[pieceofthepuzzle]

“What's happening, Holzer said, is that middle-wage jobs have become split. There's what he calls “the old middle” of factory workers, construction workers and the rest. These jobs are declining over time. But there's also a “new middle” of jobs - health care technicians, high-tech maintenance workers, paralegals, and store managers - that's growing rapidly. “

I don't disagree with your premise of ‘accepting reality’ as it is, but we also need to remember that the powers that be will try to color this reality to make things look rosy before the election. What's stated in the paragraph above aren't great steps forward, IMHO. Health care administrative costs are out of control, and health care costs as a whole thus continue to rise. As such, there will be lots and lots of cost-cutting pressures in the health care sector over the next decade - unless things get dramatically restructured. Paralegals as a growth market for jobs seems a bit far-fetched to me, and even if true suggests that we are becoming more regulated and litigious - not factors that bode well for general economic growth and innovation. Store managers?

[expat_panama]

‘accepting reality’ as it is, but...

imho being willing to see things as they are is not something that goes very well with the word "but". 

...the powers that be will try to color this reality...

The fact that some folks like to taint what they see is part of how things are and we can deal with it.  Mean while let's be happy that the mid-level job market's picking up and let's hope the pace extends to other markets as well.