here? You play by the same rules as everybody else.
In a capitalist system..
Something interesting must happen.
SPENDING.
I like those that STATE..
1% of the US pays more taxes then 60% of the US..
THATS not the point.
In a capitalist system, its THOSE with the greatest BUYING/purchasing power that WIN. And those 60% paying LESS taxes, are also Purchasing MORE. And in EACH purchase, we are paying TAXES.
The problem?? the MONEY has stopped ON THE TOP. and the corps have LEARNED a few tricks.
If all you can see/buy is CRAP, you will buy CRAP.
If I can add 1% more milk to this chocolate, I can save money and MAKE MORE MONEY.
If I can substitute another CHEAPER product/ingredient I can MAKE MORE MONEY.
And TONS MORE..
But the money/profit EARNED was not shared DOWN the line.
In a different line of thought..The MARKUP value was so high, it was like we were handing money DIRECT to them.
sMALL COMPANIES In the USA have to deal with Distributors. but the Major companies can deal DIRECT with the maker. They can make DEALS that the smaller companies cant. Im not talking about a SMALL amount. The Major companies can get MOST things down by 1/2 the price the Small company can get a product.
NOW,
with all our jobs over seas..What are the corps doing HERE? They are importers and Distribution. THATS ALL.
Why not SHIP THE REST of the corp, OVER seas. let them deal with the OTHER countries law and regulations, AND WAGES.
Bring the Foreign Maker, HERE as a distributor. We are buying his goods ANYWAY. and if he is HERE, he can start his own companies..
What COULD save us??
How about Being able to BUY a product at the BEST PRICE?
I love the internet. BUT.. I want those makers in Asia, to install THEIR OWN SITES in ENGLISH.
Do you know how many would JUMP to purchases from Taiwan?? NOT paying USA prices.
Anyone want to run with this?? I want $0.01 per purchase.
Networth 2008 870K
Networth 2010 5K
Just a small medical bill, a job loss, spouse passing, loss of a home, chapter 7 and…my family of four is not middle class any longer.
WoW! This is a surprise. I never noticed! All you fu*kers voting Republican need to read this closely and understand that the tax cuts which encouraged it, and the bills themselves were supported by your votes. Seems kind of appropriate that the people that supported the candidates that enacted these policies and laws, are also the ones that have been affected negatively the most. Unfortunately, they are also the ones blaming the commy Democrats for it and the ones they call “Tea Party” followers.
Its what the rich always wanted….an idyllic society compared to North Korea.
An ultra-rich upper class, a destitute poor powerless lower class, and a police state to ensure there is no dissent or revolution.
While Dear Leader sips his $3000 aged whisky, the people starve.
Yes its truly a corporate paradise.
There is a strange dichotomy here that isn’t being emphasized enough. While I would agree that businesses want to get things done cheaper (so the execs can take home more money), in order for these businesses to survive, people actually have to be buying their products/services. If consumers cannot afford them, longer term, business is only hurting itself. Depriving locals of jobs in favor of off-shoring is tantamount to removing spending power from the market that will keep money flowing back *into* the business sector. I’m very curious to see what kind of effect this continued trend will have.
15 EIGHTH..
yOU ARE CLOSE.
But if CHOICE was an option, it would be nice.
FOOD? not much choice.
Cars? All made about the same.
Goods at wallmart compared to other stores? SAME.
Did you know that a Washing machine, can be made with 5 versions and Product numbers. Its the same machine, just different buttons. So that when they SAY, they will match a Price..They KNOW they wont have to.
This is the root cause of the financial crisis. If we all had living-wage paying jobs there would not have been the pump up of debt to use house equity as income. I am of the opinion that the banks just followed an opportunity allowed by regulation removal and money creation. If Greenspan had done a Volcker he would have been replaced, he was following what the crowd wanted.
Grandpa, #13..
It takes more then a FEW to make this mess.
It takes longer then 1.5 years to make this happen.
1 president makes VERY LITTLE IMPACT on 300 idiots in congress and representatives..
There is so MUCH PORK in washington…
They need NOTHING TO SCREW US..
The IDEALS in washington is GONE.
These folks are HERE/THERE for the money.
you will NEVER see a greater actor, then those that represent us.
yawn. So our fear is that Americans have to compete with other people? Sounds like other people are getting a chance to improve themselves.
Work hard, think hard, always look at ways to make yourself more marketable, and (for crying out loud!) quit blaming the world for your failures
I hope the ‘Produce the Note’ movement catches on fast.
Consider what the banks are up to.
Fraud Part Two — claim ownership of foreclosed houses. They unsold their ownership rights.
Stay in your house, you have a moral duty to do so.
#19
Ok so you can live on a buck a day. WEll done.
The economy ran out of steam in circa 1967, and has been slowly using up its momentum since then.
Regan bought a big head of steam by running up a massive debt through defense spending.
Bush Sr. pulled back government waste while liberating Kuwait and shipping US jobs to Mexico under NAFTA.
Clinton took Government’s controls away and gave Big Bad China most favored Nation trading status while Greenspan fostered irrational exhuberance though saying otherwise.
Bush Jr. put us back in war while propping up the housing “economy” to stem the tide of losses from the “dot com” bubble burst.
Obama just makes speeches Encouraging A Government Spending Bubble while Goldman Sachs writes the banking laws behind closed doors.
That cartoon is a massively overspimplified view of economics.
Sone guy on C-SPAN Radion last night (3:00 am EDT) said his book explains why we should impose a 30% tax on all imported goods. His reasoning seemed sound.
My problem with the middle class is that we all seem so much dumber that the middle class was when I was a kid ~40 years ago.
Sparkyone: What is your plan to lift yourself up by your bootstraps?????
The middle class is going extinct world-wide.
This is the problem China faces, that they cannot raise domestic consumption. Slave labour are not consumers.
The middle class pay tax, provide professional services, foster communities through education and families, provide new leaders with a vested interest in the status quo. This is why they must all be eliminated.
We have no chance of competing in the global market by doing anything that is labor intensive. We just won’t work for the wages needed to compete nor will the “undocumented” aliens. I think the entertainment industry is about all we have that can be globally competitive.
We have based our economy on consumers for so long we are dependent upon people buying things not making them. Look how important the Christmas season is and it has nothing to do with religion. But we have reached the point where we are running out of sheeple to buy stuff. They don’t have jobs anymore or the education for the future ones.
I am old enough to remember when the husband was the wage earner. Then the wives started to get jobs to buy stuff like a television. Soon everyone in the family had to work to pay for crap or exorbitant interest.
It looks to me like the only way out of this is a really painful adjustment.
#25..
yes we can..
but FIRST..
those EXTRA profit have to be placed someplace.
Cost of Goods made in Taiwan compared to the USA, SAME PRODUCT is 10 times the price in the USA.
FAIR PRODUCT/FAIR PRICE
Wages on the top 10% of the USA, is EQUAL to the bottom 60%..CUT those wages.
Fair work/Fair wages
And if you REALLY want a fix?
Everyone gets the same wage, except for Dangerous jobs and Jobs NO-ONE wants to do.
ECA, you propose that we all work for nothing, and that no matter what we do, our work is not worth more than a bottom wage earner.
OK, you first! That is, if you have ever had a job.
Based on the way you write, I’d guess you never worked in a job that required an “education”. Further, you want everyone else to be worked in such a manner that they too will never become educated. Generous aren’t you?
I agree that we are overpaid in the US; even people who are on unemployment (the new Welfare) live like kings compared to 4-5 billion people with which we share the planet. This can be corrected by adjusting the value of the dollar or import taxes.
However, creating a system that punishes people who wish to contribute through self improvement and hard work is a plan to kill us all.
You are a Maoist I think.
Father?
Think about it.
A set value for a job.
you wont look for a job, you dont WANT. You would DO the job you wanted.
Also, that education would NOT limit you. AS they WONT be charging you $40K per year.
Unions PUSHING for higher wages and MORE benefits? wont happen.
cost of food, drugs, cars, Everything will go DOWN and the price range will FLATTEN..
And going to College does NOT mean your job is worth more than Anyone elses, NOT does it guarantee you a JOB, in your course of education. MOST NEVER get the job they went to school for.
AND the corps that hires 1 smart person and 100 monkeys, PAYS the same amount if they hire 101 SMART PEOPLE.
Want MORE, or do you REALLY think your job is better(more important) then ANYONE ELSES???
ECA,
All that I’m hearing from you is: “I don’t want to pay anyone more than I make.”
So, in your world, a self-professed Witchdoctor is just as good as a traditional Medical Doctor that has spent $500,000 on his or her education. You would prefer the Witchdoctor because he is cheaper (eventough he kills you with a misdiagnosis).
#28–ECA==I like the emphasis on the common humanity that your express, but how can it possibly work?
compare a ditch digger to a brain surgeon. Society does need both but unless one is paid to go to school the same as a ditch digger is paid to dig ditches, why should someone go without income for 8 years while they study/train to dig in the brain? In essence, why is digging in the dirt worth 8 more years of income than one who digs in brains?
It true the LIEberTARDS and Repugs are stealing from the poor, middle class, and rich in a massive income shirt to the super rich, but should we focus on the excesses at the super rich end rather than introduce a system of wage parity that has never worked anywhere in time and place?
Your thoughts?
ECA,
I think you misunderstand the point of a university education.
The point of a university education is to learn new things and to have someone grade (effectively correcting) your work.
This educational system allows the students to make mistakes, and learn from those mistakes, in an environment where those mistakes had no pratical consequences. That is, Universities are a mental playground where students learn how to improve their thinking, writing, etc., where a mistake doesn’t cost someone his or her job.
It doesn’t matter if the students work in a field related to what they studied; it only matters whether they learned how to be more effective at the job they have (with respect to people who hadn’t attended a university).