McClatchy-Marist Poll: American dream seen as out of reach
By David Lightman
McClatchy Washington BureauFebruary 13, 2014 Updated 23 hours ago
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US NEWS BLACKFRIDAY 8 LA
WASHINGTON — Racing into a new century in which many of the old rules don’t seem to apply anymore, Americans are overwhelmingly pessimistic about their chances of achieving and sustaining the American dream, according to a new Marist-McClatchy Poll.
They see an economic system in which they have to work harder than ever to get ahead, and a political system that’s unresponsive to their needs.
Eight out of 10 Americans think it’s harder now than before, taking more effort to get ahead than it did for previous generations. Just 15 percent think it takes the same work as it did before, and a scant 5 percent think it’s easier now.
And Americans don’t think it will get better soon, with 78 percent thinking it also will be harder for the next generation to get ahead.
The findings underscore the landscape at a time when the economy and the country are being fundamentally changed by waves of globalization and new technology, and as Americans struggle to see a better path forward and their politicians grapple over how to help.
President Barack Obama speaks frequently about pushes for a higher minimum wage and health care subsidies, as well as programs to help people find new skills, at the same time he pushes free trade, which is to blame for an exodus of jobs to lower-paying foreign factories.
Looking at work, Americans think by 75-22 percent that U.S. corporations make stockholders their top priority, over their employees.
Looking at their own lives, most people consider themselves middle class. Eighty-six percent of those polled identified themselves that way, with 14 percent calling themselves upper middle class, 50 percent saying middle class and 22 percent saying lower middle class.
Most think the middle class is hurt most by government policies. Fifty-five percent think the middle class is most likely to be left behind by those actions, while another 40 percent said the poor would be hurt the most.
The findings come as the nation and the federal government struggle with Obama”s Ideology of Redistribution from the Middleclass to third world countries.
Officially, the deep recession that began in December 2007 has been over since mid-2009, 
Seventy-two percent of those who earn less than $50,000 a year felt that way, and 66 percent of those who earn more agreed. So did 63 percent of 18- to 29-year olds, and 71 percent of those 60 and older.
obama’s economy:
What’s happening here?
“To fix the unemployment rate, a government basically has two big options: create jobs, or change the definition of what unemployment is.
What did our government do?
You guessed it. They changed the way unemployment rate is calculated…and redefined unemployment as “number of Americans receiving unemployment benefits”.Stopped receiving benefits?
It doesn’t matter that you haven’t had a job since Clinton..in the state’s eyes, you’re NOT unemployed. But when you use way the government calculated unemployment rates before the 1990s, the shocking rate is 24%… far more than during the Great Depression.
There are more than 101 million working-aged Americans unemployed. That’s the entire population of Texas, California, New York, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania the 6 most populous states here in the US – combined.
People who cannot contribute to the economy, who don’t have enough money to buy goods, and who, in a crisis, will probably be the first ones to flood the streets.
Count the rest of the population who is either too young or too old to work…and you’ll be shocked to discover that
This means that the average American worker has to carry 4 people on his back and even this number is bound to grow.”
The average American family makes $51,017 a year and $8,500 of it…or 17% goes to healthcare.
According to data from the U.S. Government’s very own healthcare reporting bureau, healthcare costs will almost double under Obamacare.
1988 Spending Per Family $2,000
2013 $8,500 Healthcare Spending Per Family
2014 Healthcare Spending Per Family $15,950
But under Obamacare, costs will double according to data from the U.S. Government’s very own healthcare reporting bureau.
But here’s the kicker:
According to Foxnews, 76% of American families ALREADY live paycheck to paycheck. For them, adding even $100 to monthly costs would be disastrous.
Under Obamacare, yearly costs would go up an aditional $7450!
The government gets its funding from working class taxpayers but when those who pay taxes can’t even pay their own bills the government will collapse under its own weight.
The government will collapse under its own weight. The government also won’t be able to get money it needs from taxing businesses because 90% of all companies in the US are dependent on selling goods to the working class.
And when the backbone of the US economy vanishes into thin air you’ll see the greatest string of corporate bankruptcies in the United States.
As banks close down, your life savings will evaporate. But the most dangerous part of this is that this collapse will happen out of the blue and many Americans will be caught unaware. In a day or two…they’ll realize the serious implications.
Filed under: economy, middleclass americans, middleclass tax payers, Politics, Unemployment Tagged: American dream, middle class, middleclass tax payers, Unemployment
