Do you see the U.S. being headed for a second civil war?

[BigElCat]

Originally Posted by nailer

Wiped out as in becoming lower level consumers?

Hmph.

We prefer to be called 'thrifty'. It's the stage before homeless.

[nailer]

The export of middle class jobs began in the 60s with the consumer electronics industry.

That IBM desktop just plain evaporated a lot of nice middle class jobs.

Interesting how both parties basically fully buy into this and other similar stuff ...

[finnbow]

Originally Posted by nailer

The export of middle class jobs began in the 60s with the consumer electronics industry.

That IBM desktop just plain evaporated a lot of nice middle class jobs.

Interesting how both parties basically fully buy into this and other similar stuff ...

Actually, it's as old as our country and was originally brought to the fore by Adam Smith in 1776 in "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations."

[Chicks]

Originally Posted by nailer

The export of middle class jobs began in the 60s with the consumer electronics industry.

That IBM desktop just plain evaporated a lot of nice middle class jobs.

Interesting how both parties basically fully buy into this and other similar stuff ...

Technology has created more jobs than it has destroyed, says 140 years of data
Study of census results in England and Wales since 1871 finds rise of machines has been a job creator rather than making working humans obsolete

https://www.theguardian.com/business...rs-data-census

Made a whole lot of us multi-millionaires, too. Those of us who embraced change, and invested in it. Luddites, of course, lost out. No tears shed for them here.

[nailer]

What's as old?

[RickeyM]

All jobs aren't created equal. Up until the seventies or so the American middle class expanded greatly because of well paying blue collar largely manufacturing jobs. With just a high-school education a person could earn enough for a very good life for they and their families. Those working humans no longer had those high pay (relatively) low skill jobs bringing in the big bucks when mechanization and advanced technology took over. and when much manufacturing went overseas. Those working humans were to a large degree slow to pivot to those new jobs created.

[Chicks]

Is the Middle Class Worse Off Than It Used to Be?

https://www.clevelandfed.org/en/news...worse-off.aspx

In comparing household incomes of the middle class in the United States in 1980 to today, we conclude that real incomes for today’s middle class are somewhat higher than they used it to be, particularly for households headed by two adults. It is also clear that failing to adjust for demographic shifts in the population relating to age, race, and education can indicate a more positive outlook than is truly the case.

We find, as in prior research, that prices in housing, healthcare, and education have risen more than middle-class incomes and so are relatively more expensive. However, we also find that these price increases are offset by relative price decreases in transportation, food, and recreation, among others, making real middle-class incomes slightly higher than in the past.

[RickeyM]

Originally Posted by Chicks

Is the Middle Class Worse Off Than It Used to Be?

https://www.clevelandfed.org/en/news...worse-off.aspx

I'd like to see that broken down into upper middle-class and lower middle-class.

[nailer]

The middle class is smaller now than it was in 1980 and it's not the upper that got larger. They just got richer, as did the upper section of the middle class.

[BigElCat]

Originally Posted by nailer

The middle class is smaller now than it was in 1980 and it's not the upper that got larger. They just got richer, as did the upper section of the middle class.

God's gift to ballroom notoriety--Angus Young