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"It's almost impossible to own a house without "living beyond their means.""

My married children were having a terrible time saving the money they needed to get a home--one in Miami, and one in Baltimore. This was about 5 years ago: I offered them each a $10,000 gift financed by borrowing against my equity line of credit. With this help they were able to buy 3 bedroom fixer uppers for a little over $100,000. Boy are we glad we did this when we did.

Looking at what is happening to the middle class in this country is very worrysome. Thirty years ago CEOs of top corporations earned about 40 times the salary of their low level employees. Now they earn 400 to 1,000 times as much. Somehow I don't think their abilities are ten times what they were 30 years ago. Is this why jobs are being sent overseas, and health care costs rising so rapidly? I fear we are going the way of Mexico, with the very rich and the very poor and a tiny middle class.

Thirty years ago CEOs of top corporations earned about 40 times the salary of their low level employees. Now they earn 400 to 1,000 times as much. Somehow I don't think their abilities are ten times what they were 30 years ago.

Most of the increase is a change in the way execs are paid (i.e., stock-based compensation). Executives are given ownership in their companies so their comp is tied to the company's performance. I really don't understand how this impacts the middle class negatively.

The discrepancy rate, between CEOs/owners and those who worked for them, was far greater at the end of the 19th century and well into the early 20th century, than it is today.

Health care costs so much for many reasons, the top three being that those who get it via their employment, overuse and misuse it, modern medicine ( drugs, machines, testing ) costs a LOT of money today, and law suits.

No, we aren't "turning into Mexico" and such hyperbole is of no help whatsoever.