[Frost1x]

Assuming the trend continues, at some future time there will reach a tipping point. Historically, once a population becomes so oppressed by those in power that it starts pushing into fundamental needs (food, shelter, etc), the population finally revolts and it's usually not a pretty picture.

Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately in most other contexts), those revolution level standards of living are tremendously lower than what your average citizen has now even though we complain about home ownership and health care we still have places to live and emergency rooms. I'm not saying I'm willing to accept this level of modern indentured servitude, I'm saying most are.

For awhile, we had a generally progressive labor movement in the states where average citizens demanded improvement and progress. It seems to have reached a sort of stagnant state of complacency at some point and began to decline with much of that culture and momentum dying off in the process (not being passed on to future generations). Now, people just shake their heads and accept things the way they are instead of fighting for improvement in their lives. How do you educate the general population and convince them to support movements to continue to increase US workers' standards of living? I don't know the answer to that question.

I see an additional problem with the sort of bifurcation trend we're seeing in the middle class where people seem to be shifting to either upper middle or lower middle. The upper middle are typically more educated and so hammered in the rat race trying to salvage what remains for themselves, they can't find the time to support everyone else's rights. The lower middle typically aren't as educated: college is absurdly expensive and cultural + economic trends lead many of our most talented away from teaching (where many should be). This leaves the lower middle to be more susceptible to adopting media manipulation/ideology trends that aren't in their interests. I have a very bright and good friend who recently retired who told me if he was my age, he'd seriously consider migrating out of the country but he's retired and has a family. I hate to say it but sometimes I feel a tendency to agree with his evaluation and that's sad in one of the wealthiest countries in the world that has been a beacon of democracy and growth for many years.