A cloud of disillusion is upon us and is manifest under
various disparate names – Antifa, BLM, Proud Boys, and others. And it’s likely
the larger of the two current epidemics. The one is a physical virus that will
largely fade after it runs its course. The other is a cancer eating away at our
body politics that left unchecked will lead to dissolution or tyranny.
The broad social discontent is not unfounded. The American
middle class has been in decline for two generations. Between 2002 and 2012, in
inflation adjusted dollars, for bottom 90% of family income fell from $34,067
to $30,439 while the top 10% saw an increase from $127,692 to $130,990. From that
point the disparity accelerates to where at the very top family income nearly
doubled. The top 0.01% income grew from $12,247,943 to $21,569,156. Since 2012
the imbalance has only gotten worse. The richest three Americans collectively
have more wealth and the poorest 160 million Americans.
Against that backdrop, at least a college degree meant a
path to middleclass security. Well for some maybe, but for many it only leads
to debt slavery. In 2019 69% of college
students took out student loans and graduated with average debt of $29,000. Over
all Americans owe $1.71 trillion spread out among some 44.7 million barrowers. http://studentloanhero.com/student-loan-debt-statistics/
Meanwhile nearly half of American voters believe the last
election was stolen. Publicly questioning the outcome is scorned with charges
of insurrection. Instead, according to TIME, we are to believe the 2020
election was saved by “a well-funded cabal of powerful people, ranging across
industries, working together behind the scenes to influence perceptions, change
rules and laws, steer media coverage and control the flow of information.”
The Top 10% Is Doing Just Fine, The Middle Class Is Dying On The Vine | ZeroHedgewww.zerohedge.com/personal-finance/top-10-doing-just-fine-middle-class-dying-vine
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