The American Middle Class: Under Siege
America's middle class is under siege. The middle class has been called the backbone of our country. It represents the so called silent majority of our nation. It is the life that most Americans hope to achieve. A good, honest life with ample opportunity for success, however we define success.
Whenever the United States needed its people to sacrifice, it has called upon the middle class to provide the money, time, educators, innovators, laborers, homemakers, and financial resources to meet that need. The middle class is truly the engine that powered the United States.
Now that vastly important segment of society is under siege and there is increasing concern as to whether it will survive. There is evidence of an increasing gap between the wealth of the rich and the rest of Americans. At one time this gap was referred to as primarily existing between the rich and the poor. That gap certainly remains constant. But there is also an exchange of wealth of immense magnitude between the rich and those in the middle class. More and more Americans are moving from the middle class to the poor as our hard earned assets are transferred to the wealthy.
A recent study showed that the size of the middle class has shrunk from about 65% of the population to 44% during the last thirty years. Let's put that another way. Thirty years ago, if the population matched todays 310 million Americans, 206 million U.S. Citizens would have been middle class. Today that number has shunk to about 140 million. In otherwords, there are 66 million fewer Americans in the middle class today than we would have expected. Although there has been some movement to higher economic status, the vast majority of this was due to people moving to lower economic situations, not higher. As a result, the number of Americans living below poverty has grown to more than 46 million persons, including over 20% of the nation's children.
It is my belief that that this change in class structure, which is primarily, but not exclusively, precipitated by the increasing economic differences between our peoples, is the single largest threat to American democracy today. Americans are beginning to gather in the streets, as seen in the Occupy Wall Street movement, to protest. This is, I believe and hope, merely the beginning of a movement that will ultimately determine whether the United States remains the preeminent force for good among the nations of this world.
Will we continue to offer opportunity for all our citizens? Will we remain a beacon to the underprivileged? Will we use our incredible powers of intellect and innovation to make our nation, and the world, a better place? Or will we allow the greed of major corporations, of politicians, and of many of our wealthiest citizens to spread at the expense of "regular" Americans?
The answer to this question, really, is up to us, the silent majority, the American middle class. I invite you to read the pages on this web site as a introduction to the topic. Please feel free to join the discussions as they emerge on the blogging page. I encourage you to read the articles and books on the Readings page and ask you to contribute your family stories to help illustrate the issues and concerns raised on this site. Most of all, I ask you to find your voice and speak out for the United States we all believe in - a country with true opportunity, justice, liberty, and hope for us all!
America's middle class is under siege. The middle class has been called the backbone of our country. It represents the so called silent majority of our nation. It is the life that most Americans hope to achieve. A good, honest life with ample opportunity for success, however we define success.
Whenever the United States needed its people to sacrifice, it has called upon the middle class to provide the money, time, educators, innovators, laborers, homemakers, and financial resources to meet that need. The middle class is truly the engine that powered the United States.
Now that vastly important segment of society is under siege and there is increasing concern as to whether it will survive. There is evidence of an increasing gap between the wealth of the rich and the rest of Americans. At one time this gap was referred to as primarily existing between the rich and the poor. That gap certainly remains constant. But there is also an exchange of wealth of immense magnitude between the rich and those in the middle class. More and more Americans are moving from the middle class to the poor as our hard earned assets are transferred to the wealthy.
A recent study showed that the size of the middle class has shrunk from about 65% of the population to 44% during the last thirty years. Let's put that another way. Thirty years ago, if the population matched todays 310 million Americans, 206 million U.S. Citizens would have been middle class. Today that number has shunk to about 140 million. In otherwords, there are 66 million fewer Americans in the middle class today than we would have expected. Although there has been some movement to higher economic status, the vast majority of this was due to people moving to lower economic situations, not higher. As a result, the number of Americans living below poverty has grown to more than 46 million persons, including over 20% of the nation's children.
It is my belief that that this change in class structure, which is primarily, but not exclusively, precipitated by the increasing economic differences between our peoples, is the single largest threat to American democracy today. Americans are beginning to gather in the streets, as seen in the Occupy Wall Street movement, to protest. This is, I believe and hope, merely the beginning of a movement that will ultimately determine whether the United States remains the preeminent force for good among the nations of this world.
Will we continue to offer opportunity for all our citizens? Will we remain a beacon to the underprivileged? Will we use our incredible powers of intellect and innovation to make our nation, and the world, a better place? Or will we allow the greed of major corporations, of politicians, and of many of our wealthiest citizens to spread at the expense of "regular" Americans?
The answer to this question, really, is up to us, the silent majority, the American middle class. I invite you to read the pages on this web site as a introduction to the topic. Please feel free to join the discussions as they emerge on the blogging page. I encourage you to read the articles and books on the Readings page and ask you to contribute your family stories to help illustrate the issues and concerns raised on this site. Most of all, I ask you to find your voice and speak out for the United States we all believe in - a country with true opportunity, justice, liberty, and hope for us all!