Comments on: The Middle Class in America Isn’t Happy

By: Uncle B

Uncle B — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 13:50:55 +0000

“Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don’t need.”

~From the movie Fight Club, based on the novel by Chuck Palahniuk

By: Melissa

Melissa — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 19:35:12 +0000

I was reading Debra James’ blog and liked what she said. I work for Employment Services and have funding to put people through training to obtain employment (WIA – Workforce Investment Act) However, this country will not be able to provide jobs to Americans if we do NOT stop sending our companies overseas! Also I can put an unemployed person through short term training, however the jobs they are offered sometimes are less money than they are making on unemployment or assistance they maybe getting. The problem is we need someone to come in and “fix” our programs so they compliment each other.

By: Sean

Sean — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 22:08:31 +0000

Stimulus? The only people thinking these economic stimulus checks were a great idea are the same people who think they’re getting a great deal because their 18% $49 annual fee credit card gives them 1% back.

The same people who fill out the class action lawsuit papers, follow each correspondence for a year, spend $2.00 in postage, then get a check for 49 cents.

I’d hate to know the admin cost of each of those stimulus checks… Any idea? What does it cost to run a few hundred bucks through the gov’t to have it paid back? A few hundred bucks?

Sean
http://www.franchisepick.com

By: Tax Rebate Blog

Tax Rebate Blog — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 18:35:32 +0000

[...] TaxGirl – Writes about which of the presidential candidates has the best plan for “middle class” America and how depending on where you live in America, middle class can be very different. An excellent post, be sure to give it a 5 minutes read when you get a chance. [...]

By: stlwest

stlwest — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 22:18:21 +0000

I would think that if the government wasn’t putting us into so much debt that there would actually be some money left for the rest of us. People should demand the government to ammend the constitution so that it can not spend more money than it collects.

Our government has accumulated more debt then people have equity in thier own homes.

9.5 trillion dollars is a ridiculous # that makes credit less available for all other purposes. Creating a balanced budget ammendment is the best thing that “we the people” can do to help the government do more with less just like the rest of us must do.

By: Passing the week. . . « “the tax guy”

Passing the week. . . « “the tax guy” — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 12:12:37 +0000

[...] Define the middle class? Tough one I agree, do the math with Kelly at TAXGIRL in The Middle Class in America Isn’t Happy [...]

By: Debra James

Debra James — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:18:43 +0000

I am very interested in the notion of creating another “economic stimulus ” that puts people to work rather than sending them a few bucks. I’m no expert on the policies of FDR, but it seems to me that he had some great ideas and programs with regards building back the economy during a depression, the likes of which I hope we will never see again. With all the talk of a crumbling infrastructure nationwide, why is this article the only one I’ve seen with any mention of stimulating the economy through work programs and rebuilding? Rebuilding that is sorely needed, not projects created just because! Seems to me if such innovative programs worked before, they can work again.

By: Kelvin Kao

Kelvin Kao — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:15:09 +0000

Maybe middle class is a mentality, not a real income bracket. Maybe middle class is the people that are not starving, not filthy rich, but make an income that look good on paper but runs out quickly?

I don’t think the stimulus check is very useful either. I am just going to put it in the bank. The people that really need money will just spend it on groceries or something else that they immediately need. Yeah, it will make some people go shopping for things that they want but don’t necessarily need, but they don’t seem to be the majority. (And I have absolutely no statistics to back up what I’ve just said.)

By: Kelly

Kelly — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:19:49 +0000

Kristen – Great analogy! And much like the Elmo Band-Aid, the stimulus package makes folks feel like they should feel better – until they realize that they’re still hurting. It feels good for politicians to be able to say that “they’re putting money back into the hands of taxpayers.” It is the kind of stuff we want to hear, apparently, in an election year.

By: Kristen King

Kristen King — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:34:55 +0000

Maybe I’m just a little slow on the uptake, but I just do not see how another stimulus package, whether it’s on the horizon or not, could possibly be helpful. I don’t see how the first one was helpful. It’s like putting an Elmo Band-Aid on a compound fracture — it doesn’t even come close to solving the problem. What am I missing?