There have long been reports about the shrinking middle class. According to The Washington Post, a new study is painting a dire picture for middle class white Americans, saying they are in a sea of despair. The study done by Princeton professors, Anne Cast and Angus Deaton, indicates that middle American Caucasians are now on the endangered list. For the first time in the United States, the white middle class is experiencing what minorities have long dealt with.
The decrease in factory jobs, plus a lack of education and opportunities is sending many Americans into despair and depression.
Baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) were raised in an era where you worked a full-time job with benefits, and when you retired you had enough to live on. That day is over.
Days of booming business are over
Downsizing and complete shut downs of once booming businesses in the United States have taken a toll. This has forced hard working older white citizens into a job market where they do not have the proper skills. Age, in many cases, prevents them from being hired. Younger Americans are finding that there are no longer good employment prospects. Long-term jobs with benefits, for those who only have a high school diploma, are few and far between.
Being unemployed or underemployed with no medical insurance affects preventative health care.
If you don't have the money, you cannot maintain medical, dental, and/or eye exam appointments. This leads to health-related issues not being diagnosed, and also prevents proper long-term care, including treatment. The result is depression, turning to alcohol or drugs, increased suicide, and early death. This is why the results of the study by Cast and Deaton is so devastating.
Shrinking middle class America
All of America's middle class are dealing with a shrinking job pool. The gap between the haves and have-nots is increasing. Caucasians who once worked hard and saw the fruit of their labor are now experiencing the American dream turn into a nightmare. The study indicates that opiate addiction has increased among middle-age whites.
The result is suicide, and drug overdose, which have caused the mortality rate for non-Hispanic whites to soar. This is especially true for Caucasian males.
President Trump said during his campaign that he was going to bring back jobs for the middle class. So far nothing concrete has been put in place. If this campaign promise is unable to be fulfilled, the future of all Americans will be bleak, especially the middle class who are new to this downward spiral.
