US Elections and the rise of the Global Middle Class

[dvduval]

Last edited Sun Jul 3, 2016, 06:53 PM - Edit history (1)

Since the 1980's more people have been lifted out of poverty than at any time in the history of humanity. It is an interesting dilemma now that the main groups that have become wealthy are the top 1% and everyone between 10% and about 70%, but for the 70% to 95% groups, much of which is composed of the US and European middle class, incomes remained stagnant or fell.

US corporations, composing the largest economy in the World, found a much better value in hiring less expensive labor worldwide. As a result, incomes throughout the less developed World soared to great new heights. Without doubt, the World is a better place for a majority of humanity. But not for the US or EU middle class.

I personally believe the saying "a rising tide will lift all ships" will hold true in the years ahead. Now it is not just the citizens of the developed World that can make a significant contribution to humanity, but everyone, and now more than ever! It has been stressful for many families in the US since the economic collapse of 2008.

I would like to think that politically America and the EU will soon be ready to talk about restructuring their economies so that more investment can be made at home, and there will be less "leakage". That will likely involve raising taxes on the most wealthy, and investing in the economy at home so as to give more back to the middle class that has born much of the brunt of the economic transformation in our World.

Some of this many happen naturally... now that so many people in the World are online, it is becoming increasingly easy to do business as a small company or individual with people all over the World. We may be entering a time in the not too distant future where there is rise of small businesses in America again, as well as increasing trade between individuals in the US with those abroad. Big corporations like Walmart and Apple may no longer fill the role of "middle man" in the trade paradigm. I already see evidence of this starting to occur.

So as we enter this election cycle, let us be thoughtful that future can still be bright, and for many people of this World, their life is so much better now! Our lives can be better too!

[SHRED]

1. Do you support the TPP?

[dvduval]

3. Discussion of the TPP, yes

I support talking about the actual details of the TPP. If this is all about big corporations maintaining their role as "middle men", extracting rent from the Middle Class, then absolutely not. However, thinking into the future, and possibly not using the letters "TPP", I do believe we need to join the middle classes of the world together, and extract the middle men that set this all up, as they have received their reward already.

[jimw81]

15. Where was the outrage

After the Marshall plan went into effect. That start the decline of middle class

[Katashi_itto]

2. What fine pablum served to us on dishes of gold.

[dvduval]

4. Maybe you should write memes

I guess there is no discussion point here.

[Katashi_itto]

8. I probably should and no theres not.

[Hortensis]

21. Pablum? Enormous increases in productivity

along with enormous decreases in cost of production are tremendously promising for increased global prosperity.

The reality, of course, is that this tragically coincides with global warming and disappearing fresh water supplies that will cause tremendous disruptions in many regions. But not all will be too devastated to prosper as never before.

[fleabiscuit]

5. Interesting. I just starting watching a few videos after coming across a news item...

about Branko Milanovic new economic thinking book; http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674737136

So far...

Income Inequality: The Global Haves And Have-Nots In The 21st Century

Globalization and Inequality: Paul Krugman, Janet Gornick, and Branko Milanovic

[pampango]

6. Here's a graph of global income gains over the past 30 years. Poorest 70% gained the most.

The other main beneficiary has been the global 0.1%. There has to be a way to preserve the gains of the poorest 70% while restraining the richest 1% and helping the Western middle class.

[dvduval]

7. Yes!

That is exactly what I'm talking about.

[TheBlackAdder]

11. Yes, 70% of less than a dollar places the extreme poor at just over extreme poverty level.

[pampango]

12. You don't get from very poor to middle class in one quick jump. I am glad the very poor

are making progress and hope they continue to do so. Some of the best income gains were the middle class in Asia and Latin America rather than the poorest.

If there is a way for the global poor to jump more quickly to Western middle class standards, that would be great.

[TheBlackAdder]

13. That's a fantasy that's being sold to empower corporations and non-members, see my post below.

[pampango]

17. The increase in the share of total income going to the poorest 70% is reality, not fantasy.

The reason that is happening is open to discussion.

[tblue37]

14. Here is a very good critique of the TPP and this idea that globalization benefits the

world's poor:

http://bostonreview.net/world/marshall-steinbaum-branko-milanovic-global-inequality

[pampango]

18. Something is benefitting the world's poor. FDR thought would it help. If that is not true,

fair enough. If something else accounts for the rising share of global income going to the poorest 70%, we need to understand that so that we can preserve and expand it. (We know that Trump and the republican base spend no time thinking about the global poor.)

International cooperation on which enduring peace must be based is not a one-way street. Nations like individuals do not always see alike or think alike, and international cooperation and progress are not helped by any Nation assuming that it has a monopoly of wisdom or of virtue.

Perfectionism, no less than isolationism or imperialism or power politics, may obstruct the paths to international peace. Let us not forget that the retreat to isolationism a quarter of a century ago was started not by a direct attack against international cooperation but against the alleged imperfections of the peace.

We support the greatest possible freedom of trade and commerce.

We Americans have always believed in freedom of opportunity, and equality of opportunity remains one of the principal objectives of our national life. What we believe in for individuals, we believe in also for Nations. We are opposed to restrictions, whether by public act or private arrangement, which distort and impair commerce, transit, and trade.

http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=16595

Harry Hopkins (FDR adviser and an architect of the New Deal) interrupted FDR while he was dictating the Four Freedoms speech and told FDR that he should not say "everywhere in the world" because Americans are not going to give a damn about people in Java".

FDR replied, "Well Harry. They are going to have to give a damn about people in Java from now on."

[tblue37]

19. The review I linked to offers some ideas of what else could be credited for benefitting the

world's poor.

[sufrommich]

9. It's a complicated issue that people don't like to

talk about. Yes,the worldwide middle class is growing at the expense of the countries previously known as the industrialized countries. No,we can't turn back time to the way things used to be. I agree with your assessment that small businesses will save America's middle class.

[TheBlackAdder]

10. Deceptive. The GMC is about 13-15%, GLC is about 55% and GP 15%.

.




The problem is that while the Global Middle Class rose, the Global lower class shrunk. Global Poor rose a bit.


This is last year's data which coincides with things being taught in my Politics of Developing Nations.

Now, a few people are raising up into the middle class, but most of the Lower class people ar dropping, while the poor/extreme poverty is slightly raising. So, will everyone is high-fiving themselves about the income going up... it's complete bullshit.


As China and other non-trade countries act as mercantile nations, they are slightly raising the extreme poor and devaluing most of the lower class, creating two stratified groups, Poor-Low Income and Middle-High Income.


TPP will destroy dozens of nations, especially if China is no on board. China is destroying Central & South America, being outside of NAFTA because they are not bound by any trade agreements and restrictions. They can buy raw materials cheaper and then resell good below local sellers, causing many to go out of business, forcing more and more people to become dependent on China's goods.

It's like a Wal*Mart moving into a town, enjoying the benefits of kicking most of their employees on public assistance, they undercut local stores, forcing many to close or lay off people, that forces more and more people to become dependent on them, further escalating the demise of the community.


.

[BlueStateLib]

16. Depends on how many children they have, 40 hour week at $15 a hour job, a family size of 4

still qualifies for public assistance and SNAP
http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/eligibility

[AgingAmerican]

20. Ignorant right wing thinking

Unions created the middle class, here and abroad. Trade deals made people poorer.

Ignorant OP.

[dvduval]

22. That's illogical captain

When corporations simply higher in countries where there are no worker protections are unions with any power is your argument fails. Sorry about that.

[AgingAmerican]

23. Unions created the middle class

No unions = no middle class

Free Trade deals allow countries to outsource.