Terms like middle aged, working class and unemployed

[Whatsnext75]

I think it can depend on the situation and where you live also. A nurse or police in boston, ma is likely making much more than a nurse or cop in North Dakota. Cost of living is more in boston...but some people are smarter than others about how they live.

Sadly there arent a lot of lower wage jobs left it seems in terms of factory jobs...I have no idea what it takes to become a bank teller these days but it wouldnt suprise me if those jobs werent as easy as they used to be to get. We have too many people in this country and not enough middle class jobs. Everyone has a college degree, they are virtually meaningless.

[The Mysterious Benefactor]

Originally Posted by RememberMee

Why not? Making a few pesos more will not book them a membership at a local country club or buys them influence in local politics. Working class can make good wage and still be working class. Good wage working class shuns and despise low wage working class but both are working class. Contractors can rip you off to shreds and make it as bandits but most of them are decisively working class. Working class derive its income from laboring not from investments, it labors in monotonous, damaging to health and risky lines of work, most develop professional desease and typical working class appearances after variable number of years, working class has working class consumption patterns in mass cult and goods, it lacks upringing and multigeneratinal refinement, regardless of how "skilled" a working class person' job is, generally working class is stupendeously ignorant of the world around them which allows non working classes to manipulate their voting decisions in the ways damaging to the working class. Most of all working class has no influence on socio economic scene, there are no special groups lobbying on working class behalf, and there is NOT a single member of working class in the Congress.

You've raised some good points here, but I think they dovetail with what I(and others) was saying. It's a complex question, not simply one of income; there are a number of factors to consider. The education/skills required of a plumber are not the same as a janitor or bank teller. Virtually anyone can sweep floors or count money, or be taught to do so in three day's time. That's not the case with a qualified plumber. A commercial cleaner or contractor might spend his days with a broom/hammer in his hand, but also be a business owner. That could certainly earn him enough to join the country club and/or influence local politics. I've known several guys like this, who work in their business, but many of whom earn more money from their investments than their daily labor.

I am going to have to question your last sentence though. Do labor unions not qualify as special groups lobbying on behalf of the working class?