The wheel on the odometer turns

[thedarkages]

According to the Opinion section of today's Los Angeles Times, the lower middle class now consists of people making from $50,000 to $100,000 a year. This group is at "a substantial disadvantage" in competing for educational opportunities. What a weird world. Lower middle class. By that standard, I've been "upper-lower class" since I left my parents' house -- admittedly in Yankelovitch's "bohemian" clade.

The goalposts keep getting moved. A house that you wouldn't feel ashamed to live in, in my town, costs between $700,000 and $1,500,000. I could win the lottery and still not afford to put down roots. As it is, rent takes up 60% of my household income. The alternative? Moving to some desolate desert city full of trailer parks and meth labs and commuting two hours each way to work.

The self-help books say that in times of crisis, one should think day to day. But the fragility of it all!

Comments

[mcohenmn.livejournal.com]

I always wonder where these jobs are that pay enough for people to live in the large number of houses that have higher property taxes every year than I pay for my mortgage and taxes combined.

[yesenixan.livejournal.com]

Hey, don't knock meth labs--they add a certain touch of playful insouciance to a neighboohood. Think of them as the lemonade stands of the late 20th/early 21st century.