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I feel that here in the US there is a very great disparity of wealth - we range from the very poor (although not 3rd world poor) to the extravagantly wealthy. It seems to me that there is less of this, on the whole, in Canada. There may be people that are less well off, but there is still more of a middle class in Canada, that is actually thriving. And you don't seem to have the outrageously wealthy (Irvings not withstanding). Is this a true statement, do you think?
I feel that here in the US there is a very great disparity of wealth - we range from the very poor (although not 3rd world poor) to the extravagantly wealthy. It seems to me that there is less of this, on the whole, in Canada. There may be people that are less well off, but there is still more of a middle class in Canada, that is actually thriving. And you don't seem to have the outrageously wealthy (Irvings not withstanding). Is this a true statement, do you think?
VV
No, but we're not as bad as the U.S.A. for that.
70% of Ontario's whole workforce are considered "temporary workers."
*Stat from the newspaper, the rest are my assumptions.
Basically, there's plenty of lower middle class jobs, like under $20/hr and homes cost $250,000+, so many families are dual income and still "house poor."
A small portion of the population earns over $100,000/yr but they live in homes worth $600,000 to $900,000, so still often house poor.
A very small portion make $200,000 to anywhere in the millions, and financially there lives can be easy.
I feel that here in the US there is a very great disparity of wealth - we range from the very poor (although not 3rd world poor) to the extravagantly wealthy. It seems to me that there is less of this, on the whole, in Canada. There may be people that are less well off, but there is still more of a middle class in Canada, that is actually thriving. And you don't seem to have the outrageously wealthy (Irvings not withstanding). Is this a true statement, do you think?
In my perception, from living in both countries, the socio-economic ladder is about the same. Of course, everything is just on a much smaller scale since Canada's population is a tenth of the size of the US.
Just like the US, Canada has lots of poor people, plenty of the super-rich, and people in between. I tend to think Canada has a much larger percentage of its population in the lower-class.
Can someone please tell me WHAT is a 'middle' class?
Okay - I guess my definition would be people who make a moderate income (probably under $100K for a family of four to six) who owns (with mortgage) in a single family house, and can comfortably afford the necessities of life (shelter, food, basic clothing, basic transportation), and manage some of the nice-ities (internet access, cable TV, basic cell phone, books, movies, vacations, etc.).
I think in the U.S. it has partly to do with lean management and six sigma, also competing in a globe economy. Companies do not want to pay people a decent wage now that we're competing more than ever with developing nations. The standard of living will continue to fall in this country.
Okay - I guess my definition would be people who make a moderate income (probably under $100K for a family of four to six) who owns (with mortgage) in a single family house, and can comfortably afford the necessities of life (shelter, food, basic clothing, basic transportation), and manage some of the nice-ities (internet access, cable TV, basic cell phone, books, movies, vacations, etc.).
Based on this description, the "middle-class" is very much alive and well in both Canada and the US. In fact, the vast majority of households in both countries fit this description.
I have never made more than 25,000.00 in a single year in my life... My average yearly income has been about eight thousand dollars before tax deductions. I worked full time as a teacher for over a decade... an adjunct instructor. I have never experienced life as a member of the 'middle class' by any definition. I am here to learn. Thank you for your input. It helps me to understand things outside of my experience.
I've noticed that around the 1st world, the Middle Class is breaking into two.
A Lower-Middle class. A group of people who have seen stagnation in thier own standard of living for the past decade or so.
And a Upper-Middle class. This group has seen a great boon to their wealth.
It's not a simple very poor VS very rich split, or that the middle class is dissapearing. What we are seeing is the middle class split into two groups, and that's perhaps most worrysome of all.
I've noticed that around the 1st world, the Middle Class is breaking into two.
A Lower-Middle class. A group of people who have seen stagnation in thier own standard of living for the past decade or so.
And a Upper-Middle class. This group has seen a great boon to their wealth.
It's not a simple very poor VS very rich split, or that the middle class is dissapearing. What we are seeing is the middle class split into two groups, and that's perhaps most worrysome of all.
This is exactly what we are seeing here in the Northeast US. I was hoping that it might be better in Canada, that they may be more insulated from this phenomenon. Guess not.
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