Ever Wonder What Happened To The Middle Class

[Steelplate]

And it looks even worse for the Middle Class!

Census shows 1 in 2 people are poor or low-income

WASHINGTON — Squeezed by rising living costs, a record number of Americans — nearly 1 in 2 — have fallen into poverty or are scraping by on earnings that classify them as low income.

The latest census data depict a middle class that's shrinking as unemployment stays high and the government's safety net frays. The new numbers follow years of stagnating wages for the middle class that have hurt millions of workers and families.

"Safety net programs such as food stamps and tax credits kept poverty from rising even higher in 2010, but for many low-income families with work-related and medical expenses, they are considered too 'rich' to qualify," said Sheldon Danziger, a University of Michigan public policy professor who specializes in poverty.

"The reality is that prospects for the poor and the near poor are dismal," he said. "If Congress and the states make further cuts, we can expect the number of poor and low-income families to rise for the next several years."

Congressional Republicans and Democrats are sparring over legislation that would renew a Social Security payroll tax cut, part of a year-end political showdown over economic priorities that could also trim unemployment benefits, freeze federal pay and reduce entitlement spending.
Census shows 1 in 2 people are poor or low-income - Columbia Missourian

With this trend, soon people will be complaining that 60% don't pay taxes, while blaming the victims of years of being held back by the economics of this country's policies and globalization .

Yeah... I saw that too... Long live the American dream.

 

[kwc57]

Let's review a few facts

1) ReaganBush41 cut taxes for the wealthiest Americans and quadrupled the national debt

2) Bill Clinton raised taxes back to where they had been and balanced the budget

3) George W. Bush cut taxes twice using reconciliation to block opposition and doubled the debt again

Trillions of dollars of borrowed money was transferred to the richest Americans via lower tax rates

I entered the work force full time back in 1980 making $900 per month. 31 years later, I'm making 7 times that amount. It was easy. Anyone could do it. Still can. It's all about the choices you make. Luck isn't involved.

 

[kiwiman127]

Let's review a few facts

1) ReaganBush41 cut taxes for the wealthiest Americans and quadrupled the national debt

2) Bill Clinton raised taxes back to where they had been and balanced the budget

3) George W. Bush cut taxes twice using reconciliation to block opposition and doubled the debt again

Trillions of dollars of borrowed money was transferred to the richest Americans via lower tax rates

I entered the work force full time back in 1980 making $900 per month. 31 years later, I'm making 7 times that amount. It was easy. Anyone could do it. Still can. It's all about the choices you make. Luck isn't involved.

Back in 1980, we didn't have globalization. Even in the 90's it wasn't such a big deal as it started to really effect wages hard in the last decade. Almost as many jobs were created offshore as were created domestically from 2000-2010. And it's a fact that during the same time period wages were completely flat. Every fact backs me up.
The marketplace for good paying jobs is calling for more and more college educated workers, yet college education is pricing itself out of the reach of the Middle Class. That drives the Middle Class towards trade schools. Now that will help the Middle Class some but consider this, America has become a "Services" economy and that sector pays poorly.
Jon Huntsman is correct when he says the for America to prosper,we must focus on education and the economy to compete on the world stage in the 21st Century.
The key is education, how can America compete when a college education is moving farther and farther away from reality for the Middle Class? We should be expanding our educated population and making a college education much more accessible. Yet many are talking about making it harder for the accessibility of a college education for the Middle Class by screwing around with college loans and things such as Pell Grants. That is thinking backwards for the good of the country and maintaining a Middle Class.
It's a hell of a lot tougher to succeed now than it was 20-30 years ago.

 

[kwc57]

Let's review a few facts

1) ReaganBush41 cut taxes for the wealthiest Americans and quadrupled the national debt

2) Bill Clinton raised taxes back to where they had been and balanced the budget

3) George W. Bush cut taxes twice using reconciliation to block opposition and doubled the debt again

Trillions of dollars of borrowed money was transferred to the richest Americans via lower tax rates

I entered the work force full time back in 1980 making $900 per month. 31 years later, I'm making 7 times that amount. It was easy. Anyone could do it. Still can. It's all about the choices you make. Luck isn't involved.

Back in 1980, we didn't have globalization. Even in the 90's it wasn't such a big deal as it started to really effect wages hard in the last decade. Almost as many jobs were created offshore as were created domestically from 2000-2010. And it's a fact that during the same time period wages were completely flat. Every fact backs me up.
The marketplace for good paying jobs is calling for more and more college educated workers, yet college education is pricing itself out of the reach of the Middle Class. That drives the Middle Class towards trade schools. Now that will help the Middle Class some but consider this, America has become a "Services" economy and that sector pays poorly.
Jon Huntsman is correct when he says the for America to prosper,we must focus on education and the economy to compete on the world stage in the 21st Century.
The key is education, how can America compete when a college education is moving farther and farther away from reality for the Middle Class? We should be expanding our educated population and making a college education much more accessible. Yet many are talking about making it harder for the accessibility of a college education for the Middle Class by screwing around with college loans and things such as Pell Grants. That is thinking backwards for the good of the country and maintaining a Middle Class.
It's a hell of a lot tougher to succeed now than it was 20-30 years ago.

I understand and agree with a lot of what you said. Some I don't. There are alternatives for college education. My son is getting the full blown college experience of living on campus 75 miles from home at a major state university. It is costing us about $17,000 per year. He is majoring in an engineering field where companines are snatching up kids as fast as they graduate. His cousin in contrast is working on her doctorate in Medieval Literature. The only job prospect she has is teaching.....if there is an opening somewhere. I live in Oklahoma where we have a program called Oklahoma's Promise. Where I am footing the bill for my son's education except for the merit scholarships he earned, folks who make less than a combined $50k per year can send their kids to the same school my son is at tuition free. All they need do is sign their kid up for the program in the 8th grade, take certain classes in high school, stay out of trouble with the law and maintain a 2.5 GPA. It can also be used for private schools and technical schools. Pretty sweet deal, especially if the kid goes to a school close to home and lives at home. Most other states have programs like this. A college education is not out of reach of most Americans if they use the services put in place and follow a few simple rules.

Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education | Students | Oklahoma's Promise | How It Works

 

[kiwiman127]

I entered the work force full time back in 1980 making $900 per month. 31 years later, I'm making 7 times that amount. It was easy. Anyone could do it. Still can. It's all about the choices you make. Luck isn't involved.

Back in 1980, we didn't have globalization. Even in the 90's it wasn't such a big deal as it started to really effect wages hard in the last decade. Almost as many jobs were created offshore as were created domestically from 2000-2010. And it's a fact that during the same time period wages were completely flat. Every fact backs me up.
The marketplace for good paying jobs is calling for more and more college educated workers, yet college education is pricing itself out of the reach of the Middle Class. That drives the Middle Class towards trade schools. Now that will help the Middle Class some but consider this, America has become a "Services" economy and that sector pays poorly.
Jon Huntsman is correct when he says the for America to prosper,we must focus on education and the economy to compete on the world stage in the 21st Century.
The key is education, how can America compete when a college education is moving farther and farther away from reality for the Middle Class? We should be expanding our educated population and making a college education much more accessible. Yet many are talking about making it harder for the accessibility of a college education for the Middle Class by screwing around with college loans and things such as Pell Grants. That is thinking backwards for the good of the country and maintaining a Middle Class.
It's a hell of a lot tougher to succeed now than it was 20-30 years ago.

I understand and agree with a lot of what you said. Some I don't. There are alternatives for college education. My son is getting the full blown college experience of living on campus 75 miles from home at a major state university. It is costing us about $17,000 per year. He is majoring in an engineering field where companines are snatching up kids as fast as they graduate. His cousin in contrast is working on her doctorate in Medieval Literature. The only job prospect she has is teaching.....if there is an opening somewhere. I live in Oklahoma where we have a program called Oklahoma's Promise. Where I am footing the bill for my son's education except for the merit scholarships he earned, folks who make less than a combined $50k per year can send their kids to the same school my son is at tuition free. All they need do is sign their kid up for the program in the 8th grade, take certain classes in high school, stay out of trouble with the law and maintain a 2.5 GPA. It can also be used for private schools and technical schools. Pretty sweet deal, especially if the kid goes to a school close to home and lives at home. Most other states have programs like this. A college education is not out of reach of most Americans if they use the services put in place and follow a few simple rules.

Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education | Students | Oklahoma's Promise | How It Works

Oklahoma's Promise appears to be a good program. The problem is many states are cutting back on funding programs like this or similiar to it, of course it's due to budget issues.