Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Shouldn't be suprised. Many segments of our population do not value education. Only 85% of Americans graduate high school and 30% graduate college.

Of those 85% who graduate high school, how many are just pushed through?

Take DCPS for example. Many kids entering high school ate reading at a 4th grade level.

No shit.

You do realize that the structure of the economy has changed in recent decades, right? Many people used to be able to work at manufacturing jobs with a high school education that would give them a middle class salary. Those jobs have disappeared and there are fewer and fewer jobs that pay middle class salaries. Not fair to attack people who have had the rug pulled out from underneath them.

Facts are not an attack. No college degree? The outcomes are fairly predictable. No high school degree? Well, yea, that's a no brainer, no pun intended.

We don't exactly have tax or labor policies that can compete with manufacturing jobs in China and vietnam. They pay well below our minimum wage and have very loose labor laws. That leaves only one option : education. Whining about the past doesn't change the realities of today's global economy. The gap will widen if these large segments of uneducated Americans don't start valuing education

But no need to be so dismissive. Yes, people need to pursue education but it's not fair to describe it as if the economy has always been this way and people are just naturally lazy -- which is what your post implied because it failed to acknowledge the structural change in the economy that has brought us to this point.

I never said they were lazy, that's what you said. I said people don't value education. Many communities are even HOSTILE to improving education. However no matter how far down you drive the class size or how many caring teachers come through thr doors, without the support of the parents and community those children most likely won't graduate and most likely will end up in poverty.

Yes, globalization has changed society. Those jobs are being outsourced to sweat shops in countries that support exploiting workers. We don't play that game, so instead or citizens sit on welfare. As humans we are master adapters. You need to adapt or be left behind. It's basic survival.

We have yet to find a leader that will advocate for the obvious.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Shouldn't be suprised. Many segments of our population do not value education. Only 85% of Americans graduate high school and 30% graduate college.

Of those 85% who graduate high school, how many are just pushed through?

Take DCPS for example. Many kids entering high school ate reading at a 4th grade level.

No shit.

You do realize that the structure of the economy has changed in recent decades, right? Many people used to be able to work at manufacturing jobs with a high school education that would give them a middle class salary. Those jobs have disappeared and there are fewer and fewer jobs that pay middle class salaries. Not fair to attack people who have had the rug pulled out from underneath them.

Facts are not an attack. No college degree? The outcomes are fairly predictable. No high school degree? Well, yea, that's a no brainer, no pun intended.

We don't exactly have tax or labor policies that can compete with manufacturing jobs in China and vietnam. They pay well below our minimum wage and have very loose labor laws. That leaves only one option : education. Whining about the past doesn't change the realities of today's global economy. The gap will widen if these large segments of uneducated Americans don't start valuing education

Half the population is below average. Not everyone is suited for college or even able to succeed there and skilled trades aren't the answer either because we don't have a need for 10,000,000 welders.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Shouldn't be suprised. Many segments of our population do not value education. Only 85% of Americans graduate high school and 30% graduate college.

Of those 85% who graduate high school, how many are just pushed through?

Take DCPS for example. Many kids entering high school ate reading at a 4th grade level.

No shit.

You do realize that the structure of the economy has changed in recent decades, right? Many people used to be able to work at manufacturing jobs with a high school education that would give them a middle class salary. Those jobs have disappeared and there are fewer and fewer jobs that pay middle class salaries. Not fair to attack people who have had the rug pulled out from underneath them.

Facts are not an attack. No college degree? The outcomes are fairly predictable. No high school degree? Well, yea, that's a no brainer, no pun intended.

We don't exactly have tax or labor policies that can compete with manufacturing jobs in China and vietnam. They pay well below our minimum wage and have very loose labor laws. That leaves only one option : education. Whining about the past doesn't change the realities of today's global economy. The gap will widen if these large segments of uneducated Americans don't start valuing education

But no need to be so dismissive. Yes, people need to pursue education but it's not fair to describe it as if the economy has always been this way and people are just naturally lazy -- which is what your post implied because it failed to acknowledge the structural change in the economy that has brought us to this point.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Shouldn't be suprised. Many segments of our population do not value education. Only 85% of Americans graduate high school and 30% graduate college.

Of those 85% who graduate high school, how many are just pushed through?

Take DCPS for example. Many kids entering high school ate reading at a 4th grade level.

No shit.

You do realize that the structure of the economy has changed in recent decades, right? Many people used to be able to work at manufacturing jobs with a high school education that would give them a middle class salary. Those jobs have disappeared and there are fewer and fewer jobs that pay middle class salaries. Not fair to attack people who have had the rug pulled out from underneath them.

Facts are not an attack. No college degree? The outcomes are fairly predictable. No high school degree? Well, yea, that's a no brainer, no pun intended.

We don't exactly have tax or labor policies that can compete with manufacturing jobs in China and vietnam. They pay well below our minimum wage and have very loose labor laws. That leaves only one option : education. Whining about the past doesn't change the realities of today's global economy. The gap will widen if these large segments of uneducated Americans don't start valuing education

Anonymous wrote:Shouldn't be suprised. Many segments of our population do not value education. Only 85% of Americans graduate high school and 30% graduate college.

Of those 85% who graduate high school, how many are just pushed through?

Take DCPS for example. Many kids entering high school ate reading at a 4th grade level.

No shit.

You do realize that the structure of the economy has changed in recent decades, right? Many people used to be able to work at manufacturing jobs with a high school education that would give them a middle class salary. Those jobs have disappeared and there are fewer and fewer jobs that pay middle class salaries. Not fair to attack people who have had the rug pulled out from underneath them.

Anonymous wrote:So if you're a singleton, making 100k, where does that land you?

middle class. But you'd feel richer if you had a spouse's salary to share the household bills with.

So if you're a singleton, making 100k, where does that land you?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Wrong again. DC area lower class is up to 150k, middle class is 150k to about 500k. Upper middle is 500k - 2MM.

Wow, you really are disconnected from the real world.

New poster, but there was a national graphic along thsee lines that adjusted class by COL based on thr area. DC metro Area was very sku'd due to the coat of housing and general COL. Those numbers are not way off. Wish I could find that graphic.

This. These numbers are pretty spot on, but I'd almost say a little low. These are probably good numbers for singles, but not dual income families. Double them for dual income.

Anonymous wrote:I think COL adjustment is needed. For example, in order to afford rent for a 2br in SF, you have to be making at least $200K, that's way above the middle class.

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/2015/06/salary-wages-san-francisco-residential-real-estate.html

If middle class is based on owning stuff rather than income then most people are poor.

I think COL adjustment is needed. For example, in order to afford rent for a 2br in SF, you have to be making at least $200K, that's way above the middle class.

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/2015/06/salary-wages-san-francisco-residential-real-estate.html

Median household income around here is roughly 100k vs 64k for the US

Middle income here is roughly

66k to 200k sounds about right

If you are making more than 200k and you dont feel well off you need to get off this board and out more

Anonymous wrote:
Wrong again. DC area lower class is up to 150k, middle class is 150k to about 500k. Upper middle is 500k - 2MM.

Yeah, those low-class GS-12s are having trouble paying for basic necessities and putting food on the table. Definitely teh poorz.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's really not surprising, but not because of the commonly blamed reasons.

As they taught us on Sesame Street, "household" can mean many different things. On the high end, you have a steadily increasing proportion of married couples who now have two incomes. On the low end, you have a steadily increasing proportion of single-parent households. The end. Plain and simple.

If you actually looked at the link you would have seen that they accounted for household size.

It doesn't matter. They didn't control for the factors I mentioned.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Wrong again. DC area lower class is up to 150k, middle class is 150k to about 500k. Upper middle is 500k - 2MM.

Wow, you really are disconnected from the real world.

New poster, but there was a national graphic along thsee lines that adjusted class by COL based on thr area. DC metro Area was very sku'd due to the coat of housing and general COL. Those numbers are not way off. Wish I could find that graphic.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Wrong again. DC area lower class is up to 150k, middle class is 150k to about 500k. Upper middle is 500k - 2MM.

Wow, you really are disconnected from the real world.

so middle class is up to the top 1% of income. You have a funny definition of "middle".