December 16, 2018
Americans Feeling the Pinch
by WD
(henrymakow.com)
As I drove through an older established area of town, I noticed several nice homes with minority owners who also had newer cars. Good for them, but I wondered after the recent stock market downturn just how well so-called middle class people are really doing.
Every guy I know over fifty and not retired is struggling to make it. One guy has a master's degree like me, but his female boss keeps cutting his hours at work and the state is still after him for child support. His kids are almost thirty and his ex wife is remarried to a pharmacist who makes good money. Another divorced guy in his fifties lives with his mother and hasn't worked for months even though he formerly had his own business, a home, and a boat in the midwest.
Another friend in California nearing retirement eaks out a living making a few hundred a week while he rents a room from a family. Several years ago he was married and lived in a home worth 500k. His ex drives a new car and lives well as a realtor I heard.
Another guy with a graduate degree I met in PA was living in a rooming house while going through a divorce and had his car impounded for unpaid tickets.
My ex got two homes, a motel, an Audi, and two rental trailers in the divorce. She also took all but $300 out of our joint account that had over $9000 in it. I hope she was able to make it with that, while I was forced to take a job at half my former pay in another state.
Conversely, I know several women with degrees who are making close to six figures in sales or with their own businesses. Just a coincidence, or part of a bigger plan? Who knows since we rarely see any stories like these on TV. We do see a number of them showing welfare mothers who are struggling and commercials ridiculing men.
The company I formerly worked for closed several locations in this area, yet the news says many new jobs are being created. The internet also runs stories saying many seniors will not be able to retire because they have no savings. Little wonder when 1% of the population owns over half the wealth in the US. I suspect that Canada is very similar.
