Some of us would like to remove that class altogether and give underdeveloped countries a vibrant middle class.
And the way is to push the peasants into the slums?
Mexico has had 500+ years to develop a "middle class". So why the hell should we eliminate our middle class in order to provide them with one? Why "level the playing field" at the expense of only the US? Our forefathers gave their lives to build that advantage for us - the arsenal of the free world - so that we wouldn't have to face the sacrifices that they did during WWII. But no, you greedy short sighted money worshippers had to cash in your profits.
I used to own a CNC machine shop making parts for Boeing. It was long hours of highly technical work, for moderate pay. "Free trade" sent my work offshore to nations that subsidize that industry. Now I'm a farmer and logger - hard physical work, dangerous, and I make less money. Thanks for the promotion, free traders. The consolation I'll get when you stock market parasites fail and are forced into the world of real work won't be satisfaction enough. But when that bottom does fall out of our economy and those stocks are worth less than toilet paper, I'll be really curious as to what it is that you'll use to buy food from us with.