Oh I thoroughly disagree w/ Ketsu’s statement that to live a middle class lifestyle in New England requires $100,000 annual income. I know many people who are solidly middle class in southern Maine (where I’m from) who earn quite a bit less.
But your statement “why does being a member of the middle class entitle people to live where they want (in your case, New England)” took that to a whole different level, implying you think it would be okay if the middle class couldn’t afford to live in the entire NE area.
I posted to you to find out if you were using hyperbole or if you are an elitist. Judging from your responses it was unintentional hyperbole, but you seem to have a hard time admitting it. No big thing. I’m also guessing “boy” is part of your screen name for a reason.
At any time in history there are always some places in the US where people can't afford to live, and others where they can. These regions change over time.
We'd probably be talking much more accurately if we focused on the middle class and not personalities. Words mean things. If we say the "middle class" is the mid quintile of incomes or the mid-quint of wealth, we end up with a middle class that's a lot better of than it was before.
You are a very poor judge. But iguanas have a brain smaller than the size of a pea . . . .
Here's the issue you fail to grasp. When responding to someone who is using New England to describe a general geographic area, that we both know contains residents of all income levels, I am under no obligation to refer to New England as anything other than a general geagraphic area with residents of all income levels.