The Middle Class Is Falling Into Poverty In The United States

In the United States, known to many as the land of opportunity, is composed mostly of the middle class. The middle class, making up the majority of our nation’s population, is falling into poverty. As the rich are getting richer, also known as the top one percent, the poor are getting poorer. Falling into poverty can negatively affect people’s health, education and families eventually weakening economy and democracy. During the year 2010 about 15.1 percent of Americans lived under the official poverty line while another 100 million people were struggling to get by with low incomes making below two times below the poverty line (about $44,700 a year for four people). Not only are they experiencing the same hardships but about one third of all
The lower class keeps getting poorer because of loss of jobs. Many jobs are lost annually to better computerization and job outsources to other countries willing to work for less money. As for the middle class, although still slowly going down economically, they are managing to stay where they are. The reason why the middle class is struggling is also because of machinery that is replacing workers, lower salaries because of increased social security the government has been taking out for the retired, and competition with immigrants looking for jobs. Lastly is the upper class, also known as the top one percent. The upper class is doing well rising above everyone else because they are the ones who come up with and sell ideas to foreign countries who couldn’t come up with the ideas on their own. Since the rich have control over the lower paying jobs they do what they want with them. The process is usually firing all the workers and replacing them with machines or computers which are efficient and the cheaper alternative. Including the increase of immigrants that come here in order to find jobs to support themselves and their families. As the years are passing by, the gap between the rich and the poor are growing and becoming more
This occurs when wealth in a country is poorly distributed among it’s citizens. This leads to unemployment and low incomes creating an environment preventing children from going to school. For some that manage to go to school, become discouraged and don’t see how hard work can improve their life as they see their parents fail at the task every day. Poverty also increases the chances of gaining physical or mental illness because of discrimination and unfair treatments. Every form of poorness and social exclusion, whether it be material or racial, has it’s effects on people’s health. Since we humans are social animals, living without a society or a group we feel we belong to can have a big effect on your mental