Who is the majority in America? There are approximately 124.6 million households in the United States and each household averages three people. 58.2% of households make less than $50,000 per year and more than half of those households make $25,000 a year or less. This means that 72 million households or approximately 70-140 million voters making $50,000 a year or less are the majority of Americans. This should be the most powerful voting block in the United States!
So why are wages for average Americans so low? Why is healthcare so expensive? Why are many companies no longer offering pension plans? For a family to live comfortably in my working class neighborhood based on a 2 bedroom apartment costing $1000 per month, they would need to earn $52,000 per year plus another $20,000 to cover healthcare and pension. Many unions that offered the power of collective bargaining have been broken by corporate American. Workers need a fair shake and opportunities for advanced training. I don’t have a clear answer to these questions, but I do know that if the majority of Americans voted together for better wages and benefits they would win.
It seems that many of the wealthy want to blame this majority for their own circumstances. However, I believe they don’t consider many factors that affect income levels. For instance, opportunity, cognitive, emotional, social, and physical abilities, and moral consciousness (meaning ethical business practices). Also they seem to devalue physical labor which is essential to the maintenance of our collective infrastructure. Increased wages would decrease government dependence! Ironically, government spends about $668 billion annually to help the poor, while the wealthy cost the government $910 billion dollars a year in lost tax revenue due to holding their portion of America’s wealth in offshore accounts.
Before you vote for a candidate, make sure they truly represent your best interests. And, remember that trickle down has been proven not to work! Please view “The Big Picture: How We Got Into This Mess” at robertreich.org
reilly m gray 
Time magazine recently addressed the issue who are the working poor. 40 million Americans are now living below the poverty line. It seems now in in our present and future that those in poverty will remain in poverty.
There are many more Americans living at the poverty line. “One layoff one missed bus, a diagnosis of cancer, can lead any of us to fall into poverty.”
We are told that those who are in poverty deserve it. It is believed that people who lose their jobs can quickly find a replacement even though many of these jobs have been replaced by machines. We believe that poor immigrants in Border States, who harvest tomatoes, are taking jobs from Americans in the heartland.
Most people in poverty who can work do work but can’t make a living wage. Many who are living in poverty are born in poverty. These poor may be mothers who are holding down three jobs.
Rather than invest in the most vulnerable the poor have been neglected and shamed. Remember poverty is an injustice. None of us who are able and willing to work should remain poor.
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Thanks for your comments. I wonder what the answer is to this injustice? I believe it is very complicated. Changing attitudes is difficult.
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