by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist
The term "middle class" was bandied about quite freely during the recent election with every political animal claiming to be the truest representative of the middle class. Everyone, it seems, was regarded as middle class by the scurrilous pols who were out chasing their votes - from NASCAR team owners down to seniors on fixed incomes and welfare recipients. During the election cycle it became clear that America had damned few people who were filthy rich or desperately poor - just many shades of "middle class."
Middle class is the American comfort zone - the place where we all imagine ourselves to be, regardless of our actual circumstances. We are not too rich, and not too poor - just middle class.
So how does a person know if he or she is indeed "middle class?" I found an article on the Internet today that set down nine markers that would indicate that a person is a member of the middle class. The article was on the MSN Money site.
Members of the middle class are more likely to:
Citizen Journalist
The term "middle class" was bandied about quite freely during the recent election with every political animal claiming to be the truest representative of the middle class. Everyone, it seems, was regarded as middle class by the scurrilous pols who were out chasing their votes - from NASCAR team owners down to seniors on fixed incomes and welfare recipients. During the election cycle it became clear that America had damned few people who were filthy rich or desperately poor - just many shades of "middle class."
Middle class is the American comfort zone - the place where we all imagine ourselves to be, regardless of our actual circumstances. We are not too rich, and not too poor - just middle class.
So how does a person know if he or she is indeed "middle class?" I found an article on the Internet today that set down nine markers that would indicate that a person is a member of the middle class. The article was on the MSN Money site.
Members of the middle class are more likely to:
- Have an income of between $40,000 and $100,000. (The median income for a family of four is $68,274.);
- Shop at Target than at Walmart;
- Save for college;
- Take vacations;
- Own their own home;
- Have a serious job;
- Have health insurance;
- Lean Democratic, but not all of the time; and,
- Invest for retirement.
In actuality, we all face many struggles in life, and there are much better ways to measure success than through the accumulation of wealth and comfort. I suspect that the true measure of being "middle class" is being content with your station in life - and not consumed by how many toys your neighbor has.
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