No longer. The Middle Class is evaporating at such a horrific rate of speed and before long, we will have only two classes in the US: The "Haves" and the "Have-Nots". Most of the Middle Class seems to be sliding down the slop into the "Have-Nots"...even as we are.
Quick history on me and mine:
I am a 40 year old mother of two (12 and 14) who works a 40-45 hour a week job as a "Girl-Friday" and my income is higher than average for my field, though still not enough to support a family of four plus debt and insurance.
My husband, Tall, is 45 years old. He was laid off five years ago from an engineering position and used that opportunity to change his career. He decided (after much discussion) to go into nursing because A) Did you hear? THERE'S A NURSING SHORTAGE!! JOBS ARE GROWING ON TREES!! (not...but that's another post altogether) and B) He could get a job anywhere and not be tied to one area as he was in his other career.
In 2009, Tall graduated at the top of his class as a Registered Nurse. He has been unable to attain a position in spite of a nation wide search for employment. He has been actively applying for jobs for 18 months. He has had 1 interview. Though he has had a couple of limited contract-type jobs and he volunteers as often as he can. Everywhere he goes, THEY LOVE HIM! Seriously, awesome feedback and reviews...yet, in spite of a "nursing shortage", he cannot find a job. I will get into this nursing shortage myth in a separate post.
Tall needs surgery and our insurance is CRAP! One of our vehicles is completely un-drivable, the other is completely questionable and we do not have enough money to fix it. Half of our stove doesn't work, the tile in our kitchen is crumbling, our fence is literally falling down, and we desperately need to re-roof and paint. We cannot pay all of our bills and so we pay mortgage, utilities, food, and transportation. I do not earn enough to cover our expenses (which are mounting), yet at the same time, I make too much money to qualify for any government assistance. We are not behind on our mortgage, though, we will be lucky if we can afford to keep our house (which we are upside-down in). We have sunk underneath the water line and now must file for bankruptcy.
Our situation is hardly unique.
My purpose here is to recount our journey so far, and document where it will lead from here...as long as I have internet service. *smirk*
Have a look at this article for some very interesting info about the current Middle Class experience:
