Community | October 06, 2010 | 52 comments

27 Signs That The Standard Of Living For America's Middle Class Is Dropping Like A Rock

source: http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/27-signs-that-the-standard-of-living-for-america...

Image
Revelation1217
If you still have a job and you can put food on the table and you still have a warm house to come home to, then you should consider yourself to be very fortunate. The truth is that every single month hundreds of thousands more Americans fall out of the middle class and into poverty. The statistics that you are about to read are incredibly sobering. Household incomes are down from coast to coast. Enrollment in government anti-poverty programs sets new records month after month after month. Home ownership is down, personal bankruptcies are way up and there are not nearly enough jobs to go around. Meanwhile, the price of basics such as food and health care continue to skyrocket. Don't be fooled by a rising stock market or by record bonuses on Wall Street. The U.S. economy is not getting better. After World War II, the great American economic machine built the largest and most vigorous middle class in the history of the world, but now America's middle class is disintegrating at a blinding pace.
  1. groups:
    Community,   Culture,   Actual News,   Learn,   5 more
  2. tags:
    News,  Politics,  Economy,  America,  8 more
  3.     
    |

52 comments // 27 Signs That The Standard Of Living For America's Middle Class Is Dropping Like A Rock

  • mybologna
    • +3
      mybologna  

    • It is a sad world we live in. We are so screwed. We get our news from corporate media, who has a corporate agenda, and yet is labeled liberal media because being a corporatist is not far to the right enough, only a facist agenda is good enough.
      While most people live paycheck to paycheck, many of them have been convinced that we should eliminate federal minimum wage standards. Maybe we can get our old manufacturing jobs back when we are willing to work for a dollar a day.
      While we go from one environmental disaster to the next, we still have people clamoring for less environmental regulations. It seems our current electorate prefers jobs even if it means poluted water, degraded environment and killing every other plant and animal specie.
      I will never underestimate the power of corporate propaganda. They have convinced Americans that the free trade agreement that destroyed most American manufacturing is actualy creating jobs. Government is subservient to corporations an yet it is not enough. We give them our natural resources very cheap or free, build their infrastructure, and subsidize their employment and training, look the other direction when they polute our environment, all in exchange to give our citizenry a chance to buy food and shelter by means of employment. Nevertheless, they have convinced many that the poor corporations are the victims.
      Globalization and free trade has given corporate entities the power to do whatever they want. Governments throughout the world will let them polute and enslave their citizens, just so they can get te tax revenue they so desperately need. If the country, or state, or town won't play ball, we'll move to a more desperate country, state or town who will. Yet, in this country, many of the poor still vote in favor of free trade advocates.
      We are manipulated by fear, kept divide by trivial political demagogery in order to enslave us. Even the most basic government safety nets such as social security, retirement pensions, minimum wage laws and food stamps are seen by corporate elites as a threat to their power. They want desperate, destitute people. The desperate and destitute are easier to enslave. Then after they enslave the population, in an Orwellian doublespeak manner, they convince their slaves that they are free.

    • 1 year ago
  • dalistuff
    • 0
      dalistuff  

    • Seen felt it lived it and it is sad that I must penny pinch things in order to meet that mortgage. No easy being part of the endangers species - the middle class

    • 1 year ago
  • addie340
    • -4
      addie340  

    • You have to look at the bright side we now have more people than any time in history on food stamps. That's a good thing according to your Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi. So in reality we on well on our way to recovery, the Democratic way. Make sure you all vote this IDIOT back in office so you can guarantee your State of Calf. will continue to fail. GREAT LEADERSHIP. Go DEMS.

    • 1 year ago
  • Eddie_Miller
  • TomTucker
  • littlwarrior
  • bailey78
  • bc_f
    • bc_f [removed]  
    • This comment was removed as a violation of community guidelines.
  • bailey78
  • bc_f
  • bailey78
    • 0
      bailey78  
    • bc_f:

      Ok so on the world wide range I'm not doing so bad. i also wish I could do more but I have my hands full helping th drunks and druggies around here keep food an what not in there houses. I've been trying to help one guy just to keep his place. he would rather drink all his money than to pay bills. He is now liveing with out water or electric power. but he has that beer at every chance. The Wife an I are about to write him off. I gave him some chickens a while back so he would have eggs at least. he dog killed two of them so he threw them away. he saw the dog kill them and still threw them away he will get no more chickens from me. i would have plucked them an ate them for dinner.

    • 1 year ago
  • bc_f
  • remanns
  • remanns
  • bailey78
  • bailey78
  • CalgarC
  • bailey78
  • CalgarC
  • bailey78
  • CalgarC
  • CalgarC
  • bailey78
    • 0
      bailey78  
    • CalgarC:

      Ok I thought you were talking about a house made from tumbleweeds. The wife and I were thinking about getting a small house like this. We really want to down size. Just a matter of time before we do. I like the house we have now but it's just a bit big for us. We have a three bedroom two bath on seven acres the up keep is killing me it take me a couple of days just to mow the place. then the taxs are a bit high.

    • 1 year ago
  • bailey78
  • CalgarC
  • CalgarC
  • bailey78
  • CalgarC
  • Nick19
  • Saladin
  • DogBoy
  • 11dim
  • Mark701
    • +3
      Mark701  

    • What is sad is that the recession is over, at least by Wall Streets definition.

      But how can the recession be over with statistics like this? Easy. Multinationals have shipped our jobs overseas. There is no other explanation I can think of given Wall Streets rebound and Main Streets malaise. If there's any doubt about this, walk into any retail store, pick up an item and note where it's made. Not in America. Given the millions of items that are sold in this country, how many lost US jobs would that translate into?

    • 1 year ago
  • Elevator
  • remanns
  • H2O_4U
    • H2O_4U  
    • This comment was removed as a violation of community guidelines.
  • nanac
    • +3
      nanac  

    • Americans need to change their way of thinking and stop depending on others for employment...Job security is almost non-existent in today's society..People must learn to use their own skills in order to support his/her family...

    • 1 year ago
  • remanns
  • nanac
    • 0
      nanac  
    • remanns:

      The economy appears to be rather bleak, however I fell that I can survive without taking drastic measures.. I will remain optimistic because from all indications things are getting better...

    • 1 year ago
  • FtheBULLSHT
    • +3
      FtheBULLSHT  

    • "Great civilizations collapse when the difference between the haves and the have-nots was too great."

      "...schools focus only on teaching people to work for money, not how to harness the power of money."

    • 1 year ago
  • navider
    • +4
      navider  

    • It's the republican agenda for the last 30 years........... destroy the middle class and give more power to the rich.

    • 1 year ago
  • Paratus
    • -1
      Paratus  
    • navider:

      Your effort to blame Republicans and ignore Democrats is absurd. The number of people currently below the poverty level is 14%+- (1/7). The unemployment rate among those still on the rolls or looking for work is creeping back towards 10%. We have seen a huge increase in the amount of government control over the economy and the people. Democrats are in charge navider. You cannot ignore that. This board is very much a libertarian bashing (witness the ignorant comment by H2O_4U above) and Republican bashing but it seems that the liberals and Dems are the golden children. Get this straight people, liberalism is the problem. Government control is the problem. We don't have free markets. We don't have a tax code or administration that encourages the creation of wealth. We have the most inexperienced, anti-business, anti freedom administration in my lifetime backed up by outright stupid people such as Pelosi and her peers. This is a recipe for disaster and that recipe is cooking up right now. Get off the Republican bad, Democrat good train. The problems transcend political parties. When the Republicans were in charge they did not do a good job. Ran up the deficit, increased gov. power. The Democrats since 2006 have increased this exponentially. We are in this mess because of BOTH parties and it is time to clean house. Whichever candidate represents personal and economic freedom this November needs to get our vote regardless of the party. Then we need to hold their feet to the fire. Throw out the liberals, they are dangerous to our country and WILL destroy it given the chance.

    • 1 year ago
  • Saladin
    • +4
      Saladin  
    • Paratus:

      I guess when you're wrong, it's easier to believe the opposite of the truth rather than a variant of it.

      In my state, we're about to vote on a prop that would end tax cuts for corporations only. They, for instance, get to choose if they want to pay payroll, property or sales taxes (while the rest of us have to pay them all), they can give away tax cuts to their subsidiaries if they want to and if the economy isn't doing well, they get a fucking tax refund!

      And yet I'm supposed to sit here and pretend like one of the most liberal states in the nation is "anti-business?" I didn't even talk about the tax break for yacht owners. And I didn't even have to go federal, because even on a micro-level disconnected from your own environment you're still hopelessly wrong.

      Wake the fuck up, the government is deep-captured by business. We practically don't have one. And your "free market" policies are to blame.

      Thirty fucking years of total failure, and conservatives are still blaming "liberals."

      Hey, remember the 1950's and 60's? Remember those unions and 90% tax brackets? As you recall, was the middle class bigger or smaller then?

      Don't bother answering, if facts actually swayed people like you I'm sure you would have at least attempted to reconsider your position a long time ago.

      I only posted this to remind any others who read it what a load of crap it is. Obama is less liberal than Richard Nixon and his "government expansion" is about as centrist and pandering as you could be in a recession this severe.

    • 1 year ago
  • Tyr
  • kennymotown
    • +1
      kennymotown  
    • Paratus:

      The country would be so much more in distress and you know it had the Democrat's not gained power. I am so sick and tired of your rhetoric and the others that have no solutions. Your pathetic, and generally un-American you can't wait for the Repugnants to take control and drive the country further over the cliff. Come up with solutions if your such a a great thinker!

    • 1 year ago
  • pandaman2105
    • +2
      pandaman2105  

    • #4 not surprising, San Antonio is really doing decent. maybe all of Texas, but development and spending is somewhat rampant in S.A.

      you can't really tell that there's an economic issue around here totally.

    • 1 year ago
  • JohnA
  • ThatCrazyLibertarian
  • JohnA
  • kennymotown
  • remanns
  • hunzedog
more from Community:
from the community

top videos