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As I look at things from a broad historical perspective it seems to me that for the vast majority of history (since the birth of civilization, anyway), human social dynamics have almost always given us dramatic disparity of wealth between the few super-rich and the vast unwashed masses barely scraping by beneath them.
Looking from this perspective, the past 50 years or so in America have really been a historical anomaly this is now "correcting" itself, much to the chagrin of those who stand to loose out on what has become a expected but not necessarily historically congruent or sustainable way of life.
Perhaps is it inevitable that our middle-class is going to disappear. Maybe it is impossible to maintain a high standard of living for the majority over the long haul. Perhaps we need to accept the party is indeed over and lower our expectations? What do you think?
Safety and freedom aren't really afforded to those living in poverty ruled by an elite few. For this reason alone, a middle class must fight to exist in society.
As I look at things from a broad historical perspective it seems to me that for the vast majority of history (since the birth of civilization, anyway), human social dynamics have almost always given us dramatic disparity of wealth between the few super-rich and the vast unwashed masses barely scraping by beneath them.
Looking from this perspective, the past 50 years or so in America have really been a historical anomaly this is now "correcting" itself, much to the chagrin of those who stand to loose out on what has become a expected but not necessarily historically congruent or sustainable way of life.
Perhaps is it inevitable that our middle-class is going to disappear. Maybe it is impossible to maintain a high standard of living for the majority over the long haul. Perhaps we need to accept the party is indeed over and lower our expectations? What do you think?
Before Reagan cut taxes for the rich the US was balanced that's why it worked for 50 years. Now that Reagan and Bush tax cuts have had a chance to remind us of why the great depression happened. e.g. Top 1% have all the money again. We are just repeating the past mistakes.
Reagan also started demonizing the unions this triggered the down waging of the middle class. When that wasn't happening fast enough big business began moving jobs offshore.
Here is a good video telling how it all happened and why we need to stop it.
I'm not trying to argue what is "good", "right", "moral", ect., just what "is". After all, it would be "good" if we could all fly under our own power, but it just isn't realistically gonna happen, no matter how hard we flap our arms.
So is the middle class crunch happening simply because it isn't a workable and/or sustainable long-term dynamic?
What a fascinating question! While I don't like to think about rich/poor divisions being historically valid, it is valid.
But the U.S. has a cultural expectation and history of rising through the ranks by hard work and it's been true for many. Horatio Alger stories are many. We've not been a feudal society with peasants controlled by the elite. We were settled by immigrants running away from that very thing.
Until now.
I think we got into difficulty when our middle class--or aspiring middle class--was sold a bill of goods to want ever better and more..i.e. entrance-level McMansions instead of bungalows...much of this was made possible by the rise of the easy credit society.
This went along fine for a while until the chickens came home to roost with the upside down loans fueled by people expecting their real estate holdings' value to keep rising like hot yeast bread.
But it didn't..real estate lost value as the values were falsely inflated to begin with. And real estate fell like yeast dough does when you punch it. Pouf!
Couple that with our economic downfall, high unemployment...and here we are...in a world of trouble.
Middle management jobs and salaries are not in abundance...recent college graduates are having a tough time finding work, our older workers are finding it near impossible to get jobs, our disabled workers, the same...
Lowered incomes may be our lot in life...it's sure looking that way to me...
Seems we in the midst of a huge paradigm shift. And it's going to a painful one. The older generation had the dust bowl and the Great Depression to get through...this is ours...but with not as much hope for a rosier future, I fear.
Globalization, in general, and global corporations, in particular, view American workers as affordable or not affordable. They go where there's cheap labor--and new middle classes to be created to buy the houses, appliances and cars...
If this paradigm shift continues, we will be forced to lower our expectations...whether the party's over remains to be seen...but IMHO, I do think we're in for a simpler way of living dictated by lower salaries.
It would take massive job creation of jobs with middle class salaries to bolster and create more of our middle class.
Will this happen? Can it happen? How could it happen? That's the big question in my mind. Seems our nation's been hollowed out by globalization job shifting to other shores...
What do you think?
Last edited by LittleDolphin; 07-27-2010 at 10:54 AM..
As I look at things from a broad historical perspective it seems to me that for the vast majority of history (since the birth of civilization, anyway), human social dynamics have almost always given us dramatic disparity of wealth between the few super-rich and the vast unwashed masses barely scraping by beneath them.
Looking from this perspective, the past 50 years or so in America have really been a historical anomaly this is now "correcting" itself, much to the chagrin of those who stand to loose out on what has become a expected but not necessarily historically congruent or sustainable way of life.
Perhaps is it inevitable that our middle-class is going to disappear. Maybe it is impossible to maintain a high standard of living for the majority over the long haul. Perhaps we need to accept the party is indeed over and lower our expectations? What do you think?
Historically, people were not considered to be equal. There were the elite and the peasants. When this country was created that view of humanity was rejected and the country was founded on the principal the all men are created equal, that concept requires economic justice. In America it is not inevitable that the middle class will disappear, it is inevitable that the policies that have endangered the middle class will. Remember what happened in France when the elite class became too greedy. It was them who became expendable.
But the U.S. has a cultural expectation and history of rising through the ranks by hard work and it's been true for many. Horatio Alger stories are many. We've not been a feudal society with peasants controlled by the elite. We were settled by immigrants running away from that very thing.
Ohhh I too love discussions such as this.
So, what if we humans are genetically wired for a feudal system?
An experiment that demonstrated the illusory nature of human freedom would, in many people’s mind, rob the test subjects of something essential to their humanity.
Technological innovation and economic growth have and will continue to increase the middle class.
The 2010's will be similar to the economic downturn of the 1930's: that is, an economic downtown masks huge technological progress.
In the 1930's, you didn't hear about the electrification of US, refrigeration, mechanization of agriculture, plummeting cost of manufacturing a car, etc. It was these things--and these things only--that marked the rapid increase in wealth in the 1950's.
In the first half of the 2010's, we won't hear about artificial intelligence, genetic engineering, increases in bandwidth, the complete automation of manufacturing, or the increasing ubiquity of smart phones. These are fairly boring stories. But it will be these types of innovations that will basically redefine our society in 2020's.
Children in the 1950's would view the 1920's as primitive and unjust.
Children in 2020 will view today's society in the same way.
I've often thought that our wired high tech world will/is the great leveler of the economic playing field...many jobs can now be done, and are being done, anywhere in the world--i.e. finance, tech support, calling centers, online fulfillment...creating fewer jobs for those in the U.S. who had middle class incomes...
I don't think technology will save our middle class but will hasten its reduction.
I've often thought that our wired high tech world will/is the great leveler of the economic playing field...many jobs can now be done, and are being done, anywhere in the world--i.e. finance, tech support, calling centers, online fulfillment...creating fewer jobs for those in the U.S. who had middle class incomes...
I don't think technology will save our middle class but will hasten its reduction.
This is not a result of technology; it is a result of trade and employment policies that reward employers to offshore American jobs. If there were tariffs and taxes enacted by the government to level the playing field for American workers it would save millions of jobs. Unfortunately the politicians no longer work for the American people; instead they are for sale to the highest bidder. They are willing to sell out their own country and citizens to fill their campaign war chests and sell themselves to corporations regardless of nationality or intent. Until the American people wake up and demand campaign finance reform, we will see a deterioration of America, and a continuation of the gap between rich and poor.
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