Middle Class Income Stagnation

The Democrats complain that the Bush Administration is responsible for the above. An obvious reason for stagnation is that it's hard for the average standard of living to rise when the country keeps doubling and redoubling its population of the poor.

Between 700,000 to 900,000 yearly new immigrants are granted some type of legal status when 60% do not even have a high school education. Most of these immigrants are from Mexico or Central America. 40% or more remain poor after settling in the U.S. Immigration policies favor keeping the family together so more uneducated join the uneducated already here. Hispanic youths are 3 times as likely to drop out of school and twice as likely as blacks.

SAT scores tell a sad story. Among the students who took the verbal test in 2006 95,000 seniors scored 700 or above. Only 1117 were black. In SAT math 69,000 scored 700 or more and only 976 were black. Part of the problem is the black disconnect from white activities seen all the time in Peoria. A presentation open to the public "Green Plays in Peoria" touting sustainable development, only two blacks were among the over 100 participants. I've called this to attention before of the lack of participation by blacks in community improvement or development projects.

The major part of the problem is affirmative action. Why study or participate when businesses feels obligated to hire a certain number of minorities, regardless or their ability compared to "other" applicants?

As David Frum says in his book "Comeback", nobody foresaw back in 1970 that the population of of the most disadvantaged students was about to explode. Between 1970 and 2005, some 40 million people would legally and illegally (about half) migrate to to the U.S. Less than one third lacked even a high school degree and even then a degree meant little if they did not apply themselves in the classroom and were moved along to make room for others.

He says, most Mexicans migrants feel deep reluctance to assimilate to the English language and United States ways. 41% of all post-1980 immigrants have remained poor a decade after they entered our country. Back in 1960, immigrants were much less likely to remain poor than the native-born; today immigrants are much more likely to remain poor than natives.

The Democrat presidental candidates are appealling to these uneducated, the pacifist liberals, the half educated liberal indoctrinated college students, those who don't read but are swayed with words (charisma) , rich people who have already made their fortunes, minorities who have failed to take advantage of opportunities, fought for and sacrificed by blacks like Martin Luther King and George Washington Carver, and others unlike King and Carver, who would prefer the U.S. to further move toward socialism and populism.

They will blame the problem of failing to move up the ladders of economic success on others therefore further setting back those who feel they are victims of the system. Obama strongly believes this but he is smart enough to articulate it in phrases that mislead those who are looking for a "change" but aren't very sure of what they are looking for. When they say "bring our troops home", they have no idea of how to do that without increasing the threat of their eventual security.

They have no idea what it takes or do they want to do the work that it takes to be promoted into higher paying jobs so that they can enter the "middle class".

"Don't let the facts get in your way" is a statement that can be applied to many. To be accepted, truth must fit the frame of a person's mindset. If the facts don't fit, the frame stays and the facts bounce off until truth is discarded and politicians, manly Democrats, turn to exaggeration, distortion and demagoguery. That is what you are seeing as the Democrats appeal to those who feel disfranchised, victimized, the "squeezed" middle class and those who are looking for "Big Brother" to solve all their problems. They are failing to take advantage of all the opportunities offered by this great nation and seek the easiest target to place all the blame; the Republicans and George Bush. Since they do limited reading, the voices of false prophets is what they want to hear. Obama and Clinton have long ago figured this out. All Obama and Clinton had to do was read history.

Is the middle class in earning stagnation? Not if you work for the government and not if do the little "extras" that most employers seek and compensate. Almost all have the freedom to move to a better position. I was fired from my first teaching and coaching job only to be hired at a better and larger school with more pay and responsibility.

I note that almost all of the people working for Peoria County (most are Democrats) are hard workers which is reflective of good leadership. Most of the these people I suspect would call themselves middle class; and of course, they go thru "rough" spots in their economic endeavors but none have come to me to say that it is their employers fault. Most would like to make more money and have a secure future. But most realize the present and the future is what they make it.

Almost nothing anyone writes today is original. We "writers" shape our thoughts and expressions from hundred of different sources. My aim to to present the truth and if what I present does not fit your view or frame, sobeit. This was never intended to be a politically correct site.

Thanks for taking time to read me and read some of the books I recommend. Facts should never deter any thinking person regardless of race, gender, religion or political party from trying to sort out the truths from all the different sources available to us.

And there are many if we take time to find them.

In the meantime, our failed immigration policies restrict the educated from entering this countries; restricted by ridiculous quotas.

The hope is that there is a new generation of thinkers, albeit too few, that hungers for answers and solutions. Too often they hear smashmouth talking heads(from both parties), view "Lord knows what" and listen to liberalist opionions presented to them by many of their teachers whether in the classroom, home, in church or on the street.