Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego Talks About the Squeezing of the Disappearing Middle Class

Is the American Middle Class the same as it was over 50 years ago, before the Energy Crisis, the Great Inflation, and the decades-long misguided Republican institution of the economic policies known as Trickle Down Reaganomics?

The answer, according to many, including Senator Ruben Gallego, is no.

In part one of a new social media series, the Arizona Senator discussed the plight of the dissappearing Middle Class.

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In his remarks on the squeezing of the Middle Class over the last 50 years, the Senator said:

“Politicians talk a lot about the middle class. Well, let’s be honest. Does the Middle Class actually exist? In 1971, six out of ten Americans were considered Middle Class. Now, it’s barely half. And if you are Middle Class, I bet you don’t feel like you’re in the Middle Class. I’m Senator Ben Gallego. Let’s talk about the Middle Class. From 1940 to 1960, the income of American families doubled. They were to buy homes, send their kids to college, have a safe retirement, go on vacation, buy cars. Everything that seems out of reach right now. Only 43 percent of all the money generated in this country right now of the wealth created in this country goes to the Middle Class. Meanwhile, the wealthy in this country has seen their income rise almost 80 percent. That tells you what’s happening in this country. The Middle Class are not succeeding. They’re not getting part of the hard-earned wages, and that’s why there’s a deep, deep struggle right out to buy a home, save for retirement, and have just a decent, good life that you feel less stressed. Okay, well, let’s break it down. Let’s say you’re a family of four that makes about a hundred thousand dollars a year. What do you actually get for that amount of money? Child care, food, medical, housing, transportation, internet, mobile phones, and of course, taxes. Altogether, that’s $98,000 on average for an American family, which means if your family is making a hundred thousand dollars, maybe you have an extra $1,400 a year right now. That does not feel comfortable at all. So, when politicians talk about a strong Middle Class, they’re talking about a country that doesn’t exist anymore. So, we’re going to talk about how we’re going to fix that. So please come back for part number two.”

Stay Tuned.