The gap between rich and poor is wider than ever. What should we do to rebuild our middle class?

Question

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070225/ts_alt_afp/useconomypoverty_070225003515

The unemployment rate is very low, so the problem isn't called by people refusing to take the crappy McJobs Bush calls "growth".

Blame Clinton?? He set our expectations too high? The economy was too good when he was President???

The monied class in this country got their money from their parents. So yes, they basically did nothing.

Answer 1

This is a topic that has sparked much heated debate. There are those who appreciate the overwhelming reign of capitalism. Many individuals who work hard to be successful expect to be compensated for their efforts and contributions to society, and understandably, do not want to provide for less ambitious people who are viewed by society as "uneducated and lazy". Of course, there are people who are born in unfortunate circumstances, which may make it more difficult to rise up the socioeconomic ranks. If the gap between the poor and rich is narrowed too much, America's capitalism will graduate to socialism, and even communism. There needs to be a happy medium, of which the working class and the unemployed can have their basic necessities fulfilled, but have much more to desire and to strive for. This way, many will be more motivated to reach bigger goals, and having favorable conditions to do so in. This is all very idealistic, but this is only my humble American "utopia".

Answer 2

Obviously, most answerers did NOT read the article. I can't see how anyone could make such crass remarks about the poor if they had. SEVERE POVERTY!!! It's growing in this country! Why? Corporate profits?? Yes, that's one reason. So, closing tax "loopholes" and making sure that big business is taxed (and PAYS) more heavily would be a start.

Education! I can't say that loud enough or often enough. We are NOT educating our young people to take their places in the world of the future. Jobs are not the same as they were even 10 years ago, so we need to put some real thought into what we are teaching our children. (When I was in high school [The Dark Ages, for those who really want to know], we were taught that the biggest problem we would have with our career-lives would be what to do with our leisure time; supposedly we would only need to work 20-hr. weeks to make a very good living, and we would all need to consider something else to fill up our days. Wasn't that a pleasant dream??? Unrealistic?? Oh! Hell, yes!!)

"Welfare" has nothing to do with this new statistic! (Unless you count our BILLIONS sent to other countries as welfare...) We are talking about newly poor people, people who used to have jobs, or people whose jobs once paid enough to house them, feed them, clothe them! I can't believe someone said that the poor have cars and televisions, computers, etc. On $5000.00 per year??? I doubt it!! (And, even if they do, so what??? Those things, especially a car, may be necessities.) What should the "poor" have? A pup tent in a public park?? A can of beans over an open fire? What about health care?? Most companies in my area of the US, (Midwest) have cut employees' hours so that they don't qualify for benefits, or they have just cut health care out altogether!

We COULD cut out "corporate welfare" and the subsidies that are paid to campanies NOT to manufacture here, or to farmers NOT to grow things here!

And, to those who say a wide gap between the "monied" and the "poor" proves a large "middle class", I ask, "What schools did you go to???" A wide gap means that the rich are richer than they were before and the poor are even poorer--It does NOT mean there is anything in between. (There COULD be, and, of course, there IS, but there does not have to be.) (Example: Stand ill Gates next to me. Now you have a HUGE gap between our "incomes". The fact that we can see that and say that does not mean that there is anyone or anything in between!)

Take the blinders off, Folks! We need to do something, and do it in a hurry!! When the divide is finally complete, do you really think you're going to be on the "rich" side??

Answer 3

sure, the Haves an Have Mores are becoming to be each and every tax ruin they needed from Prexy Dubya, leaving the midsection type to pay the vast majority of the taxes. The Neo-Cons have confidence the midsection type is in basic terms too uppity and don't understand their place!! they don't could save their noses to the grindstone to stay some steps in front of the wolves as lots, so, they have the time to observe the political goings-on and participate. whilst they're wealthy they regulate into politically lively. the modern-day spate of conservative, and budding Fascist, government will not be able to tolerate demands for justice and fairness which the midsection type oftentimes call for, nor do they prefer the "social instability" of the midsection type to sort returned. As Nixon replace into the antidote to the Hippies, Reagan replace into the antidote to the midsection type. Twelve years of reasonable republican rules under Bush 40-one and Clintion set up the destruction of the midsection type, accompanied by skill of Dubya's tax cuts for the wealthy ,to decimate them (us). The (progression for a sparkling American Century) Neo-Con "libertarian" objectives have been to cut back the size of the government to the ingredient the place they might drown it a bathtub", and and a similar time they mandatory to coach the way for 'Mercan international dominance properly into the twenty first Century by skill of invading the midsection East, and harm the midsection type by skill of giving tax incentives for companies to export good jobs distant places!! IOW - they're all crass idiotic morons!! because of the fact 'Publicans hate the completed theory of government, whilst they get into skill they're damaging directors. regrettably the Bush Crime kinfolk excelled in putting the main unqualified political hacks in postions of top administration. So, they might later declare,. 'the internal maximum sector can carry out government applications extra effectively, so permit's outsource as lots artwork to them as we are able to!... not in basic terms like the pay-as-you-pass "tax-and-spend" Democrats, the'Publicans have desperate that "borrow-and-spend" will harm what ever social courses are left, as properly because of the fact the Republic itself... (interior the Roman Empire publicans have been tax creditors, extra importanly -- they have been inner maximum contractors!)

Answer 4

So what if there's a gap.

I'd venture to say the middle class today can afford a lot more 'stuff' than 30 years ago.

As for the rich, if you were worth 100m, you could buy a lot of stuff. But there's a limit. Even Bill Gates gets this. You could go to the best restaurant in the country and get the most expensive meal. But if you have $100m or $10Bn, the meal won't get any better.

Answer 5

I love the "poor people wouldn't be able to afford TV's" argument. A TV is like 60 bucks, just because you have one doesn't make you middle class.

Answer 6

Most americans are middle class,the class of poor have a car,computers and at least one television set.I wished I was lucky enough to have been poor when I was raising my children on my own,divorced and no child support and NO WELFARE.Gee it can be done.My children are well educated,both are responsible,young and hard working.They are also middle class.

Answer 7

Roll up your sleeves and put your shoulder to it Like our
forefathers did...Hard Work and Dedication built this
country not the whining ,crying, moaning bums that are
standing around waiting to see what they can get for nothing.
Do you think the monied class in this country got there
money by whining.and doing nothing??

Answer 8

By getting back the work ethic this country used to have. Stop counting on the government to take care of you. The Constitution sets aside 21 things the federal government is responsible for, taking care of lazy people is not one of them

Answer 9

Put a low limit on political campaign contributions from business, tax the rich more heavily and fund educational and skills-creation initiatives for the poor.

Those are a few suggestions, but there's a whole long list of measures that would close the gap...with many benefits to the individual and society.

Answer 10

Get rid of welfare, that way the people would have to get a job and there wouldn't be limit on how much they could pull in. Welfare is a dead end and only keeps them 'poor'. Get the kids to stay in school and start a movement to stop all these single women having babies they can't afford. Maybe this would be a start.