In Edward McClelland’s essay “RIP, the Middle Class: 1946-2013,” McClelland discusses to his audience that the middle class is slowly vanishing and soon enough we will only be left with the rich and the poor. Throughout the essay, McClelland uses various examples to demonstrate how the middle class will no longer exist. McClelland talks about how education is vital for pursuing a job at a reasonable pay that a person can live off of. Before, people were able to leave high school and go straight into a job with a pay that could support them. Nowadays, the same jobs that were supporting people before require a lot more education and still aren’t giving enough money that will allow them to live comfortably. Even though there are still jobs people can thrive at that will make more money without a serious education , the middle class is struggling to make it economically, because it is harder to find a job without education and financially it’s harder to make ends meet.
In today's society, it is more difficult to get a job without having an education. McClellan talks about two different people in his essay, Voss and Galipeau, who were guaranteed a job with their company. When their company moved over seas they had to find new jobs. Voss had to get a college education to be able to get another job, and even with her college education she found it difficult. When she finally found a job, the job only paid $12.47 an hour, compared to her original job that paid $27 an hour. Galipeau had to take a part time job somewhere because he was too old to be starting a new career (McClellan 552-553). This is a perfect example as to how even with a company having promised them a solid job, more education was needed just to find another job that paid less. Additionally, even the jobs that require nothing more than a high school education do not pay well. There are also very few jobs that a person can get without additional education past high school. Those who don't even have a diploma may have an even harder time finding a job. According to the United States Department of Labor, "In May 2013, about 27 percent of all U.S. jobs were in occupations that typically require less education than a high school diploma for entry. These
During the past couple of decades, the decline in the middle class has been associated to the political agenda of the Republican Party. By ending governmental subsidies and other programs created to build the middle class, has ultimately ceased the growth. However, realizing the importance of the middle class to our fragile economic platform, the Democratic and Independent political parties are desperately trying to create and revamp the middle class
It can always be nice to imagine that you can go from very poor to very rich but in America, that’s not the case. According to a recent study, 70% of those born in low income families remained in the lower income bracket. Out of the remaining 30%, only 24% reached middle-class or upper- class and 4% rose to become high income earners (Hargreaves). Now, it is very difficult for people born into the lower class to rise up to the middle or upper class. These people that do successfully rise up have to have certain characteristics. 53% were college graduates, 50% were two income families, 35% were white, and 34% did not experience unemployment (Hargreaves). Most people in low- income families cannot afford college and student loans. This makes them less likely to become part of the middle class. Poor people do not have the resources to strive and become part of the other social classes. Overall, it is becoming more and more difficult for low- income families to become part of the middle class.
A college degree is a valuable asset that could ultimately lead to a productive life in society due to the received education, but people without a college degree do turn out more than adequate in regards to societal success. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, of the forecasted 30 fastest growing jobs between 2010 and 2020, five do not require a high school diploma, nine require a high school diploma, four require an associate 's degree, six require a bachelor 's degree, and six require graduate degrees to get the jobs (College). In an article called “College Education” by ProCon.org,
In 1970, the top fifth of all families had incomes that averaged 223 percent of the national average, while the bottom fifth had incomes of 28 percent of the average. From 1946 to 1960, the difference in inequality did not change much, but from 1960 to 1968 there was a slight decline. On the contrary, between 1968 and 1970 the opposite had happen. To further explain the little difference in Income Inequality from the mid 1940’s to the present, a series of numbers and percentages will be used, but only the salaries made throughout the years are the only difference, it’s obvious that the gap between the rich and the poor keeps increasing. The salaries of course are going to be different due to the minimum wages increasing as time goes by, due to the higher cost of living. That does not mean that the Poor Class is living better, in fact, if anything, the Poor Class is having a harder time surviving due to the increased cost of living, yes the salaries rise, but not to the extent to keep up with the cost of living. It’s almost as if a poor person would have to work at more than one job in order to be able to survive, and in most cases that’s not even enough, depending on the situation that a person is in, family size, debt, etc. Due to those circumstances, if a person is working more than one job, then that will limit that person’s time to actually educate themselves at a higher education institution, and that will lead to yet another highly uneducated American
“In the United States today, there is no more certain investment than a college education”(Carnevale and Melton). Education has always been a major component of American society. One can only go so far without an education, and the more education and knowledge someone has, the better their chances of being successful. Some people believe a high school education is enough, and it is, enough to land a job at a fast food restaurant. I speculate they feel this way because they feel school is not for them, or maybe they just do not want to go far in life. To get far in life people must go above and beyond, and learn things that others do not know to make them
Nowadays, the middle class is shrinking, while majority of people are either moving into the lower or upper classes. This is due to the major economic and policy changes that have occurred throughout the past thirty years. Based on the Basic Economy Security Tables, one in four full-time working-age adults are not earning enough income to meet economic needs for themselves or their families. This is a serious problem in America today, the fact that the median income today is six hundred dollars less than it was in 1989 is proof of this epidemic. It is much harder now, than ever, to work your way into the middle class, much less stay there. The percentage income growth since 1967 for the top 5 percent of earners is 88%, top 20 percent of earners grew 70%, and middle-income households only grew 20%. (Camp) In simpler terms, the upper classes income has increased tremendously, while middle-income households have seen very little growth in their income. Since the middle class is not receiving any income growth, it is declining and moving towards the lower class. It is not nearly as easy as it was thirty years ago to get a decent job and make
When it comes to achieving success in the work force and finding a fulfilling and lucrative career there are few things more important that higher education. Going to college and getting a degree is essential in finding success in the work force. The problem is when the cost of gaining that degree outweighs the financial compensation the career that follows is able to supply. Very few people are able to pay for college out of pocket. The result of this is that students seeking higher education are forced to take out massive student loans. This means that they are entering the work force
Sixty-five percent of job openings will require the applicant to have at least some college or an associate’s degree. If a person has not received some kind of higher education, they are almost doomed to live in the lower class. Most degrees require years of attendance to a college. The longer a student is in college, the harder it is to complete their requirements to graduate.
Publisher, Richard V. Reeves, in his online article, "The Dangerous Separation of the American Upper Middle Class," shares how income, education, and political power has caused a split in the upper middle class. Reeves 's purpose is to convey the idea that the upper middle class has shifted from being a sociological curiosity to an economic and political problem. Reeves outlines how the upper middle class that was once considered an accessible hope or American dream, is now a blockade and an obstacle for others. He adopts a rational and analytical tone to appeal to the reader 's sense of reason. Reeves cites convincing facts and
A highschool diploma doesn’t get you what it used too, you will be lucky to get a job at McDonald’s with only a highschool diploma. People now want a degree, a furthered education that can be put to use. However at the same time people are so lazy in our country that they don’t want to or think they have to do anything more than the bare minimum to get a job. Then there are people who cheat the system and pay people under the table or illegal immigrants to do work that others won’t do. We can’t complain nearly enough how illegal immigrants come and take our jobs but we expect to get paid twice as someone who will do it for a reasonable or below actual price. Then they will do the job better than someone who wants twice as
McClelland constantly refers back to the working class of the 1970’s and 80’s. He presents the fact of high school dropouts being able to afford a nice car, house, and support a family. Everyone was able to get a job because work was always needed. On page 554, McClelland says how a car once required 25,000 hands, but now only needs 5,000 workers. This helps prove his argument on how the middle class is nonexistent anymore. American jobs aren’t in America anymore. He calls the government lazy and inactive, not caring about the Great Recession impact on the middle class. McClelland refers to a family that once made 27 dollars each
the main topic this section is talking about the main changes in the middle class in America and how it is shrinking and possibly going to disappear. The supporting evidence is talking about the changes in finances in the many years and how its alot harder to make money in America now. The author uses secondary sources by telling stories about people he knows the other people's experiences with the market crash and how it changed their lives. I do agree with the author's main point in how the American dream is changing the American dream once was get your bank account into the positive and now it's just trying to get it out of the
It seems in the society we live in today, having a college degree is a necessity. Years ago it was the norm for people to just go right into a full time job after high school, if they even finished high school; they did this to support their families. In today’s society a person has a difficult time getting a decent job without a college degree. During an adults working life, bachelor degree graduates will earn about $2.1 million and a high school graduate can expect to earn an average of $1.2 million (Day and Newburger, 2002). This is quite a difference and it puts a college education in
Over the past few decades, the “American Dream” vision has been quickly vanishing as a result of the increasing troubles and weakening of the middle class. It has lost the view of being the most successful and wealthy middle class in the world, while the middle classes in other countries are excelling in earning higher middle and lower class incomes. The issue of the declining wealth of the middle class explains a huge problem in the United States’ future prosperity and well being for the citizens and the country. There are many issues that affect the success of the middle and lower classes, such as structural differences in the economy, culture, and government. The gap between the middle and high classes is increasing specifically. The United States has the image of giving people life and prosperity, but inequality is increasing significantly due to issues in education, decrease in taxation among the upper class, and decrease of middle class power in the democracy, while other ideas and mechanisms can be take from other nations.
In the political world there are two major standpoints, either right or left. Either side has its own views about everything from job creation to how rich or poor Americans are at the current time. The right tends to argue that the American people are gaining momentum when it comes to climbing the rungs of the ladder to more wealth while the left sees the opposite view and the American people are slipping further down hill becoming poorer and poorer. Two men from opposite sides of the isle stand off in this critical debate, whether or not the middle class is disappearing or on the rise. Steven Pearlstein is a conservative business columnist for the Washington Post. Jared Berstein writes from The American Prospective and leans more