GOP policies turned the middle class into the working poor

[K8-EEE]

Something that came up on Bill Maher last night that I've been thinking about. IT'S SO TRUE. When I was a kid, we were middle class. Our neighbors worked in grocery stores and that kind of thing, mostly. Nobody had a lot of extra money and you had to save to buy things but I don't remember (in the 70's) people stressing about about health care and getting their kids through college, getting foreclosed on. And jobs going overseas!

It's true: flat wages and SOARING COSTS OF LIVING are what is doing most people. The costs of raising children, just healthcare, dentist, glasses, saving for college, the basics, make it impossible for people to save any money. And yet the Republicans keep distracting the working poor like taxes are their big problem, when housing and insurance are really their problem. The rent's too damned high guy was right!

Messaging wise the challenge for the Dems is to get the working poor to understand WHY they are in the fix they are in.

[Skink]

1. It's the new reality.

same situation when I grew up in the 70's. folks bought a 9 room house for 40,000. Had two cars. We were middle class on regular everyday jobs.

[K8-EEE]

3. The house my parents bought for $30,000 in 1966 is now

worth $900,000. (In Studio City, CA)

The inflation of housing prices was made possible by cheap money, bad loans, de-regulation etc....here in Los Angeles I wonder how anybody will be able to afford buying a house again, without being rich!

[yourout]

2. While they are largely responsible for this they got a lot of help for people that should have......

known better.

NAFTA, Telecommunications Act of 1996,, and Gramm-Leach-Bliley all bear Bill Clintons signature.

[K8-EEE]

Agreed nt

[Andy823]

4. Yes

And the really sad thing is many of them are still voting for "republicans" come election time. For some reason they are unable to realize it's the GOP who did this to them. Instead they let the wedge issue that republicans use every election, gays, immigration, and abortion, decide how they will vote! They all think it will "NEVER" happen to them, losing their job, homes, and health care, but now days it happens more and more. As you stated, they also let republicans con them into thinking tax breaks for the rich are OK, and any tax increase is simply "un american"! They have let the GOP con them time after time, and now they are paying the price!

[KansDem]

5. I was thinking about this recently.

When I was growing up, my stepfather worked full-time. And that was enough for four people and to buy a house on a corner lot in an L.A. suburb and two cars. We had ample food and clothing. We didn't vacation every year, but that was no problem...we didn't expect to.

Now, I'm married with two kids. I work full-time, my wife works full-time, our teen daughter works two part-time job, and I'm thinking about getting a second part-time job.

We need to replace our oven, refrigerator and hot-water heater. They're still working, but their time is short--many repairs required.

Yeah, I wonder: four people in one house requiring two full-time jobs and three part-time jobs.

[notadmblnd]

6. I don't get to think about an eye exam or getting my kid to college

just keeping up with the utilities water, gas electric, phone is killing us.

[bobbolink]

7. And poor people have been dismissed and ignored.

By BOTH parties.

[dkf]

8. Any trend that is detrimental to full employment pushes down wages.

Outsourcing moved manufacturing jobs to other countries and illegal immigration brought down internal wages by letting the pressures of full employment deflate. Productivity has been gaining by leaps and bounds. The lack of pensions and healthcare keeps our seniors in the workforce. And yes, hb-1 visas also contribute.

Anything that does not bring us closer to full employment will push wages down.

[subterranean]

9. On top of that, we also have expenses we didn't have back then.

Cable bills, Internet bills, cell phones and cell phone bills, computers and other electronic gadgets, video games, and so on. A lot of money is spent on things that didn't exist 30 or 40 years ago, but are now considered essentials by most middle-class families.

[Skink]

10. I watch free over the air television. It would be nice if there was that option for home internet.

[NNN0LHI]

11. The cashier jobs in those grocery stores used to be well paying union jobs in the 70's

Their pay and benefits was comparable to our union factory workers. Person could work their way through college with one of those jobs. End up with a college degree, no student debt and a few bucks in the bank. And still have that good union job to fall back on until something better opened up.

Yep.

Don

[MadHound]

12. Hard to get that message out there when the impoverishment of the US has been a bipartisan effort.

NAFTA, most favored nation trade status with China, these were all Democratic legacies. Mandating the purchase of health insurance with few price controls isn't a winner either.

[Better Believe It]

15. The de-regulation of Wall Street and banking was also a bi-partisan affair.

[Richard Steele]

13. K&R

[Better Believe It]

14. It is a bi-partisan attack on our living standards and "entitlements".