Very good point about being in the movie. I believe we are seeing fruits of a planned decline economically and culturally, conceived decades ago. I'm not usually one for conspiracy theories, but I recommend checking out 'Agenda: Grinding America Down', or 'Naked Communist' by Cleon Skousen. It is hard enough to succeed without active destructive adversaries.

I take your point. However, when median household income has not increased in over 15 years, then something is terribly wrong economically. The concept of America is not about how to live with less, it is about creating wealth and having more, being leaders across all industries. America created the concept of middle class. We should own it!

the last link you gave I found quite interesting. Are you involved with the funder? Atlas Shrugged is also about not avoiding reality.
http://money.cnn.com/2013/09/17/news/eco... (the poverty rate is the same as it was in 1980-note the spike upward in household median income in 1999-when companies could still go public without onerous regulations)
http://www.geekwire.com/2014/shrinkage-n...
venture capitalist professionals plummet by 60% over the last decade.
WAKE UP!

No, I just realized that I addressed an almost completely unrelated subject. Mobility can be the same now as 20 years ago and the middle class can still shrink because more people are moving up out of it than are moving up into it.

Your second point I did address - the same individuals aren't in the same income group as they were 15 years ago.

Even if every point you make is true, it does not prove your thesis. Presently the "middle class" is smaller than ever. Second if you are in the very broad middle taxes, fees and regulations are making the effective value of that income much less. This means that the real buying power of a middle class income is often the same as a lower income's buying power.

Finally, it is a well documented fact that real median family incomes are smaller than they were 15 years ago. That is not upward mobility. Or the land of opportunity.

Are you TROLL?

if you want to break that down even more, measure it by the "Political class". The ones who give the moochers want they desire so they can be elected and enrich themselves

A large middle class has been a great strength for the US and a politically engaged, independent, electorate. The destruction of the middle class makes it easier to foster dependency and subservience to authoritarian rule.

Ok, this one I've got to address. Looking at the xxxth percentile today and fifteen years ago tells you nothing about who was in that percentile then versus now. For example, since its better studied than other groups, 60% of those in the top 1% weren't there 10 years later ( http://money.cnn.com/2014/03/26/pf/taxes... ).

Which, quite nicely, brings us to the subject of upward mobility. Please note that the following is from the <i>New York Times</i>:<blockquote>The odds of moving up — or down — the income ladder in the United States have not changed appreciably in the last 20 years, according to a large new academic study ( http://www.equality-of-opportunity.org ) that contradicts politicians in both parties who have claimed that income mobility is falling. ( http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/23/busine... ) </blockquote>

So, the basic premise of this (and <i>many</i> other articles here) is quite simply false. You <i>can</i> get ahead in this country. Its now easier than ever! There are many more resources available than there were only a decade ago. See www.fool.com and http://www.ycombinator.com just for starters.

Atlas Shrugged was supposed to be a warning, <i>Not</i> A Newspaper!

I agree the path to becoming wealthy continues to become harder for most people. I'm also pretty sure the author talks about what I'm going to say in his materials but I just have to get it out since it's one of the things I can't stand.

I hate it when people complain they can't have a certain"standard of living." What they mean is usually a huge house, a tv in every room, a new car every 2-3 years and other such "American dream" items. These aren't required for a good life. A little personal finance responsibility allows you to intelligently spend money in ways that positively impact your life, not just fall into the consumer cycle. You can have a nice tv but do you really need 5? That's (at least) $1000 less spent frivolously which can be invested or used to create value for the community. It's very possible to live a good life on one salary if you just take time to be mindful of monetary choices. From what I've seen choices are usually what determine a person's quality of life.

Better to be the employer, even if just of yourself, than the employee. Nobody owes anyone a job at any level of compensation but themselves.

I always say " It's difficult to watch the movie when you're in it." This article allows us to take a step back and look at how far our society has declined which is more difficult to see when we are living it. Good article. Dare I say thanks for the reminder.

I agree that collapse is the right description but I believe that it's been a planned and executed collapse, not just happenstance.

The shrinking middle class was inevitable once the United States began exporting it's intellectual capital (read high tech jobs) overseas. You can't give away your competitive advantage and expect your citizens to find high-paying jobs. To make matters worse, to pay for these goods America began the largest transfer of wealth in history. And incredibly, it went to a country which regards us as an enemy.