Be honest. How fast would debts consume whatever savings or property you own? Our fairy-tale middle class is one life-line away from living in the street. To truly be middle class now in the U.S. would require at least a six figure income and a net worth of over a million dollars. The United States is now the land of the great imaginary middle-class.
If you lose your job or have a medical emergency your credit is very likely to be damaged. Once that happens you can forget about getting insurance, or a corporate position (or any other employer who uses credit screening), or even renting to put a roof over your head!
This is a systematic intentional move toward increasing poverty and planned homelessness!
A recent AOL Internet online privacy survey proves that most people simply do not understand the dangers of providing information. The risk is not in the one question you answered today (or the additional information you offered in email, chat, or on social networking). The issue is that what you think is anonymous is not. It can all be tracked back to you to build a huge personal profile on each one of us.
Most computer users are unaware of the awesome power of data mining and how deeply it may already be affecting their lives. Each of us already uses data mining whenever we use a search engine such as Google or Yahoo to locate information. We type in what we wish to know and the search engine presents everything it can find on that subject in the databases it can access.
Like all things useful, data mining is a double-edged sword. Whether it is good for us or bad all depends on who is swinging that sword. Read on about how to protect your privacy.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: WHAT IS MIDDLE CLASS ANYWAY?
- NEW Struggling To Get By On $100,000 A Year (Sep 3, 2008)
- How Living Standards Slid After the 1990s (Sep 1, 2008)
- How to Conceal Massive Economic Collapse (Sep 1, 2008)
- Middle Class In Decline; Radical Change Not Likely (Aug 21, 2008)
- New Signs of a Middle Class Collapse (Aug 15, 2008)
- Shrinking Middle Class (Aug 11, 2008)
- Reality Check – Is Six Figures Really That Much? Or Even Enough?
- How Do You Define Middle Class?
- Rich is Relative – Why Do You Think You’re Middle Class?
- Middle Class = Making $5 Million a Year or Less
- Trickle Down… R.I.P
- Making Ends Meet on $300,000 a Year
THE TRUTH BEHIND CLASS, POVERTY, and the ECONOMY:
- The Bankruptcy of America
- The Promise of America (While this is related to politics, I include it here for the background information included and not to endorse any particular political stance.)
TRUTH ABOUT THE ECONOMY:
- What Caused the Great Depression is Happening NOW – exceptional links and information in this post which I continually update!
- Why Small Business Can Not Afford to Ignore the Occupy Movement
See also: other posts in this blog about Privacy and Data Mining
Gail Gardner
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I dont think privacy has much to do with middle class. I mean they are all just average imo. I think the upper class gets harassed more i think
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There is absolutely no such thing as privacy when it comes to the internet. Once you decide to put in anything that is personal on the internet, someone somewhere can access that information regardless of your privacy settings. Personally, it’s annoying but business-wise it’s much better than it looks.
You can call yourself whatever you want. But it wont keep you warm when you have no place to sleep.
You always have to be on the lookout for problems. Even if you are “rich”, it is not a guarantee. I don’t mean you need to be paranoid or extremely jumpy. Just try to stay aware of the situation and don’t be lead by arrogance or a feeling of security.
Danny would love you to read ..Husqvarna 327P5X Pole pruner 25cc 12 inch bar
Privacy nowadays online is scarce…hackers are attacking major companies everyday.data mining is a big part of it.sad but this issue is real
World economy is a design, it did not simply get bent out of shape like a non-descript beast. There are those in the hierachy of the financial world who are receiving or reaching their objectives, and it’s not about money , they have enough of it, they have swindled the world with every kind of conspiracy by darkening text books and the knowledge of true history to control the financial wheels and resources, now they have it, we see the results.
All the classes in all nations will have to , sooner or later, bow to and acknowledge that it all was set up by the few, to control the world.
Hi Henry,
No, we won’t. Some will never bow to the evil prince of darkness who is behind those types of people.
growmap would love you to read ..Open Source: Two Paths Diverged
I have always been really, really wary of the safety of my personal information on-line, they are just far too many ways for your details to get stolen.
ann would love you to read ..Spanish property Searches up by 375
The possibility of people being middle class though is minimal to none. To many people are dealing with financial struggles and well, there not middle class. I think I make like 60k a year, and even I’m struggling!
Many people like to hold on the illusion that they’re part of the middle class when they never were and really are not now. My Father claimed to be when it was obvious to me even as a child that we were not. He was a high-ranking NCO and qualified for food stamps he would not accept so there is no way we were ever middle class.
growmap would love you to read ..Happy Birthday GrowMap 3 Years Old Today
The internet really can give away a lot of information and the better people are at search engine techniques, the more they can find out. As an agent who markets her services, I have to walk a fine line between promoting my face and name and retaining my privacy. It’s a difficult balance. By the way, I checked out DuckDuckGo. It is a nice search engine.
You are correctly said that ‘data mining is a double-edged sword’. Liked reading this post for it’s information.
You really hit the nail on the head with this post. There are darn few blogs other than football or cycling that I even bother to read.
That really depends on what business you are going to start. If you think about strategy, many business until now are stronger much better with or without the drop on economy. So if you’re trying to open a new business, you should think wisely.
i think privacy is more in people who are middle class sine they are not popular so nobody wasting there time to follow or notice them and in this manner there privacy being managed.
i don’t think that the middle class has to do with the privacy since privacy is the personal matter of people and it differ with person to person.
Wow – this post is a real reality check. I hadnt really thought of the situation like that before…hopefully most people can make it through the crisis unscathed…the debt is a real long term problem though…
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This video on Money, Banking and Federal Reserve explains why our economy is declining – the causes and solutions.
Also see my comments in the discussion about why the U.S. economy is declining and and why an economic recovery is impossible unless we change our choices.
.-= Gail @ Social Media Marketing´s last blog ..MEME: BizLuv in Support of Small Businesses =-.
This is to be honest a Super knowledge gaining article and all thanks to google search engine get me on here. I liked reading your writing and added to the favorites. The views you tried to put up was clearly visible. My hubby also appreciated after reading this article. I will read for more sooner.
Hello Jinnie,
While some will assume your comment is spam there is no real way to tell for sure and I am retaining it to make a point. That point is that automatically using that particular search engine is a huge part of the problem.
There are MANY other options. My favorite search engine is DuckDuckGo. The results are cleaner and just as comprehensive. I have never seen any quality information missing from that search engine that I could find in the one you mention – and I DO compare them regularly.
.-= growmap´s last blog ..BizLuv MEME: How to Support Your Fav Businesses =-.
Super information -two things I get out of this – the need to be more cognizant of personal security – shredding documents instead of just throwing them out is a good idea. And two I believe people need today need to think outside the box of the traditional job. Perhaps if you’re in a very skilled profession you might have some security but otherwise most people should be creating a backup plan. I would look into some form of learning internet marketing.
Hello Jim,
There IS a solution and it is to support only those online and local small businesses that support other small online and local businesses. By doing this we can control and increase the amount of real money supporting our economy.
.-= growmap´s last blog ..BizLuv MEME: How to Support Your Fav Businesses =-.
Great thought provoking article – actually I believe the middle class has been under assault by the Uber rich for almost 100 years. If you think about the history of the world most of history you have two classes of the people, the very wealthy and the poor or peasants.
It was only with the industrial revolution and technology that the middle class has grown.
Hello Jean,
I suspect it has been much longer than that. There is really very little difference in our relative freedom and prosperity and what we focus on now compared to during what we think of as the Roman Empire.
.-= Gail @ Social Media Marketing´s last blog ..MEME: BizLuv in Support of Small Businesses =-.
i think the person who have higher lifestyle is not secure in any case since if there will be a situation that they unable to maintain their luxury and loss everything then they can not live like a middle class person because its really tough to adapt such things.
All the big banks like Wells Fargo and Bank of America are a rip off. Extremely high fee’s for anything they can charge you for. The advantage is that these banks are on every corner and you know they won’t be folding.
Thanks for the Nice post
but as an IT engineer … security is needed more
keep it up buddy
Hey, thats a great answers to Dans question – thanks! What I wanted to add is the best way to actually live a better quality lifestyle is to make more money, another stream of income. NOT to borrow more or work more for someone else. Try starting your own business part time, ideally something that can pay you time and time again…
Hi Heather,
I totally agree. We all need different priorities and to work for ourselves instead of having a J.O.B. (Just Over Broke).
.-= Gail @ Support Businesses´s featured blog ..Father’s Day Word of Mouth Gift Card Giveaway =-.
Where did you come up with the figure of six figures and a million dollars in wealth? Seems higher than my idea of “middle class”.
Hi Dan,
Middle class is largely an illusion because most people who claim to be middle class are – as I said in this post – months at most away from homeless.
Many who appear to live middle class lifestyles have financed them with so much debt that they could lose it all in months. My idea of middle class looks similar to this definition from Wikipedia:
“Middle class persons commonly have a comfortable standard of living, significant economic security, considerable work autonomy and rely on their expertise to sustain themselves.[6]
Everyone wants to believe they are middle class…But this eagerness…has led the definition to be stretched like a bungee cord…”
The baby boomer generation I belong to is far less financially comfortable than our parents. When I was a child, families could live on one paycheck and many were well employed and had real pensions and full medical benefits. I was in on the tail end of that affluence and one of the millions who were promised retirement and then had it intentionally made to disappear before we received it.
Today most families work multiple jobs and can still not truly afford a “comfortable standard of living” with “significant economic security”. While six figures and a million dollars SOUNDS like a lot of money it doesn’t buy nearly what it used to buy and the dollar will continue to slide.
Couple that with the layoffs, underemployment and long-term unemployment (most of it NOT counted in the numbers), the declining number of jobs that pay well, the ridiculous health situation in the U.S. – all of this means while many want to claim they are middle class only those who are debt free and can afford to live comfortably could truly be considered “middle class” today.
These links might be useful:
Are You Middle Class
Focus on Middle Class
Good Question: What Does Middle Class Mean?
Coincidentally or not, at that last link University of Denver associate professor of economics Dr. Tracy Mott defined middle class as “Probably people who are making between $100,000 and $200,000 are considering themselves middle class and these days that may not be too much of a stretch.”.
Think about what you would need to be making to be able to afford to buy a house where you currently reside, have reliable transportation, eat healthy and feel ecomically stable. My Aunts and Uncles easily achieved that; none of my siblings have.
Those who are deeply in debt must seriously consider filing bankruptcy and holding their heads up high as they do it. They were conned and fell for promises that companies never intended to keep. Debt is how the greedy plan to take from those who don’t clearly see where it will lead.
Many families – and especially any who do have have high-paying employment, who have recently been laid off or who have lost their homes – would do well to seriously consider moving somewhere less expensive.
What we need in America are real communities that work together to ensure that everyone has a roof over their head and enough to eat. I suspect that is why the Bible suggests fasting: so that we will all know what it is like to be hungry and will make sure others are fed.
Real communities care more and can tell who needs helping far easier than a government program. Less government and more community is a potential future that will work. The path our economy is on will continue to worsen. We can count on that.
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being in middle class life the only thing should be kept in mind is not spending on luxurious things. It is better to save our pennies for future needs than staying in debt prison. Thanks for sharing this wonderful information. Looking forward to read more of your stuff
Hi Mark,
Saving money is a fool’s errand when the value of the dollar keeps sliding. It makes more sense to plant a garden, buy extra food, join co-ops, invest in physical items that will increase in value regardless of the economy and become more active in your church or community.
Those who know how to live inexpensively can teach their friends and family. Instead of eating out consider having pot luck events, cooking collectively – even buying meat and vegetables directly from the growers.
.-= Internet Strategist @GrowMap´s last blog ..Social Networking is NOT Chat =-.
I consider myself middle class because I can go awhile without making any new money. But I also don’t have an expensive “lifestyle.”
The working poor would have to live twenty to a house to ever MAYBE dig out of poverty.
Hello DJ,
You are one of the few. Most in the U.S. live paycheck to paycheck and that is true whether they make minimum wage or $40,000 or even $100,000+ a year. Where once a family could live on one income now it takes two or more just to survive – and it will get worse because the cost of necessities keeps going up.
People need to start learning how to live the way we did decades ago. Most have no idea that it is possible to eat for less than a dollar a serving IF you know how to cook food from scratch and vary your diet.
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Being a middle class means that you know how to go through life without being too extravagant or spending too much money into something that you can get for something less (but same quality). Also, we are able to keep our private lives intact because we don’t go into the streets, making people heads turn.
Hi Ginger,
While it was common in prior to the 1970s, there are few Americans who can live middle class lives today without going deeper and deeper into debt. Those who choose to be employees have little control over their own economic reality.
There is a solution but few can see it and most will not voluntarily choose it – they will be forced into it.
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I agree with your premise for the most part – although I think more people could be “middle class” if they were less extravagent with their spending. I consider myself middle class because I can go awhile without making any new money. But I also don’t have an expensive “lifestyle.” Some people just have to have a new car, a new that, a new this. It’s all about what other people think about them. If you leave that behind then you can live a much more modest life but one with a lot less debts and thus a lot less risks. I love being off the treadmill.
Hello Jonny, While that can certainly be true for those who have careers that pay more than it costs to live, there are so many who earn less than it takes to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads.
In their cases they are not struggling because they are out buying new cars or bling – they are barely getting by – or not even getting by – because of all the mandated expenses our government has burdened them with such as insurance and taxes of all kinds.
I would love to see schools teach economics based on the minimum wage and what is actually available in their area. Have them look up costs for rent, utilities, insurance, car payments (even on older cars) and see just how impossible it is to live on wages commonly paid.
The working poor would have to live twenty to a house to ever MAYBE dig out of poverty. And there are laws against that in most places. One way to learn empathy is to end up in the same place and learn it the hard way. Learning from someone else’s experience is far less painful.
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