Comments on: Middle Class Feeling The Financial Squeeze

Study: More Middle-Class Americans Say They Aren't Better Off Than They Were 5 Years Ago

[mikekleber]

The truly sad part is thye US is losing its middle class, and China is gaining a middle class.

Isn''t this why our founding fathers started our country ? ?

[rhs648]

correction

Not to be derogatory to women, but the US corporate and Wall St financial manipulators need to be severely *** slapped via government policy for the next 20 years. That might begin to get things back to the point where working Americans are once again sharing in the wealth of America.

Posted by CBSBlogger

What makes you feel that working Americans are entititled to share the wealth? They are just as you describe, working Americans. If they want to share the wealth, let them become the owners. It is entrepreneurs, business people, and investors who go out and create the wealth. Working people tend to put in their time, rush home, watch football, drink themselves into a stupor, and start all over again on Monday morning. These are not the people who risk capital and work seven days each week, and put in 80 hours per week. Beimg a business owner, it meant 20 years with no vacations, working day and night, and giving up a lot of good times. Now that my business is successful, I can enjoy the vacations, nice cars, and nice homes. Compare the two. Who earned the right to share the wealth?

[rhs648]

Not to be derogatory to women, but the US corporate and Wall St financial manipulators need to be severely *** slapped via government policy for the next 20 years. That might begin to get things back to the point where working Americans are once again sharing in the wealth of America.

Posted by CBSBlogger

What makes you feel that working Americans are entititled to share the wealth? They are just as you describe, working Americans. If they want to share the wealth, let them become the owners. It is entrepreneurs, business people, and investors who go out and create the wealth. Working people tend to put in their time, rush home, watch football, drink themselves into a stupor, and start all over again on Monday morning. These are not the people who risk capital and work seven days each week, and put in 80 hours per week. Beimg a business owner, it meant 20 years with no vacations, working day and night, and giving up a lot of good times. Now that my businrss is successful, I can enjoy the vacations, nice cars, and nice homes. Compare the two. Who earned the right to share the wealth?

[brianbwb-2009]

From a related story that illustrates the disinformation re economics by the media;

"In this year''s survey, only 16.8 percent correctly answered that stocks likely would offer the higher growth over 18 years of saving for a child''s education, while 37.3 percent thought a U.S. savings bond - one of the most conservative investments - would offer the highest growth."

Now who says that the choice of stocks over bonds is a "correct" answer? Only a stock broker would make such promises. I am sure that those millions of people that held Enron, or World com, Countrywide, or Bear Stearns stock wish right now that they had bought bonds instead.

[truthspeake2]

America is going the way of the Roman Empire thanks to greed and arrogance. RIP America!

[cbsblogger]

The American Dream .....George Carlin, interesting and definitely worth a watch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJ4SSvVbhLw

(Copy/paste)

It''s called the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it.

[cbsblogger]

cattlekate....good point.

Our country is not a democracy, it is now a corporatocracy where our taxes and policies of government are spent with one purpose.....to help corporations and Wall St make money.

This wouldn''t be such a bad policy if US corporations were still producing in the USA (and not China) and if CEO compensation was held to a realistic premium to average workers as it was 25 years ago. Instead the CEO class has been successfully lobbying for the raping and pillaging of taxpayers, workers and shareholders.

Not to be derogatory to women, but the US corporate and Wall St financial manipulators need to be severely *** slapped via government policy for the next 20 years. That might begin to get things back to the point where working Americans are once again sharing in the wealth of America.

[cattlekate]

I am really struggling.

I am struggling so much I am tempted to not vote for anyone who isn''t talking about how corporate profits are privatized and yet their losses are socialized.

The most interesting thing about our inflation tax is how the "Federal" Reserve is so much more concerned about a Depression than inflation, their interest rate is now almost down to ZERO.

And yet our credit card rates are shooting up to around 20 percent, and without any trigger from payers like late payments and without any justification. And we have no recourse, thanks to the Bankruptcy Bill.

[idnnsg]

shanev137 asks, "Gee, who could have ever predicted this"?

Who?

The very same people who saw through Bush''s lies when he said we have to "preemptively" attack Iraq to "save" us from the terrorists. The people who saw through Cuntoleeza Rice''s "mushroom cloud" warnings. The people who didn''t buy the WMD stories. The people who could count the number of Iraqis on those airplanes on 9/11. The people who just laughed their a$$es off when the little dictator donned a flight jacket, "landed a jet" on an aircraft carrier with a big banner saying "Mission Accomplished", and declared "major combat operations are over". Etc, etc.

Bush failed at every single business he ran. He claimed to be the "MBA Prezdent", but we all knew he was just a skirt chasing, drunken cheerleeder who got his daddy''s friends to do his schoolwork.

Only the truly, desperately blind and ignorant did not forsee the reign of Bush leading to financial disaster and moral ruin.

[ontheleft]

''Two-thirds, or 67 percent, of middle-class Americans say their standard of living is better than the one their parents enjoyed at the age they are now''

I''m surprised the figure is that high. I have four siblings and not one of us (all with college degrees) is better off than our parents were at the same age. I only wish I could afford to buy a house as nice as the one I grew up in.

[jjarden]

It''''s OVER Folks...The American "Dream" is DEAD...it ain''''t coming back...the world has changed, and America has changed with it...the only direction now is DOWN. Sorry...It''''s Reality...Study and learn what is going out there...there are plenty of books and articles on the subject by the experts who study this stuff...Social Scientists...Economists...etc. The American people think that things are going to turn around and America is going to get back it''''s former "Greatness" as an economic powerhouse. They think that Obama, or Hillary, or Mcain are going to SAVE Them. It ain''''t gonna happen. As the Asian countries increase their standard of living, the American standard of living is in decline.

It''''s OVER...Get used to it...and just solely focus on your Health, Family, Friends, Intellect(READ...READ...READ!), and go Cold-Turkey and give up on this MORONIC POP CULTURE. Do Not participate in it...Do Not pay attention to it.

[timdgrim]

Hurry with that $600 stimulus...that guy on the record gas prices picture on this site needs it to fill up his Stupid Unnecessary Vehicle.

[bgwinnett]

Hey but even though you lost your job to some Indian, can''''t pay for healthcare etc etc, don''''t worry! Bush says that $600 he borrowed from China to give to you will fix everything!

Posted by mortal3 at 09:55 PM : Apr 09, 2008

You wisely know that, hoping the "Economic stimulus" will revitalize the economy is the same as, expecting to be woken up by one cup of coffee after downing two bottles of bourbon.

[timdgrim]

Oh..there''s still a middle class. And $40 thousand to over $100 thousand is a pretty wide range! I must be in the servant range.

[shanev137]

Another shocking, hard-hitting article.

Gee, who could have ever predicted this.

This also just in:

water is wet
heat is hot
and snow is cold