On Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:53:10 -0700, Jack wrote:


You know, I don't get all this BS about how the middle class hasn't had
a raise in 30 years. I look around at the middle class, and they're
living in nice houses, parking at least one nice, new car in their two
car garage, watching a big screen HDTV, PS3, the kids are going to music
and voice lessons, soccer, and have a car of their own when they get old
enough. And then have tons of opportunity to go to college when they
graduate.

Maybe it's different here, than there, but here, it mostly takes 2
incomes to provide all that. 30-40 years ago, it wasn't that common for
wives to work. Now, it is uncommon if they don't. That has to account
for something.

You'll also note, at the recent G20, there were messages that America can
no longer be counted on to be the world's marketplace. It's becoming
clear, that America's consumers can no longer afford to drive the world's
economy. All those jobs shipped off to China, may produce cheap goods,
but if you don't have a job, even cheap goods are not affordable.

I grew up middle class, and we didn't have all that! It used to be that
if you wanted to live an affluent life, you studied and worked your ass
off, and hoped you'd make it. Now people seem to think they deserve it
if they barely graduate high school just because they live in the USA!