Since 2001, the alleged end of the recession it seems as though the middle class has been under siege by the Bush Administration, Congress and the courts. Job losses when adjusted for the growth in the number of people in the workforce has been negative and real wages have declined. The MSM continues to promote the growth in the economy under Bush but fails to mention that the growth only benefits the owners of the economy which are the ultra rich. For example, when corporations grow and become more profitable do the workers benefit or do the owners? I know arguments can be made that there are benefits to the workers but in the end they generally suffer at worst or get to keep their jobs at best.
So, since 2001 we have suffered in terms of a decline in real wages, increasing costs for goods and services, and now our inability to declare bankrupcy if we lose our jobs and can't make ends meet.
Every week when I go to the store groceries go up 5 to 20 percent for many of the normal items I consume. For instance, Canola Oil went up 20 cents to 2.49 in just one week.
On top of this for the past 2 years I have been unable to hold a steady job in my field Software Engineering Project Management, here in Colorado. So, being a cancer survivor I am now without health insurance or a steady job.
The problem with health insurance is that even if you do have it from your employer you pay a fortune for services (a friend recently went to an emergency room and his portion of the cost was $1,000). At my last "permanent" full time job I was diagnosed with cancer. I only missed a few days at most as I came into work right after surgery so I wouldn't jeopardize my job. In the end I believe I was layed off because the health insurance company said I was costing to much. So, is health insurance only available for the young and/or people who are not sick or have never been sick? What will happen to the rest of us middle class people who have lived below our means so that we could survive until a hopefully distant death? For me if I do have a recurrence or if my wife or I get another serious illness we can be wiped out.
When are our politicians going to stop worrying about propping up a criminal administration and partisan loyalty and start dealing with the real issues? If our middle class disappears and a large chunk of our society is left without the means to support itself what does this imply for our society in terms of the cost and in terms of our moral imperative?
What can be done to get our government to deal with the real issues like how to help american families maintain an acceptable lifestyle (based on the standards we were taught were accepted for american society since the 1950's)? What will happen to all of us as we age and get illnesses and either face ignoring them and dying or living in pain, or incurr huge personal medical bills which will bankrupt us?
Is this the end of what we used to refer to as the American Dream? Are we going to end up like a third world country, a very small elite wealthy class and an extremely large poor class? Is the government spying on us because they are expecting revolt from the marginalized middle class?
What can be done as the republicans clearly have on their agenda to marginalize us and the democrats are so scared and concerned with getting reelected that they will not even attempt to bring these issues to the legislative forefrunt?