News over the past month has been consumed with attacks from terrorists at home, abroad, and in the Presidential primary race. In the midst of all these big stories there was one smaller story that got almost no attention, yet it may be one of the most important stories of the past 40 years. In fact, with a little connecting-of-the-dots, it may be one of the major drivers of the chaos and disillusionment we’re now seeing every day…
Some of the most pervasive shapers of our societies are too slow to be seen clearly as they’re developing, but can only truly be seen as in a long term view. Think of things like industrialization, urbanization, global warming, or population pressures. One of the instrumental features in America’s post-war growth has been the intentional creation of a strong middle class; economically secure enough that food and shelter didn’t domin
ate their thinking, stable and educated enough to be participating citizens in government, yet not rich enough to wield dangerous power as individuals. The middle class is critical to keeping us from sliding either into oligarchy or mob rule.
As recently as 1971 the middle class made up 61% of American society, with 25% below and 14% above. A recent study by the Pew Research Center shows how much that has changed… the middle class now includes only 50% of our people, with 29% poorer and 21% richer. This is the dangerous threshold… for the first time in 44 years, the middle class is not a majority in our country!
Of course, that’s just one way to look at the story. As the Pew study points out,
“In at least one sense, the shift represents economic progress: While the share of U.S. adults living in both upper- and lower-income households rose alongside the declining share in the middle from 1971 to 2015, the share in the upper-income tier grew more.”
That is indeed a valid way to interpret the data, but Pew continues…
“Over the same period, however, the nation’s aggregate household income has substantially shifted from middle-income to upper-income households, driven by the growing size of the upper-income tier and more rapid gains in income at the top. Fully 49% of U.S. aggregate income went to upper-income households in 2014, up from 29% in 1970. The share accruing to middle-income households was 43% in 2014, down substantially from 62% in 1970.”
As you can probably imagine, the Pew report is deep and detailed with plenty of fodder for any politician to chew on, if they were only interested in doing so. We’re sharing it with you this month not because we have much to add to it, but because it has passed completely under the media radar. This is critical information, and too important to let pass by unnoticed. Especially with a presidential campaign looming, it’s incumbent on a responsible electorate to understand the changes happening beneath their feet so they can make educated, informed choices about their leaders. It’s a duty shared by everyone in the middle class… if there’s any of us left.
Digging Deeper…
Here are links to the full Pew report, along with some of the interesting commentary we’ve seen so far…
The American Middle Class Is Losing Ground- No longer the majority and falling behind financially, Pew Research Center on Social & Demographic Trends, Dec 2015
5 Takeaways About The American Middle Class, Kochhar and Fry on Facttank, Dec 2015
The Vanishing American Middle Class Should Be Way More Alarming Than People Seem To Realize, Gwynn Guilford on Quartz, Dec 2015
Cause & Effect In The Headlines on The Same Day, Eric Zuesse on Washington’s Blog, Apr 2014
America’s Nine Classes: The New Class Hierarchy, Charles Smith on Washington’s Blog, Apr 2014
The Death Of The American Dream In 22 Numbers, Michael Snyder on Washington’s Blog, Jan 2015
Goodbye Middle Class: 51 Percent Of All American Workers Make Less Than 30,000 Dollars A Year, Michael Snyder on Washington’s Blog, Oct 2015
Study: Congress Literally Doesn’t Care What You Think, Gilens and Page study referenced on Represent.us
It’s Official: The Middle Class Is Now Less Than Half of the Country, Kali Holloway on AlterNet, Dec 2015
Millennials Waking Up From the American Dream, Sydney Robinson on Ring of Fire, Dec 2015
Infographic: Money Controls American Government, Jasper McChesney on Bulletin.represent.us, Nov 2015
A Slow, Steady Farewell to the American Middle Class, Dartagnan on Daily Kos, Dec 2015
A Holiday Note to Congress: Half of Your Country is In or Near Poverty, Paul Buchheit on Common Dreams, Dec 2015
Goodnight American Dream: The Middle Class Is Now a Minority, Peter Van Buren on Common Dreams, Dec 2015
