9 ways to know if you're middle class
There's no hard-and-fast definition, but surveys show what kind of income and lifestyle you're likely to have if you -- and others -- think you're middle class.
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I have a secure job, about $30K a year, and health insurance. And I get three weeks' paid vacation a year, but there's no way I'd blow $4K on one. I wouldn't own a home...that would be nothing more than an anchor around my neck...I need to be able to pull up stakes & bug out in a few days' notice (but that's just me...being single has many benefits). Been to college, under the old GI Bill, and my only child has his own brood (he and his wife combined make about $8K a month). I *loathe* Target as much as I do WallyWorld. It's a big sissy store, if you ask me. I have some cash stashed, but that's it. And as far a political leanings...I feel anyone affiliated with any political party should be shot in the face for treason.
Working Poor- low income, unstable job, need help (Wal-Mart employee)
Working Class- ok income, unstable job, gets by (Union carpenter, teacher)
Middle Class- higher income, somewhat stable job but able to find new job easily, must be careful not to over-indulge (attorney, physician, cpa, small business owner)
Rich- has a lot of money for a specific period but no real long-term stream of revenue (lottery winner, pro-athelete)
Wealthy- works to develop constant streams of revenue. Has enough to be out of work for at least 10 years under same lifetstyle. Cares more about net worth than income. (No specific career, could be same occupation as middle class or working class).
Am I the only one who is sick of so called "celebrities?" Headline say "BREAKING NEWS" and then says princess kate is pregnant!!! Damn!! Is that BREAKING NEWS? sounds like a broken rubber to me. I intentionally did not capitalize "princess" or "kate" is case she reads this post. I believe if she made a hard turd, the media would run around town showing it off. I would asume she puts her panties on just like all other women.
Good Morning Everyone!!!
Ok, now that the lefties and righties have weighed in on their opinions, let's see some raw FACTS:
1. Income. making 60 to 250,000 is NOW the NEW "middle class". With the prices of everything from cars, food and housing climbing higher and higher, it is reaching a level that those making 50k or less can't achieve anymore, leading to a NEW "lower income" bracket. The bar has been raised, and many can not acheive it.
2. Target. EVERY INCOME BRACKET SHOPS THERE, AS WELL AS WALMART.
3. College savings. These days, for MANY, whether they are "rich", middle, lower class, or poor, this is non-existent. Much of their money these days is spent on ESSENTIAL living costs such as fuel, rent, mortgage, food, etc. States across the country also are cutting back on financial assistance, with their budgets already strained, making more of the burden of putting the kids through college back on the parents shoulders. So while the thought of saving those pennies and dollars for the kids education is a noble one with good intentions, it (these days) is NOT reality. And a parent these days, would rather put food on the table, pay for a car repair, or just be able to pay the mortgage rather than dump that money into a savings account that will sit dormant for years.
4. Vacations. These days, people are NOT taking the vacations they used to. I personally have seen, this past season at 3 local Sprint Cup tracks that I go to each year. Each race the grandstands are less and less full, the infield trailer parking is more and more empty, and there are less concession stands as well as vendor trailers. And this is not isolated with racing. More and more, places like Disneyland, Great Adventure, and other vacation resorts are losing patrons, simply because the middle/lower class/poor simply cannot afford the trip.
5. Owning your own home. Another failed philosophy that no longer rewards you after 30 years of a painful mortgage. Many homes after the market collapse now are under water, with homeowners (yes most middle class), stuck with trying to make back at least 1/2 of what they spent paying it off.
6. Secure job: Translation: THERE IS NO SUCH THING ANYMORE. A recent shining example of this, is what just happened with the Hostess company. Even UNIONS are now seeing that they are NOT invulnerable to layoffs and plant closures. Not to mention that once either the fiscal cliff hits, or rep's cave and allow massive tax increases on the rich, layoffs, closures, and unemployment ARE going to skyrocket. That is definate. It's just a matter of how much at this point.
7. Healthcare. Moot issue now, seeing that FORCED healthcare will be starting in about 30 days, thanks to Nobamacare.
8. More people leaning to democrats? Hmmmmm... Yea, I gotta go with that one. It's amazing that people re-elected Nobozo for 4 more years, and refused to hold him accountable for 16 TRILLION in debt. Yet these same voters replaced the gov't with democratic majorities during the 2008 campaign, blaming BUSH and the GOP for the SAME exact issues, such as climbing unemployment, stagnant economy, wasteful spending...Go figure...
9. Retirement. Seeing that social security is now all but bankrupt, unless a MASSIVE increase is done with people's ss deductions, the system WILL crash and burn less than 20 years from now.
All in all, the "middle class" that this writer describes is all but done. The economy is about to crash and burn again, and the ONLY ones that will survive if the cliff does happen are the "poor", as well as the "rich".
Just saying...
Sincrely,
A dis-satisfied customer and voter...
The new definition= Making enough money that you should be debt free and have some funds to enjoy, but thanks to high prices, taxes, HEALTH INSURANCE (SCAMMERS!), rising prices on EVERYTHING, ...YOU DON'T.
THere wouldn't be so many of us if so many of them DIDN'T lean left!
To say the majority of the Middle class is Democrat is half the problem.
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