The American Middle Class is the Backbone of America

[FreakinDJ]

just thought I would share

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12511624272

[Gwhittey]

1. Oh yea well here comes Sheamus - WWE Champion (2009–2010)

Who will do a Irish Curse Backbreaker on The American Middle Class
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheamus

[rjsquirrel]

2. And we have scoliosis

who is the middle class anyway?

Do I actually think it's time to abandon the hopelessly ambiguous concept of "middle class." There are poor people, there are rich people, and most Americans are much closer to the former than the latter.

I'm "middle class" with a net worth of several million dollars (thank you real estate). So is the guy who cleans my office for $12/ hour. How much sense does that make?

[merrily]

3. Politicians just love themselves *lip service* to the middle class because:

(1) no one knows the definition of "middle class;" (2) although--perhaps because--no one knows the definition of middle class, most people self-identify as "middle class," even those who others might classify as lower class or upper class; and (3) the nebulous "middle class" is by far where the most votes are.

Show me a politician who talks about the poor, the filthy rich and wealth inequality (not simply income inequality) and I'll show you a politician I may be able to take seriously, depending upon what he or she is saying about those subjects and whether or not I trust/believe him or her.

BTW, without either knowing or naming which percent I am, I am not in need of anything (other than things money cannot buy) to live the rest of my life happily.

[FreakinDJ]

4. After 2008 the Majority are concerned about wealth inequality

Decimated Home values or outright foreclosures, No Pension / 401K devaluation and excessive fees and that is for the more successful of the Working Class.

The True Majority of Working Class families are now just concerned about putting food on the table, having a table to put food on and shelter to keep it in.

[merrily]

5. The "majority" of Americans or the "majority" of politicians?

I would say the majority of Americans have been concerned about wealthy inequality for much longer than the past 8 years, though they may not have put that particular label on their concerns.

For example, my guess is that a Gallup poll taken in 1789 would have shown that a majority then believed in whether federal taxes should bear some relation to both financial ability to pay and how much society as a whole had enriched the taxpayer.

[Armstead]

6. That's been the missing issue in the political and media mainstream since the 70's

How many communities were being systematically hollowed out throughout the "booms" of the last 40 years? A lot.

Bernie has FINALLY brought it into the mainstream political process, and I find the push-back by the Clinton campaign, the Democratic establishment and too many rank and file "Democrats" highly distressing and depressing.

[merrily]

7. Funny (but not funny ha ha) I just posted this:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1280&pid=163925

Also this post this morning and the article (of mine) to which it links: http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1280&pid=163887


I think both those posts fold into the comment that I posted to you the other day about short-term v. long term objectives when deciding about LOTE voting this time around or in the future.

The bit about one definition of insanity being repeating the same behavior again and again while expecting a different result also figures into it somewhere.

[FreakinDJ]

8. The American Middle / Working Class has been "Hollowed Out" by shipping jobs overseas

and the Corporate Tax Breaks for the companies that do it.

And when Obama tried to bring up the issue publically it was like "Crickets Chirping" in Washington and that was when House and Senate was controlled by Democrats

That may be the True Third Rail in American politics

[tabasco]

9. It's the backbone of sustainable capitalism, as well.

Unregulated or insufficiently regulated capitalism (like we have now) will always result in concentrations of wealth and power with a few, and will always implode upon itself, as it did in 1929.