America's middle class ranked 27... behind socialist Canada

[CanadaJohn]

I would say our larger level of imigration than these other country has a lot to do with that number as we are continually adding poverty.

Canada, as an example, has a long history of accepting an average of about 250,000 immigrants and short-term work visas a year as well as many refugee claimants from trouble spots in the world - in comparison, by population, that would be the equivalent to 2.5 million legal immigrants into the US each year - is your rate that high, or are you including illegals as well?

 

[CanadaJohn]

'Deregulation!' 'Deregulation!' It was the mantra hyped to kick the US economy into overdrive but surprise! surprise! corporate greed killed the goose. It'll happen again, too, given the chance.

Depends on what the purpose of deregulation is - in the case of the housing market collapse in the US, the prime goal of the deregulation was to somehow make home ownership affordable for every American - a ridiculous goal. Deregulation that tries to manipulate a natural capitalistic market only ends up screwing up the economy - deregulation that eases the normal flow of capitalism only grows the economy and the wealth and opportunity of all the country's citizens.

 

[Zalatix]

Most people also have a way better chance of getting laid if they go to a whore house or pick up a hooker. What's your point again?

I already stated my point. Either accept it or not, it is a simple statement of fact. An accurate one at that. America doesn't have enough jobs for job seekers. The party is over if we keep going the direction we're going.

 

[Zalatix]

Is anyone else tired as **** of the partisan political pandering to the middle class as I am?

As soon as the middle class disappears in your country of residence, you will flee, probably with the clothes on your back. So really, you aren't so tired of it after all.

 

[Zalatix]

deregulation that eases the normal flow of capitalism only grows the economy and the wealth and opportunity of all the country's citizens.

That kind of deregulation also leads to people burning alive in textile mills or collapsing factories, neighborhoods being obliterated by exploding fertilizer plants, banks failing at a rate of a hundred a day like they were before the FDIC came along, and all the country's wealth flowing right to the 1%, with very little going to the working class.

 

[CanadaJohn]

That kind of deregulation also leads to people burning alive in textile mills or collapsing factories, neighborhoods being obliterated by exploding fertilizer plants, banks failing at a rate of a hundred a day like they were before the FDIC came along, and all the country's wealth flowing right to the 1%, with very little going to the working class.

Obviously, you didn't understand my point - otherwise, you wouldn't have responded in such an over the top, the world is ending, manner.

 

[Papa bull]

The problem with your question is that we do not know the statistical basis for this table being used, i.e. what were the underlying factors used to determine the middle class salary upon which it is based? Were comparative populations used in the determinations? What did the developer use as the cut-off for "wealthy" before calculating the averages? Anyone who has a salary over $200,000?

I wonder if you ask an American who makes $200,000 a year if he is rich, or middle class; which answer he is most likely to give?

You didn't read the link, did you? The data represented wasn't "median income". It was "median wealth". It was everything you own minus everything you owe.

The most telling comparative measurement is median wealth (per adult). It describes the amount of wealth accumulated by the person precisely in the middle of the wealth distribution—50 percent of the adult population has more wealth, while 50 percent has less. You can't get more middle than that.

Wealth is measured by the total sum of all our assets (homes, bank accounts, stocks, bonds etc.) minus our liabilities (outstanding loans and other debts).

Since we do extremely well income-wise, it's safe to say that spending habits and debt contribute heavily to this number, if it's a factual number at all. It's somewhat misleading, at best, and that's what propaganda is all about.