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Is the middle class disappearing in America?
Results so far:
| Yes | 78% | 302 votes | Total: 388 votes | |
| No | 22% | 86 votes |
Yes
by Tim Williams
Created on: February 09, 2010 Last Updated: February 10, 2010
As a resident of Tampa, Florida for over 15 years, the ability to maintain even a very modest standard of living has become a futile attempt. Not only in Tampa but in every city across the United States more Americans are faced with a very perplexing, unstable, and uncertain future. This past financial crisis only accelerated what was already happening throughout the United States for the past 30 years.
At no other time in the history of the United States since the Great Depression has the largest sector of the population regressed from middle class to the poverty level. Stagnant wages, rising cost of living and continued massive unemployment, have all contributed to the fact that the majority of the citizens of the United States no longer live or are capable of achieving the "American Dream."
With all these factors contributing to the largest exodus of Americans receding into a lower standard of living, the Federal Government through the Recovery Act of this past year, may have helped the financial sector regain some stability but failed to stop the flood of middle class from draining into economic depravation. In fact, the Federal Government in its policies of the past 30 years have actually accelerated the middle classes demise.
What this means when the United States is faced with a diminishing middle class is that this countries present and future stability, security, and economic growth is very much in doubt. The leading indicator of any countries economic stability, national security, and its citizens financial growth and well being starts with a majority of citizens of middle class stature.
What has to happen in order for the United States to regain the middle class majority of citizens where economic growth is assured: the Federal Government must recognize that our current national debt is like a noose around every Americans neck, our trade deficit is way out of proportion for any economic turnaround to occur, a single payer Universal Health Care Insurance initiative must be implemented to do away with the graft, corruption, and fraud associated with the Insurance industry, Medicare, and Medicaid, and finally the government has failed in its policies of the past to really bring about any improvement in the majority of citizens quality of life.
Once the Federal Government acknowledges the fact that the majority of Americans realize that our own government is too preoccupied in petty party policies and are not focused on what is needed to usher in economic prosperity for all, will the exodus of the middle class stop and start to rebuild.
The rebuilding of the middle class is vital for the future of the United States. What is happening now, not only in the United States but in many countries around the world where the wealthiest few control the destinies of the poorest in majority, have created such a gap that only exacerbates the present economic instability of each nation. It is no wonder that nations are in such turmoil, strife, and anguish.
The United States has at this moment an obligation to revert the demise of the middle class and in doing so will create a blueprint for other nations to follow. In this way the future peace and prosperity of nations can start to become a reality.
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No
by Kim Sharpe
Created on: February 06, 2008
Personally, I believe that middle class America is still going strong. Of course, the poverty level citizens is also increasing at a drastic rate. Employers wish to pay less and less in various states. They don't provide insurance for their employee's. No matter how fast the government might advocate the raising of the federal minimum wage and the various states that step forward to honor it and stand behind it still does not help the people who live below the poverty level in the US. So this is a very fast growing population of American that I feel should be addressed better and is often overlooked.
But by the same token I feel that middle class America is overlooked also. There are little or no benefits to aid the middle class in this country. No 'earned income credit' for the middle class. These people are not rewarded for doing the best they can by their family. They manage to live above the poverty level but well below the affluent. But there are no real breaks for middle class America. Perhaps if they had more rewards and incentives the poverty level would not be growing faster then middle class America. Its almost like the lower class is rewarded further then the middle class so in the long run the lower class comes out ahead. They are given free health benefits but the middle class must pay huge premiums that often deeply affect their ability to exist in middle class America.
I and my family are what is termed 'middle class'. We are above the poverty level but below the affluent of the nation. And oftentimes it feels as if we must struggle and work harder to raise our families and provide the same levels for them that the low income provide with no problem through government aid. I think thats a sad situation. I know of several people that have NO incentive to rise above the poverty level and become middle class because they fear loosing the benefits of being lower class. These people work only four hours a day so they don't dare rise their incomes too high. This enables them to provide government paid health insurance for themselves and their children. In the state of Oregon this is called the Oregon Health Plan which is an amazing program that provides complete health insurance and 100 percent paid prescriptions for its low income citizens. However these people do not dare to work more then their four hours a day or they will be axed off the health care system and have to pay for their own health insurance. Plus they will no longer qualify for food stamps and tanf benefits per month. And if they are on HUD housing they will be kicked off and have to pay rent like the rest of the world. So they have absolutely no reason to rise above the poverty level because they exist BETTER below the poverty line. Its a sad vicious circle.
But the middle class American can at least hold his head high and know that he supplies his family with all it needs through hard work and being honest and not flying along on the shirt tails of the government. So middle class America continues to exist in America but it would be nice if they sometimes received some of the rewards of the lower class or the affluent as an incentive to remain middle class.
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