Posted on 08/31/2017 7:30:43 AM PDT by rightwingintelligentsia
Middle class benefits are being revoked in the name of affordability. Because of several factors including stagnant wages, rising costs, and politics, being a member of the American middle class is quickly losing what little prestige it has remaining.
Are you middle class? In its discussion of historical middle class societies, The Economist reports, “Their members are neither rich nor poor but somewhere in-between…’Middle-class’ describes an income category but also a set of attitudes … An essential characteristic is the possession of a reasonable amount of discretionary income. Middle-class people do not live from hand to mouth, job to job, season to season, as the poor do.”
Some argue that the most sensible income amount to attach to the middle class would be the median household income, around $54,000. Perhaps, anyone who earns between the 25th percentile and 75th percentile is a member of the middle class.
Diana Farrell, once Deputy Director of America’s National Economic Council, told The Economist she thinks a middle class income begins at the point where a person (or family) has one-third of their income left over for discretionary purposes after they’ve provided themselves with food and shelter. In other words, someone who earns $3,000 per month would have $1,000 left after they’ve paid their mortgage or rent, utilities, and grocery bills.
Discretionary income is not so easy to find. We’ve created a list of ten things the middle class can no longer really afford. We’re not talking about lavish luxuries, like private jets and yachts. The items on this list are a bit more basic, and some are even necessities.
(Excerpt) Read more at cheatsheet.com ...
Actually they make more money even if they lose money for their shareholders. Sick.
Ive never owned a car with less than 175k on it. With a bit of tinkering and basic maintenance I usually get just about 300k before I scrap it and get a “new” vehicle. I drive about 75 miles in city traffic every day. My problem with newer cars is that they are being made so that shade tree mechanics cant work on them.
Still a vacation. And probably more fun, certainly less getting groped by “security”. Pre deregulation that was the standard American vacation, flying was for upper class people, when non-upper class people flew they tended to dress up because it was a special occasion. Driving across the country gives you side trips and spontaneity. I only fly for business, and I try really hard not to fly for business.
I remember those Led Zeppelin concerts. We planned to see them at Boston Garden back in 1975 but the show never went off. It was cancelled by the mayor of Boston! If I remember, there were riots at the ticket booths. Back then, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones and Aerosmith were the bands to see. Tickets were typically under $20 and we thought then those were outrageous prices.
Everybody dresses like slobs on airplanes these days. To the point where I dress down to fly too. On a recent business trip to Atlanta, I did not have time to get changed on the way back so I got on the plane in my full business suit. I was the ONLY one dressed that way, including those in 1st class. And I was in coach. I did get treated like a millionaire though. Stewardess didn’t even charge me for my drink. Maybe I try that again.
Well when you treat people like cattle you shouldn’t be surprised when they act like cowpokes. Exceeding expectations does have benefits.
Cheap money hurts everyone, even those who try to get by. Price is completely subjective. The only reason cars, kitchen wares, homes, cost what they do is other people, who are not thrifty, are willing to go into debt to pay for those things. They push up the prices for all of us. It is the economic rule that price is set by how much cash is chasing a particular product.
Yep, and sure cell phones are cheap, but you only need one and you can’t eat it. Where I live grocery prices are insane.
Thanks to Nixon.
Teenagers are the most “keeping up with the Jones” obsessed demographic we have. And we have a couple of generations that have been that the best way for a parent to show affection is buying stuff for their kids. It’s an ugly combination, especially for the parents who’d rather raise their kids than bribe them.
Last trip back from my parents was 9 hours of fighting in the back of the van. I guess road trips can't always be perfect. :)
General Aviation is dying,
Aint that the truth, we only have about 5 or 6 student pilots at WHP right now. I can remember being Number 15 Downwind at Van Nuys many years ago when I got my ticket. Today NONE, and about 5 at Whiteman.
Except I wasn't the one who posted this.
I actually think that government "workers" are beyond rich. The ones I know have more money and benefits than I do, and I'm not hurtin'.
ML/NJ
She couldn’t get anyone to show up at her “free”’campaign rallies, even with free food and drink and Beyonce shaking her huge @ss.
Who does she think is going to pay that kind of money so she can whine about losing to Trump?
I’ve survived being trapped in a flooded vehicle and walked away from a rollover that surprised everyone there.
I’m no daredevil or nutbar thrill seeker.
A pilot’s license would be something I’d love to have.
One of the engineers was looking at a new Toyota landcruiser and had a severe case of sticker shock.
I had to look up the price on one of those things when he told me what he saw. There is no way I would pony up close to 90Gs for that. It’s not even good looking to me.
For that I could get at least a couple frame off restored real landcruisers which I like way more.
Then you can look forward to doing this and this and this.... : )
Learning to fly. Serenity
http://tinyurl.com/yc8rfg9o
Parking your plane
http://www.impdb.org/images/e/e5/MWB18-9.jpg
Looking at billboards
http://www.dvdtalk.com/dvdsavant/images/4395d.jpg
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