MetaFilter posts tagged with middleclass

"like most of the working class, I’ve developed a locust morality."

the man of twists and turns — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 14:50:48 -0800

I was picking the brain of a restauranteur for insight into things like Groupon. He confirmed what we all understand in the abstract: that these deals are terrible for the businesses that offer them; that they draw in nomadic deal hunters from a vast surrounding region who are unlikely to ever return; that most deal-hunters carefully ensure that they spend just the deal amount or slightly more; that a badly designed offer can bankrupt a small business. He added one little factoid I did not know: offering a Groupon deal is by now so strongly associated with a desperate, dying restaurant that professional food critics tend to write off any restaurant that offers one without even trying it.

...

Locust swarms are aggressively and energetically social. Remind you of any contemporary pattern of human behavior?

"It isn’t the 1% fat cats who are becoming victims of the new economy. It is the little capitalist in the middle." REVIEW: The Locust And The Bee: Predators And Creators In Capitalism's Future

ENGLISHWOMEN: Express surprise that they can have pretty children.

The Whelk — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 09:56:22 -0800

You too can sound like tedious Second Empire bourgeois making small talk if you follow Flaubert's Dictionary of Received Ideas! A satrical collection of cant, cliche, and "expected" opinions of the French middle-classes around 1870 - List Of Entrees alphabetical - List by subject.

Buying useful things, like roads and universities and health care and solar energy and spaceships, should be better stimulus than fighting wars.

The Whelk — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 08:34:17 -0800

"Liberals have not always been very good at communicating why liberalism works. There’s many reasons for this, but part of it is that it can be hard to defend the obvious from an absurd and deceptive attack. For half a century you had to be a crank to oppose what Roosevelt accomplished; liberals got out of the habit of arguing for their beliefs. I hope this page will help. Liberals don’t need to apologize for their vision of how American society should work. Liberalism saved American capitalism and democracy, defeated Naziism, created a prosperous middle class, and benefited every sector of society, from the back streets to Wall Street. " Mefi's own Zompist (previously) on Why Liberalism Works.

Taxes and inequality

mattn — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 09:52:42 -0800

The comparative experience thus suggests that for inequality reduction, it is the quantity of taxes rather than the progressivity of the tax system that matters most. Affluent countries that achieve substantial inequality reduction do so with tax systems that are large but no more progressive than ours [America's]. As The Economist's Democracy in America blogger argues, the question that this raises is as follows: "if, as a matter of fact, high American inequality is a consequence not so much of rigged rules that benefit the rich, but because of a general failure to tax the middle-class at a level sufficient to finance significantly equalising progressive transfers, then ultra-rich rule-rigging would seem to be orthogonal to the real question: why the middle-class median voter won't support higher taxes to fund a more egalitarian welfare state. I think part of the answer is that huge numbers of middle-class Americans think downward redistribution from the middle to lower class is unfair precisely because the relatively poor are not perceived to be pulling their weight in the collaborative endeavour of American society."

Who is Fighting for the Middle Class?

bearwife — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 14:08:49 -0800

Want to see how much more you'd pay if Mitt Romney becomes President? The Tax Policy Center has published a report (pdf) saying that Romney's proposed tax plan would result in lighter taxes for the rich -- and a heavier tax burden for middle class taxpayers. The Obama campaign has been quick to provide the on-line app which is the first link above, for voters to calculate the difference for themselves. They've also released an ad, vetted as quite accurate, on the issue.

Rapid declines into poverty

peacheater — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 13:58:11 -0800

The Sharp, Sudden Decline of America's Middle Class (via The Billfold) "The money's for my phone, it's for gas, it's for my bills," Adkins said. "Why are you in a crisis," the woman asked, "when you have a phone bill?" "I need the phone so I can get a job. You can't look for a job without a phone." "Why do you have bills?" the woman asked. "I thought you didn't have a place to live." "I live in my van," Adkins said. "I have insurance." "You have a 2007 van," the woman said. "I think you need to sell that." "Please, I need a break," Adkins said. "I need some help. I need to take a shower." "Why didn't you have a shower?" "I live in a van." The woman told Adkins to come back when she really needed help.

DEAR AMERICA: You Should Be Mad As Hell About This

Vibrissae — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 02:34:12 -0800

DEAR AMERICA: You Should Be Mad As Hell About This. Here is a helpful series of excellent visual aids that shed light on the state of our current American socioeconomy.

Clown car counts noses

infini — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 06:40:07 -0800

The Global Middle Class Is Bigger Than We Thought A new way of measuring prosperity has enormous implications for geopolitics and economics.[...] the number of passenger cars in circulation serves as the most reliable gauge we have about the size of a country's middle class.

How U.S. Lost Out on iPhone Work

Blazecock Pileon — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 11:19:35 -0800

“You need a thousand rubber gaskets? That’s the factory next door. You need a million screws? That factory is a block away. You need that screw made a little bit different? It will take three hours.” Charles Duhigg and Keith Bradsher of the NY Times give an in-depth report on Apple's migration of electronics manufacturing to Asia and its impact on middle class Americans.

Cars in India: The Middle-Class Dream

mr_crash_davis — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 15:55:33 -0800

"Little is changing modern India more than the spread of cars, a four-wheeled reflection of its economic transformation and a window into the aspirations of the new Indian middle class."

זו הכלכלה, טמבל

zarq — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 14:53:18 -0800

Over the past three weeks, Israel has experienced what may perhaps be the largest, spontaneous / grass roots social protest of the secular middle class that it has witnessed in decades. Thousands of demonstrators in cities and towns throughout the country have been protesting cuts in government funding to health care and education, and massive, exorbitant rises in taxes and housing costs -- and demanding change. Tent cities have sprung up in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and in public gardens and parks throughout the country. And they may not be going anywhere: polls indicate Israeli support is "exceptionally high". Protests and demonstrations are common in Israel, but they are nearly always focused on issues of war and peace. International media outlets don't seem to be paying much attention. In response, Prime Minister Netanyahu said that the protestors were a "populist wave" and right wing parties have implied the protestors are trying to topple the government. But now, Netanyahu's base may be throwing their support behind the protestors. Many of Israel's Orthodox Jewish organizations and leaders are remaining silent, although that seems to be changing. From the Guardian link: "The current uprising has given Israeli liberals a voice again.... But the apolitical character of the protest is being challenged. Netanyahu is already claiming that the protesters are driven by political motivations. His intent is clear: he wants to delegitimise them and claim that their real goal is to topple his government. This, he hopes, will weaken nationwide support for their demands. On Monday, members of the Likud central committee started to say that the demonstrators are just a bunch of sushi eaters with nargilas (Arab pipes) – ie leftist radicals – and that the media was exaggerating their numbers.... If the Likud and Yisrael Beitenu step up their attack, the protesters will not have any choice but to confront the current coalition in the political arena as well. They will have to say that taxpayers' money in Israel has been spent lavishly in the occupied territories; that billions of shekels go to child support for the ultra-Orthodox, most of whom do not contribute to the economy; that the silent collusion of Israel's governments with the settlers is ruining the country morally, politically and economically. In the end, the call for social justice and the demand to reinstate liberal values in Israel cannot be separated."
The New Republic: What Caused the Current Wave of Economic Protests Across Israel?

Sluggish growth is no mystery: No one has any money

Slap*Happy — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 10:21:06 -0800

The housing bubble was the last chance most middle-class families saw for grasping the brass ring. Working hard didn’t pay off. Investing in the stock market was a sucker’s bet. But the housing bubble allowed middle-class families to dream again and more importantly to keep spending as if they were getting a big fat raise every year. - How the Bubble Destroyed the Middle Class

“The gap between low and middle is collapsing.”

VikingSword — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 13:34:04 -0800

Public Job as Only Route to Middle Class. 'While that might not seem like much, jobs' 'with benefits and higher-than-minimum wages, are considered plum in' the town of Gallipolis a 'depressed corner of southern Ohio. Decades of industrial decline have eroded private-sector jobs here, leaving a thin crust of low-paying service work that makes public-sector jobs look great in comparison.''Now, as Ohio’s legislature moves toward final approval of a bill that would chip away at public-sector unions, those workers say they see it as the opening bell in a race to the bottom. At stake, they say, is what little they have that makes them middle class.' '“We’re not living in any rich, high-income way,” said Ms. Taylor, 37, who, together with her husband, protested the public-sector bill in Columbus this month. “What are they wanting?” she said of the bill. “For everyone to be making minimum wage?”' 'Wages at the bottom of the labor market have stagnated since 1970, with inflation gobbling up gains made over the years. The federal minimum wage buys a lot less today; it represented just 38 percent of the average hourly wage for private, nonsupervisory workers in 2010, down from 47 percent in 1970, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.'

The Potential Power of Organized People

HP LaserJet P10006 — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 18:30:29 -0800

Amid the financial headlines (about new banking reforms, more bank failures, the need for more lending by the fat-cats, the question of whether a European-style bonus-tax might be possible here, and the shrinking of the middle class), on PBS yesterday Bill Moyers wondered, in an in-depth segment (with organizers from here and here), whether a new wave of populist economic activism is perhaps, despite all odds, beginning to make a dent after all.

Let's Blow This Popstand

Xurando — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 16:38:08 -0800

Yet another study says the middle class are fleeing New York City. What happened to the previous studies and solutions? Bloomberg to Middle Class, "Get Out."

America's Middle Class

blue_beetle — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 13:02:41 -0800

Livin' Large - To hear the Lou Dobbses and Bill O'Reillys of the world--not to mention politicians ranging from Ron Paul to Hillary Clinton--the middle class of America (however you define that term) has never had it so tough. Between credit squeezes, out-of-control immigration, rising costs of education and health care and everything else, it's all darkness out there for those of us who are neither millionaires nor welfare cases, right? (A video presented by Drew Carey and reason.tv)

Bottom of the Class

LondonYank — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 04:11:38 -0800

The Guardian examines "nu snobbery" and the social acceptability among the British press and middle class of ridiculing the working class. The chav phenomenon has been discussed many times on MeFi, but if anything it has gotten more widespread, and as documented in the article, even spawned Chav Discos. Where will it all lead? Has Britain slipped completely back into class snobbery - in both directions - or did it never really go away?

Who needs a middle class anyway?

dejah420 — Fri, 21 May 2004 13:22:57 -0800

Middle-Class 2003: How Congress Voted (executive summary) Who is doing better under the a Republican White House and Congress? If you're part of the vast majority...the middle class...it isn't you. So finds a very useful new report out today from the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy, a non-partisan think tank. Full report here. (PDF) The study defines middle class as Americans with incomes between approximately 200 percent of the federal poverty threshold and those of the top 5 percent of earners -- roughly $25,000 to $100,000 a year. (Which excludes Congresscritters, who have consistently given themselves raises to well over 150k a year.)

Are We Still A Middle-Class Nation & A Poor Cousin Of The Middle Class

y2karl — Wed, 21 Jan 2004 14:45:15 -0800

...According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the following are among the occupations with the largest projected job growth from 2000 to 2010: combined food-preparation and serving, including fast food; customer-service representative; registered nurse; retail salesperson; computer-support specialist; cashier, except gaming; office clerk; security guard; computer-software engineer, applications; waiter; general or operations manager; truck driver, heavy and tractor-trailer; nursing aide, orderly, or attendant; janitor or cleaner, except maid or housekeeping cleaner; postsecondary teacher; teacher assistant; home health aide; laborer or freight, stock, and material mover, hand; computer-software engineer, systems software; landscaping or groundskeeping. Are We Still a Middle-Class Nation? comes from The State Of The Union section in The Atlantic. Compare and contrast A Poor Cousin Of The Middle Class

Miss a Payment, Triple Your Interest Rate

archimago — Tue, 14 Oct 2003 08:13:15 -0800

Americans are not going broke over lattes! Salon (warning: ad click-through required) interviews the author of a book who contends that American middle class overconsumption is a myth. This made me really think about how I relate to my $$$, and what I think is pushing me deeper into a hole. According to this author, kids are forcing people into bankruptcy, and it's not because we buy them gameboys and expensive clothes. The author also claims that credit card companies and mortgage lenders need to be regulated by the govt., as they are feeding off of middle class hardships. It's also making me wonder why real estate developers aren't building small homes anymore, at least in my state of the union.

Brother Can You Spare a Prewar 7-Room Apt?

nobody_knose — Mon, 10 Jun 2002 21:47:36 -0800

Brother Can You Spare a Prewar 7-Room Apt?
Will NYC ever be rid of a system that favors a select few, drives up housing costs for all, unfairly subsidizes vacation homes for the middle class and in general just doesn't work?