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The hand writing was on the wall back in the 70s about the decline of the American Middle Class. After WW2 the USA had the ONLY undamaged or destroyed Industrial Plant in the world. Germany and Japan were virtually destroyed. Great Britain, France and the USSR were damaged. That left only the USA to p[roduce capital goods With the rise of Unions in America in the 50s the average Joe Blue Collar could become Middle Class. This was the Golden Age for the American Worker.

By the 60s Germany, Japan etall more or less recovered and started to compete with America. Yet America plowed on as if nothing was happening. BY the 80s Korea and Taiwan were competing with the USA. the heavy industrial plants were closing, TVs and Autos were being made overseas, and US corps began to get lean and mean by cutting its White Collar work force,to compete, until then it had predominatily laid off its Blue Collar force. We beagan to switch to a service economy instead of an industrail one. The Middle class found that it took 2 incomes to maintain it Middle Class lifestyle.

Now with China, India, Brazil and a host of other countries competing, US companies found sound economic reason to leave American Shores. They could hire cheaper labor and avoid stricter EPA regs by leaving the US. So now it takes 2 incomes and a Credit card or Home equity line of credit to maintain the Middle Class lifestyle. Now we are finding that even our service economy is being whittled away. All the while the American worker has been seduced into a state of well being while watching the Super Bowl.

GM has finally said enough, the Health and Welfare Bennies of its Union labor have crippled the company and to avoid BK hav e bought out a good portion of its Union employees. This is the defacto end of the Middle Class in America as we know it.

That Golden Age of prosperity for the American worker is gone, it was an abnormal period in history. Brought on by the unusal circumstances of WW2. Never before has the average worker had such a high standard of living and it has to adjust downward relative to the rest of the competition in the world. The Middle Class will continue to shrink, with the rich getting richer, and the greater number of former Middle Class slipping into the poorer class. Only the smart well educated will enjoy a prosperous life style.