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jayeff · 04-09-2004, 09:45 AM

The view that the poor are largely responsible for their own predicament has little to do with reality. And the complacency of most who express that view is astonishing, since they likely only occupy a modest spot on the economic ladder themselves and are far more likely to move down, rather than up.

One of every six people in the US is officially poor (off the top of my head that means living on less than around $10k per year for an individual and less than $19k per year for a couple with 2 children). The poor are not the marginal group many appear to believe.

According to the New York Times last year, 46% of the job sectors with the most growth over the last decade pay less than $16k a year. A massive 74% of jobs created during the same period pay below a livable wage (classified as one which allows for local housing costs to be not more than 30% of that wage).

In sharp contrast, over the past 25 years, CEO salaries have gone from 39 times the pay of an average worker to more than 1,000 times. The wealthiest 1% of all households now controls 38% of national wealth, while the bottom 80% of households holds only 17%.

The bottom line is that fewer than 1 in 5 people can really think of themselves as solidly middle class. And while most of them probably still believe in the concept of upward mobility, the fact is that the vast majority will be disappointed. Those who do move forward, with very few exceptions will only achieve modest success. Far more will lose ground. And if you are born poor, the odds are overwhelmingly against ever climbing out of poverty.

04-09-2004, 09:45 AM
jayeff Confirmed User Join Date: May 2001 Posts: 2,944	The view that the poor are largely responsible for their own predicament has little to do with reality. And the complacency of most who express that view is astonishing, since they likely only occupy a modest spot on the economic ladder themselves and are far more likely to move down, rather than up. One of every six people in the US is officially poor (off the top of my head that means living on less than around $10k per year for an individual and less than $19k per year for a couple with 2 children). The poor are not the marginal group many appear to believe. According to the New York Times last year, 46% of the job sectors with the most growth over the last decade pay less than $16k a year. A massive 74% of jobs created during the same period pay below a livable wage (classified as one which allows for local housing costs to be not more than 30% of that wage). In sharp contrast, over the past 25 years, CEO salaries have gone from 39 times the pay of an average worker to more than 1,000 times. The wealthiest 1% of all households now controls 38% of national wealth, while the bottom 80% of households holds only 17%. The bottom line is that fewer than 1 in 5 people can really think of themselves as solidly middle class. And while most of them probably still believe in the concept of upward mobility, the fact is that the vast majority will be disappointed. Those who do move forward, with very few exceptions will only achieve modest success. Far more will lose ground. And if you are born poor, the odds are overwhelmingly against ever climbing out of poverty.