How will the "war on the middle class" affect the USA in the long run if it continues?

Question

http://generationrisk.blogs.money.cnn.com/2007/10/12/the-income-gap-keeps-rising-so-whats-wrong-with-that/#comments

Answer 1

This war will continue as long as special interests are more important to politicians than the people they represent. It will also flourish as we allow the reversal of ethics to pervade.

Although there were modest gains in income this year (2nd year of the last 7) most of us have not seen it. Median income earners-most people-are still seeing earnings of about $1000/yr. less than they saw in 2000. The modest earnings can be attributed to more family members working, not to increasing wages.

The 2006 Census (out in late Aug. 2007) revealed that we have added 5 million people to the poverty level since 2000. The increase of people to the uninsured has dramatically risen, mostly due to the loss of substantial employment.

We have been quickly moving towards a service economy (as opposed to a manufacturing one) and many service jobs offer no health care. We have lost over 3 million manufacturing jobs since 2004. To put this into perspective, we have a population of 300 million. Regulations have changed so that as jobs go overseas so do pensions and benefits. In other words, as we faithfully reserve 6% of our income in our company sponsored 401Ks, the companies we work for can get out of repaying us our deposits as well as pocket the interest on the investments we supported. Lovely.

The way this 'war on the middle class' will affect the USA is simple. The bogus financial prospectives of the past few years have lured us into a false sense of security. We have taken on more debt that we can no longer pay for or (hopefully) get more family members to contribute to to pay for. As we are starting to see, home foreclosures are inevitable. Low estimates forecast a half million or more by end of January. As gas, heating, and grocery costs grow, we all end up paying dearly for the ridiculously low tax decreases we were stupid enough to vote for in the past 2 elections.

Remember the $800 rebate families got a few years back? Windfall? 7 years later, we are still not even making up for one single year of that reduction. Also, keep in mind all of your rising fees and state taxes. Every time you register your vehicles, pay property taxes, value your home, buy toilet paper, or even cigarettes, remember this passive tax counts just as much if not more than your federal ones. And the skyrocking health insurance costs to you and the company you work for? Your federal government at work.

In summation-more people in poverty, more need for funded health care, more 2+ income households, less homeowners, higher crime, higher incarceration for criminals, and less of the fun stuff life is made up of.

Answer 2

I think the rich will end up owning everything and the middle class will join with the same ranks as the poor.
We'll become like Mexico where the only way you can make any money is by breaking the law.
Unlike Ford these people want socialism and are doing everything possible to achieve it.

Answer 3

It already has. The gap between the haves and the have nots is increasing. The politicians don't want to limit the number of poor people flowing into this country, and the resulting competition for work brings down the average american working folks wages.

Answer 4

Think of the middle class as the golden goose. Or even as sheep. You have to have them if you want the product that they supply. Overuse them and the risk of their loss increases, so the use is modified by Policies. Failing that, there are certain financial mechanisms which surface to enforce it.

While it may be prosaic to describe it as a 'war on the middle class', it's presumptuous and defeats the very essence of the question, let alone an answer or 'cure'.

Answer 5

There will be a continual shift of quite a few middle class people towards poverty. The poverty level will increase to include more people and the upper echelon of our nation will receive some new upper class. There will always be a working middle class to provide for the rich and feel better because of the poor.

Answer 6

Middle class = communist sheep.

Everyone is poor until they are rich. What the socialists want to do is make every poor person 'not quite as poor' while eliminating any hope of becoming rich.

What happened to the American dream? I don't want to start a business or invent the next great thing knowing that the socialists are going to taki it all awway and give (part of ) it to lazy people who haven't done anything meaningful/.

Its not fair and unAmerican!

Answer 7

under no circumstances had a vehicle that took diesel - in spite of the shown fact that it happend when I had a petroleum golfing and that i became on my some time past abode from artwork! i became praying and praying it would get me abode! element is I had money to get petrol yet there wasn't one on my journey abode! thankfully somebody took me to a petroleum station!

Answer 8

there will be two classes the rich and poor. the country would become a third world country, and slavery would reappear in the guise of freedom.

Answer 9

it will be the end of our economic prosperity.

henry ford had it right when he decided that he wanted the people who worked for him to be his customers.

today's corporations don't want that.

they think that some other middle class in some other nation will be buying their products after they have outsourced all american jobs overseas.

perhaps american robber barrons hope to sell stuff to the 900 million peasants in china...

Answer 10

Yes. 'interest' has it all right. The final end will be revolution and dictatorship. That is, if people have any fight left in them.