The American Middle Class Is No Longer the World’s Richest

New York Times ^ | April 22, 2014 | David Leonhardt and Kevin Quealy

[C19fan]

The American middle class, long the most affluent in the world, has lost that distinction.

While the wealthiest Americans are outpacing many of their global peers, a New York Times analysis shows that across the lower- and middle-income tiers, citizens of other advanced countries have received considerably larger raises over the last three decades.

After-tax middle-class incomes in Canada — substantially behind in 2000 — now appear to be higher than in the United States. The poor in much of Europe earn more than poor Americans.

[C19fan]

Just to clarify the report looks at disposable income, takes out taxes and puts in transfer payments, as the basis of comparison. Canada around a decade ago under the previous Liberal gov't started a major economic reform program including large cuts in gov't spending that would of made the NY Slimes scream bloody murder. It seems Canada's economic policies continued under the Tory Harper gov't is a success. In terms of US, another data point about the need for the GOP to look at what is called Reform Conservatism of politicians like Sen Lee of Utah. What I think of the now fetish of policy driven by marginal tax rates for the top 1% and responding to what the Chamber of Commerce wants needs to be replaced. Yes another data point that Open Borders Jeb Bush and others of his ilk need to see. Flooding the country with more low skill immigrants will be the death blow to any chance of natives who do not have an Ivy League degree to achieve something of a middle class lifestyle.

[GeronL]

Huge success story for the Leftists in this country. Champagne is flowing as they celebrate

[Blood of Tyrants]

That is what decade after decade of socialist policies will do.

[SamAdams76]

I hate coming across as a spoilsport but my observations continue to belie the data I keep getting fed with respect to the so-called shrinking of the middle class and the decline of our standard of living in general.

For example, I deal with massive traffic jams on a nearly daily basis getting to and from work. As my territory covers most of the Northeast, I experience constant rush-hour gridlock from southern New Hampshire all the way down to Long Island/NYC area. If the traffic is this bad now, I'd hate to see what it would look like if we ever attained full employment.

In an economic downturn, one of the first things people cut back on is eating out. Yet I'm not seeing that. All the restaurants are slammed just about every night. And on Friday and Saturday nights, you are likely going to spend at least a full hour waiting for a table if you don't have a reservation. I'm not talking fancy restaurant either, but the down-market casual eating joints like Longhorns, Applebees, Olive Garden, Chilis and Buffalo Wild Wings. Those places are madhouses replete with screaming kids in high-chairs and raucous college-age kids at the bar. Now wouldn't you think that if our standard of living was in decline, that you would see these places start to shutter up and close down? Instead, here are HELP WANTED signs in most of these places.

I can go on and on. Yes, a lot of retail stores are closing up but that's a function of more consumers deciding to purchase their goods online. Go ahead and sit on your front lawn some sunny afternoon and see all those big brown trucks lumbering buy. Those are UPS trucks laden down with boxes of merchandise from Amazon.com; NewEgg; and Ebay, etc.

I want to believe but somebody please explain my observations to me. Am I living in some kind of fantasyland?

[Noamie]

The ignorant comments on that site make me cry just a little.

[Noamie]

I don’t really disagree with you, but I would encourage you to balance what you are seeing in one of the “wealthy-er” portions of our Republic with the abject poverty down here in the area between Savannah and Macon, GA.

I think it’s about the same amount of territory.

Good work with good pay is hard to find unless you want to abandon 150 years of family land and head to the city (which the children are doing).

I blame a weak, weak dollar for most of our problems. It all sort of goes back to that one topic.

[SoFloFreeper]

Way to go Obama, Reid, Pelosi, Wasserman-Schultz, Trumka, Clinton, and Sulzberger.

[Little Ray]

Could this possibly be because there are now more people receiving benefits than working full time?

[SamAdams76]

Thanks for the input. My experience is limited to the Northeast so I realize things could be very different elsewhere. I do travel around the rest of the country too but when you are a tourist only visiting for a few days, you generally don't get a chance to experience the economy firsthand.

I was last in that area about four years ago in the spring. Very nice area. I was staying in Hilton Head at the time and visited Charleston, Savannah and even Parris Island. But other than the obligatory tourist traps, I didn't see very much else.

[Snickering Hound]

[mojito]

Boo hoooooo, the NYSlimes cries crocodile tears. The left has always hated the middle-class, and always was out to destroy it.

Now they have succeeded. We are a nation of dependents now, just like the left always wanted.

But sanctimonious smarm and hypocrisy from the Slimes is a little much, even for them. They could at least cheer this news, since they have worked so hard over the decades to achieve precisely this outcome, instead of writing some obnoxiously insincere piece feigning their concern.

[tanknetter]

So, in part, what you are saying is that austerity measures, which Liberals here in the US have claimed can’t, won’t, have never and never will work ... worked for Canada???

And as a result their middle class is, today, better off than our own?

Can someone please send that info to Paul Krugman, along with a handgun, a single bullet and a note telling him that he really should “do the right thing”?

[JSDude1]

THANKS OBAMA!

[lentulusgracchus]

That is what decade after decade of socialist policies will do.

But as you speak, your tax dollars are holding a megaphone to the lips of Paul Krugman, who is on a PBS tape-loop telling Bill Moyers over and over again, that income inequality is a moral outrage that needs to be bulldozed into oblivion .... and of course he holds up Eurosocialism as his model and palladium.

And Moyers's head goes up and down gravely, as his mind reels under the witting hatefulness of voters who refused to vote for Vladimir Ilyich Obama.

[lentulusgracchus]

Flooding the country with more low skill immigrants will be the death blow to any chance of natives who do not have an Ivy League degree to achieve something of a middle class lifestyle.

But that's the whole point, don't you see? Who wants to feed those worthless "native-born" s.o.b.'s and their greedy, grubby kids? Let them dig ditches! Let them craaawwwwwlll for their betters!

[mikeus_maximus]

So, where should I move?

[RedMonqey]

(Illegally) importing the underclass from other countries and either have them competing with native born citizens or worse, immediately put on welfare is no way to increase the nation’s wage averages..

Where are the unions’s voice on this?

[nascarnation]

If you head to flyover country, you’ll see that 50% of the commercial buildings have “Available” or “For Lease” signs.
I would agree the NE has an element of artificially supported prosperity.

[dragnet2]

If the traffic is this bad now, I'd hate to see what it would look like if we ever attained full employment.

Traffic means little or nothing.

By your analogy heavy traffic means good economy. In LA it seems to be rush hour all the time yet unemployment here is very high.

Just possibly, it could be the greedy developers who bribe and pay off government officials to fast track more and more apartments etc., yet they leave the roads and highways to become gridlocked nightmares.

BTW, we have to make room for all the foreigners/illegals the government pours into the country 24/7.

[RegulatorCountry]

My observation is that areas with a large governmental presence, such as state capitals and certainly Washington DC, are booming right along and barely even registered much of a blip even in 2008.

Most urban areas with increasing populations are doing OK and some are thriving.

The ag and commodity belt through the center of the country from Texas on up to North Dakota is in good shape and some areas are booming due to fracking.

The rest of the country appears to be in a years-long downward spiral that would be a depression if not for social programs.

So, it depends upon where you are.