The Middle Class in America Is Radically Shrinking. Here Are the Stats to Prove it

Originally posted by neo96
derseve ????? thats the biggest problem with the country today

everyone thinks they are owed everything.

neo96, we ARE owed everything - because the universe is set up to afford everyone of us all we want. But humans are considered a slave race and therefore undeserving of this abundance.

The technology is suppressed, and we are kept struggling in scarcity - false scarcity - while They play their games with us.

there arent one or 2 people who owned everything thats a falsehood..


the reasonS the few people who have money and do own things they work for it
and the invest in their own futures.

You're kidding, right? Virtually all the extremely large fortunes are inherited. Sure we have our poster children like Bill Gates, but even he isn't anywhere as rich as the Rothschilds or the Rockefellers.

really its not easy to become rich its not easy to stay rich
its not easy to build a sucessful company
its not easy to stay one.

they dont sit back and bitch about what they dont have they dont blame other people for having what they do..........

THEY MAKE THINGS HAPPEN.

You're speaking about the lucky few peons. The really rich are in banking and energy. You should read up on just how much luck plays into the success of us puny humans. Some work their butts off all their life and wind up with no success. Others just have something drop in their laps.

[sigh] You have swallowed they lies hook, line and sinker.

the current generation of " i want it now" and "THEY OWE ME" and "instant gratifaction" needs to get off their spoiled azzes and WORK FOR IT.

No. As the Church of the Subgenius will tell you, SLACK is what we're after. All of us. And it is our birthright in a universe that can give us our slack.

wealth takes time to accumalate yeah sometimes it made over nite but its also lost overnite

Wealth is best measured in richness of character. Get rid of money and it will be measured that way.

Read my book, linked in my sig, which includes my post here:

www.abovetopsecret.com...

why would i waste my time taxing old ladies ?


with a 13 trillion defict and rising i would be taxing everyone equally and justly

rich,old ,poor hate me for it im sure you will but as the bad situation this country is in something needs to be done.

reply to post by neo96


I agree something needs to be done. For starters, let's cut government spending without touching the programs. How? By paying every member of congress the average salary of the middle class. Period. Also, they only need one secretary, all the other staff is there to gather dirt on their opponents, deliver misinformation and to tend to lobbyists from.....The Corporation. They don't need any fancy clothes, houses, cars, chauffeurs, etc. to do their job. And frankly, while we are at it. Eliminate the IRS. Ooooh! There. I said it. You want to tax the working segment of the population. Fine, the maximum is 15%. The people that "do lunch" and accumulate their wealth can pay let's say 40% in taxes. They pay less that you and I do now, when they pay. You read correctly. If their capital losses are larger, well then, they just don't pay on their gains...

The reason this stupid system has worded so far, is that all of us believe that we will be the next Gates, Buffett, et al. Wake up. The system is rigged. They are outliers, not the norm.

The nerdy girl never gets voted Senior Prom Queen. Get over it already and deal.

[edit on 24-7-2010 by pivilu]

reply to post by David9176


Isn't this the natural flow of things??

I mean, the rich get richer, the poor get poorer and before you know it you have a revolution on your hands.

eat the rich!!

And then we can go back to start this stupid rat race all over again....

I love repeating patterns

Peace

Oh PS: For the wannabe revolutionary's, you gotta have guillotines!! When dealing with angry mobs, rolling heads are a crowd pleaser. It would be handy to have one or two around when you roll into Beverly Hill with your pitch forks and torches.

[edit on 24-7-2010 by operation mindcrime]

I find it difficult to believe you are getting into debates about taxation, etc, ie. in the minutae of the statistics posted by the OP.

The bigger picture and the trends are obvious, and it is exactly in line with their stated agenda...which IS to reduce the whole population to poverty - and transfer the wealth to the top 1-2%. THAT is exactly what their plan is. Then, they imposte martial law and totalitarian government.

Aongside this process of the people's wealth sliding away into the pockets of the few, is a process in congress of eroding all civil and judicial rights, and passing laws which will permit total control (aka brutal suppression/oppression).

If any of you witnessed what happened in Iran after the election last year, you will see how quickly this can happen once the power structure is in place. And I make this camparison with Iran intentionally. I am convinced that Obama/Ahmadinejad are on the same team. What happened in Iran looks almost like a blueprint for what is now happening in US. It's as though the Obama admin watched the Iranian experiment, and is now implementing same in US.

If you look at the cards in the Illuminati cardgame you will see hangings on one of the cards. That is exactly what is happening now in Iran. Members of the opposition are being imprisoned on false charges, going through farcical, sham trials, and being given sentences which cannot begin to be justified. Many have been hanged, and more have been given the death sentence. Hangings of peaceful protesters serve to intimidate and crush the opposition.

What happened at the G20 summit was exactly what happened in Iran.
Peaceful protests infiltrated by instigators of violence, arbitrary arrests of protesters, photos of protesters taken by government agents, degrading and humiliating treatment of protesters.

In Iran, torture and rape of protesters is widespread. Conditions in prisons are less than inhumane they are treated worse than beasts.
Things are not that bad in US YET, but did you hear about the threats of rape made to femail prisoners?

Why do I say they are on the same side when there are threats of war?
Because they both have the same agenda. In US we know it as the Zionist agenda. In Iran it is the Hojatieh agenda. Both agendas have in common that they waht to cause chaos and suffering, the move to world domination, the imposition of a totalitarian government on the whole planet.

A massive war would serve their common agendas enormously. Further impoverishment of the population, massive profits for the rich, mass murder of millions, fear and insecurity of the population - which is intended to break down their will, so they will submit to the brutal measures imposed on them. Imposition of even more repressive lawa.
An excuse to censor the Internet to squash communication.

I do not believe this is all 'coincidence', I believe it's all part of the master plan in which Obama and Ahmadinejad are following their scripts of confrontational rhetoric, to fool the masses.

And in US, they encourage the people to think discussions about taxation are productive, that discussions about the various candidates in the forthcoming elections are valid - all this to continue to dupe the people, and take the focus away from what the real problem is:

the CORRUPT, CRIMINAL government, the CORRUPT Federal Reserve, the CORRUPT legal system, the CORRUPT corporations, the CORRUPT military leaders.

We should not take our attention away from that for one minute. That is where change must be made. Frankly discussions about who should or shouldn't be taxed more or less is irrelevant.

The statistics posted by the OP - are PROOF that they are following their totalitarian agenda. THAT is what people MUST understand.





[edit on 24-7-2010 by wcitizen]

[edit on 24-7-2010 by wcitizen]

reply to post by antonia

Bet those stats don't hold up though when you normalize it down to what we get for the taxes we pay versus what they would get for the same amount of tax. They may pay more but they get far more plus.

Mostly what we get is a military that we then get to send that military to other places to fight for and protect the interests of the corporations who have outsourced or offshored all their work offshore to not contribute to the tax base that they get the benefit of. Nice deal for them.

[edit on 7/24/2010 by ~Lucidity]

those are sobering statistics but I don't see how any--or all of them--prove that the middle class is "radically shrinking," especially since you never define what middle class is...

Originally posted by ~Lucidity
reply to post by antonia

 

Bet those stats don't hold up though when you normalize it down to what we get for the taxes we pay versus what they would get for the same amount of tax. They may pay more but they get far more plus.

Mostly what we get is a military that we then get to send that military to other places to fight for and protect the interests of the corporations who have outsourced or offshored all their work offshore to not contribute to the tax base that they get the benefit of. Nice deal for them.

[edit on 7/24/2010 by ~Lucidity]

Of course you don't get as much, Americans scream at the dreaded "Socialized" stuff. If we wanted to live in a country like Germany of Sweden we certainly could, but that would involve a fundamental change in how we viewed government. Most people want their cake and they want to eat it too though.

reply to post by ~Lucidity


EXACTLY

The rich pay more taxes because they utilize far more government services. Take federal insurance for banks and S&Ls. That was put into place because people refused to put their money into banks after the The Great Depression.

The federal government's primary duties are regulating interstate commerce, conducting trade treaties, and protecting the seas from pirates, and protecting the assets of U.S. corporations overseas. All of these costs should be charged to imports, and reflected in the cost of imports. Under our current system, the middle class winds up subsidizing imports without any choice in the matter and that is wrong, and thereby subsidizing the exportation of their jobs.

The average guy who works locally and buys locally shouldn't be paying for overseas military activity, or import regulation. Nor should the U.S. worker be paying to subsidize immigration through medicaid, which is the current situation. This is why the rich should be paying the bulk of federal taxes.

Outsourcing is one of the main reasons why this is a larger need for more social spending. People simply don't have the money they used to...we've been keeping up our standard of living through debt and we can no do it.....and the problem is compounded with the financial industry getting stricter with credit.

I am a huge advocate of raising tariffs as it see it as being the only solution to bringing back jobs without the middle class becoming the lower class. The transfer of wealth...and power....is leaving the middle class as we type and it will continue until these policies change.

I no longer care what the right says. I am simply sick and tired of those saying the wealthy shouldn't pay more in taxes...especially the top 1 percent.

Taxes on the richest in our country, at one time, was over 90 PERCENT and that was when the country and the middle class was at it's strongest. Ever since Reagan, it's been destroyed....while Clinton did raise taxes slightly...he still enabled free trade which has been terrible for the average working man as we can't compete with slave labor that is paid .30 an hour.

It's common sense. We HAVE to raise tariffs.

Now ask yourself why no one is advocating it. Why isn't the corporate media pushing it?

I'll tell you why.

They all PROFIT from it. None of the corporate media is solely AMerican anymore...they are are international, TRANSNATIONAL Corporations who no longer hold the USA as it's top priority.

reply to post by Southern Guardian

I agree with you David that the middle class are an essential foundation to this nation. If we are only looking out for the wealthy, expecting them to create the jobs and move the economy, we will continue on a downward spiral in this nation. But you will not get much support on ATS, this is as much to do about 'sticking me guns to my ideology' than to what this nation needs.

I agree 100 percent. What are companies doing with all of this increased wealth?

CREATING JOBS IN CHINA....even as the middle class is failing....it's still happening...and many of these corporations are behind the push of the Constitution when they really don't give a damn about it...yet many here continue to defend them. It's insane.

I know that deep down, people have to see the righting on the wall. We can't continue on this path. We have seen what continued tax cuts the last 30 years...especially under GWB. He didn't create D for jobs...and he cut taxes drastically.

reply to post by wcitizen


The assumption that someone is steering or planning this is wrong!!

The bigger picture and the trends are obvious, and it is exactly in line with their stated agenda...which IS to reduce the whole population to poverty - and transfer the wealth to the top 1-2%. THAT is exactly what their plan is. Then, they imposte martial law and totalitarian government.

Nobody is transferring the wealth to the top 1-2%.....greed is doing fine on it's own. Greed is human nature and even you and I are trying desperately, every day, to get more then the other.

As a matter of fact, the top 1-2% are more concerned about the imbalance then you or I. (they actually have something to loose). But in this game of greed stopping is not an option because you will only be replaced by somebody else willing to take the money.

They know there is not a force on earth that can stop an angry mob of 200 million p*ssed off Americans but if they don't close the deal somebody else will.....

Peace

David,
Thank you for posting this. Some ATSers need to read more of things like this to gain perspective. Some here, myself included, like to argue about Republicants vs Dems, but my main issue is income inequality.

If we could all get behind a common enemy, I would pick the rich. The system is rigged for them to get ahead while rigged for the poor to stay poor. And it has crossed a line that no longer can be ignored.

All you revolutionaries out there, here is your spark! You want a reason to get your guns and take to the streets? Why not get the ones who constantly F*ck us over for another dollar. Go get 'em!!!!



[edit on 25-7-2010 by 12GaugePermissionSlip]

Originally posted by operation mindcrime

They know there is not a force on earth that can stop an angry mob of 200 million p*ssed off Americans but if they don't close the deal somebody else will.....

Peace

Ah, but there IS a force that can (and has been) stopping 200 million pissed off Americans.

TV. And the propaganda they have been feeding us, and we have been swallowing hook line and sinker.

You know all those zombie movies? Where these mindless shuffling masses advance looking for brains? Yup. Thats us.






[edit on 25-7-2010 by Illusionsaregrander]

reply to post by Illusionsaregrander


Ahhh yes...TV!!

You are correct.

Like Caesar said :" Give them bread and circuses"....we all know what happened to that empire, don't we??

Can't keep people dumbed down forever....

Peace

reply to post by David9176


good # david... i love being in the middle class because i feel as if we still treasure the small things... the rich only treasure there material goods we are more about family.....love this post!!!!

Originally posted by operation mindcrime


Can't keep people dumbed down forever....

Peace

Lord I hope not. I do have hope in that it sure seems to me that I am seeing and hearing more people than every before questioning BOTH parties, and seeing the game being played more clearly.

I have a small, faint, flicker of hope for us.

But if we dont make major inroads into getting both main parties out of office this November, I am afraid we will be too late. The clamp down on the internet is coming soon to a computer monitor near you. And then we will have little chance of spurring the remaining zombies to action.

Make it happen folks. Dont be concerned with voting for the lesser of two evils. Vote in people who arent evil.

How much of the shrinking middle class has to do with living beyond your means? The middle class lives paycheck to paycheck because they over extend themselves. Credit cards, houses they can't afford, cars they can't afford, things they can't afford. The rich got richer because the middle class got dumber.

We need to go back to a simpler time.

and we, naive, all together in USA and Europe, still think that we live in a democracy ??? this world is the result of neo-liberalism promoted by the old Reagan/Tatcher boys, and the powers of corporations like Enron etc etc dominated by managers only thinking in terms of profit, BIG BIG BIG profit, without any feeling with the real world, only $$$$ in their *sses
this world, the neo-capitalist world, is dying in front of our eyes, petrol stinking dying, look at BP, look at Nigerian petrol flooding since tens of years, look at China ( not yet a capitalist country, but a stalinist one, which is just the same in fact !!! = only a few do decide, the rest # up you bastards = ... sarcasm ... ).
Poor world, dying in front of our eyes because $$$ are the only power for a few of us, we are the victims of their system ......
read about Marx, Lenin, Trotsky and first of all about Ernest Mandel ( a Belgian Trotskist from the 4th International - please try to read about his theories he is a very known professor in Europe, but he died a couple of years ago ) : they all say that capitalism is suiciding itself because you cann't stand a maximization, a concentration of this bull#, some day it all has to explode !!!! so we get near the explosion of this capitalist society, but what is the answer then ??? read about Ernest Mandel, it is the power of the people but NOT NOT NOT NOT in a damned stalinist way !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
it is the power of the people but each group decide democraticaly on their own intrest, each group on their own scale ..... if the intrest is higher, the more people have to decide.. we call it the permanent revolution ....
so, read about Trotsky ( killed by Stalin yes !!! why do you think ??? ) and Mandel, you talk to me later if you want .......

reply to post by David9176


DO YOU REALISE THIS ????? REALLY ??? just a few guys have all the power in their hands ???? how do you call this normally ???
you can call this dictatorship or stalinism or what you like but this is NOT democracy, so stop thinking we/you live in a democracy : you/we are sheep in their hands, we have to stop this, one way or the other !!! but in Europe we have more chance to throw it all over than in US .... you have guns on your belt but also guns on your head so you cannot change anything
guns, yeah, guns on your belt and in your heads dreaming about their size and their force and their capacity, bullets enough yeah, but no ideas how to stop this crazy neo-liberalism killing our kids, our animals, our souls, our nature, just in case you forget you people have the power normally to stop this foolish suicide, to stop the "Managers" that manage only their profits and the ones of their corporations !!! you decide, but here no need of guns, just intellectual and spiritual behaviour, just revolt in peace, just change your attitude, peace to you, peace to the world but start REVOLTING in a non-violent way : by your behaviour !! by your discussion with others, by your being conscious of the situation for all of us, our children, our world, our Mother Nature !!!!
Read about Ernest Mandel.