What do auto repairs, a hospital stay, building a house, hiring a plumber or getting a solid college education all have in common?
Well, for one, they are all relatively expensive pursuits in our wonderful country, as opposed to things we think of as relatively "cheap" for what you get: like $3.99 shirts at Walmart, the GPS for your car (Louis and Clark, eat your hearts out!), 8 gig flash drives for $4, a juicy steak, solar lights for around your driveway or using the Internet.
One of the reasons the American middle class feels they are falling further and further behind is not so much the feeling they get after walking out of their weekly visit to Walmart for manufactured items & staples, as the feeling they get when confronted with a car repair, their college tuition/book bill or when they need someone to come and fix something at their home. We won't even talk about a hospital stay. Those items are quickly becoming luxuries for most Americans.
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