Economy Study: Middle Class Is Over

[panamaican]

If you make 30 you may want to spend the 19 dollars for a 36 pack of condoms at Walmart. Having kids is a fucking terrible decision. At 60 I had one kid. Stay with me on this though. I drove a used car I paid cash for didn’t use credit cards and bought a house I could actually afford.

So single at $30k.

Married at $60k? Coparenting?

I'm following your other stuff regarding your spending. I'm asking about family structure. There's a point here and it's not going to be a "you don't know what people are going through" line of argument if that's your concern.

 

[franklinstower]

at the same time tho, the graph says it simply compares hours to net productivity. The analysis most of you are taking away from that completely ignores massive leaps in computers, automation, efficiency of tools, more specialized tools, etc.

So it is like comparing the work of someone who has to hand weld parts for a car in 1950, to someone who moves around a joy stick and presses buttons to build a car.

If anything, it is surprising that the productivity increase is not much more significant. I can do so much shit on my phone now, and in 1950 there weren't even computers outside of the government for the most part. How are we only 241% more productive. It should be like 2000%, if not more. lol.

Actually the increase in productivity having to do with technology is a part of the argument for higher wages. The question is who should be able to share in the collective moment forward of humanity on the level of technology. I am in the camp that technological breakthroughs should benefit all people and not just companies and corporations

Robotics are well on the way to replacing 40% or the workforce now and it is not going to effect only the uneducated. If that happens people will still be telling those lazy lawyers to do something with themselves...... while plumbers will still be getting paid...

 

[cincymma79]

So single at $30k.

Married at $60k? Coparenting?

I'm following your other stuff regarding your spending. I'm asking about family structure. There's a point here and it's not going to be a "you don't know what people are going through" line of argument if that's your concern.

60 was with a coparent but we were divorced

 

[DespicablePeep]

It’s not working guys... the system just really isn’t fucking working anymore.

Stop buying iphones and you´ll be able to cover the basics.

 

[panamaican]

60 was with a coparent but we were divorced

Was she contributing financially to the child? And generally speaking what were the circumstances by which your income doubled?

 

[cincymma79]

Was she contributing financially to the child? And generally speaking what were the circumstances by which your income doubled?

She was drunk most of the time but paid some of the expenses
My income doubled because I picked a program that paid more and graduated after working 100 hour weeks for two years between clinicals a book and work. Then again doubled because I found another new job.

 

[cincymma79]

Stop buying iphones and you´ll be able to cover the basics.

Underrated expense
Easily creeps up to 200 a month if you have to have thre latest and greatest

 

[panamaican]

She was drunk most of the time but paid some of the expenses
My income doubled because I picked a program that paid more and graduated after working 100 hour weeks for two years between clinicals a book and work. Then again doubled because I found another new job.

Ok, thanks. Were you married while working on the new program?

 

[cincymma79]

Ok, thanks. Were you married while working on the new program?

We separated before the child was conceived
It was a vagina trap maneuver

But nonwe werent together

 

[cottagecheesefan]

People only quote that number they don’t understand from their computer while they’re supposed to be working comparing themselves to people that worked 14 hour shifts and left covered in sweat whip not even taking breaks. It’s amusing

lmao! that is a very funny mental image.

It is the same thing with the analysis people take away when they see a general graph of the wealth gap. Of course the wealth gap is going to increase when the people at the bottom of the wealth gap are having many more kids than those at the top. It is simple math how that will distort the wealth gap over the years, when compared to 50-100 years ago. That is why I told that one poster to consider the stats in the OP as representative of Urban areas, since it was done by the Urban Institute. Where as the USDA portrays a completely different trend nation wide.

When you start to analyze that subset of problems involving urban areas and/or the lower class, you find other factors influence for the overall wealth gap as well. (stop having babies, and stop hyperconsumerism)

Actually the increase in productivity having to do with technology is a part of the argument for higher wages. The question is who should be able to share in the collective moment forward of humanity on the level of technology. I am in the camp that technological breakthroughs should benefit all people and not just companies and corporations

Robotics are well on the way to replacing 40% or the workforce now and it is not going to effect only the uneducated. If that happens people will still be telling those lazy lawyers to do something with themselves...... while plumbers will still be getting paid...

I agree to an extent. But it is hard to spread the wealth when the lower class (not just Urban areas) is growing at an unsustainable rate, and we are also supporting several other third world countries with exploding populations. There isn't only one factor at play. Moreover, there are other statistics to look at for the over all benefit of humanity. Life expectancy has gone up, almost everyone has a computer phone, with the infrastructure to provide high speed internet and cable to most people within the country. There are so many aspects outside of money where quality of life has improved.

As for your second remark, I also agree, which is why I am a nurse. What is scary tho, is that there are no robots that go around passing out medications to patients lol.

 

[panamaican]

We separated before the child was conceived
It was a vagina trap maneuver

But nonwe werent together

Who had custody while you were in the program?

 

[PainIsLIfe]

The “Middle Class” may officially be a thing of the past.

According to a study from the urban institute, in any given month, “4 in 10 American households now struggle to pay for housing, food, utilities, or healthcare.” 18% of Americans elected not to get medical treatment— such as getting prescriptions filled— because of costs. Perhaps most shocking, one in four American adults experienced food insecurity at some point in 2017.

The study surprised reasearchers who expected to find high levels of struggle among the poor— but found that, in 2018 America, many Americans in the “middle class” income bracket are experiencing “material hardships.”

This is despite the economy being near “full employment.”

The spike in “material hardship” among the American population is blamed on costs of living— particularly healthcare and housing— increasing at a far greater rate than wages for many years.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/almost-half-of-americans-cant-pay-for-basic-needs/

https://www.scarymommy.com/americans-afford-basic-needs/

It’s not working guys... the system just really isn’t fucking working anymore.

Does that mean the other 6 in 10 households are middle/upper class?

 

[DespicablePeep]

Underrated expense
Easily creeps up to 200 a month if you have to have thre latest and greatest

its not easy, Amazon Alexa, online shopping we are buying stuff we don´t need a lot more than in the past. I hardly ride my bike as much as I like but I´m always buying stuff.

 

[Jack V Savage]

If you're not paying taxes voluntarily then that is theft.

Yes, obviously tax evasion is theft.

 

[cincymma79]

Who had custody while you were in the program?

I actually had graduated by then but just barely. Think I misspoke back there. I’d have to reread. Trying to do too many things at once.

Let me do this again
30 and sharing a two bed
60 and then had a kid with someone I separated with before I had the child
She stayed drunk but paid some stuff and we roughly split custody
Found another new job
New wife pregnant now but we make 130000

 

[Henry Huggins]

They surveyed 7500 people...nothing in the article suggested how they identified income level to do their analysis...nothing in the article suggested how they determined what a hardship is...we have ZERO insight into income to expense ratio...aka are the over extended due to keeping up with the joneses...always question authority and sources as sometimes they have an ulterior motive...7500 people in a country of 100’s of millions...come on son

Thank you..study is trash if you actually read it and look at the methodology and results.

There is barely any information on demographics so you don't even know who was being sampled. Even when looking at this study's results, barely anyone was evicted or had their utilities shut off. Additionally, the food insecurity metric is questionable at best. Basically, the overwhelming majority in this study had housing and utilities and I'm guessing they're all well-fed.

If you want to argue medical care I'm with ya.

 

[PainIsLIfe]

No, genius, inflation drives wages up exactly as much as it drives up other costs and thus has no impact on affordability of goods and services for workers. If you give the matter any thought at all, you'd see this.

Inflation doesn't necessarily drive wages up. Many times in the private and public sector companies/municipalities freeze wages to deal with their other rising cost.

 

[zebby23]

60000 is enough to raise 3 kids. I know multiple people doing it. You just can’t do it and have nice shit. Maybe have fewer kids? Or have four more and hope for one of them to de a doctor right

Sure you can live but you’re likely not saving for retirement or putting those kids through college which is what he middle class used to be able to do

 

[cottagecheesefan]

Sure you can live but you’re likely not saving for retirement or putting those kids through college which is what he middle class used to be able to do

and then they gave all their money to colleges for their kids to get degrees they cant get jobs with lol

 

[Headkicktoleg]

and this is why Bernie Sanders is gonna kill Donald Trump.


The 2016 match up we deserved!

Ahh yes nothing helps the middle class more than more taxes!