WTF? China, Mexico and India???

[George Eliot]

111. Regardless of dollars, 37% Americans now enjoy 20% of the wealth of the country. Do you agree?

In Mexico, the middle class is much smaller (17%) but they enjoy 40% of the wealth of the country. In China, 11% adults comprise the middle class but enjoy 32% of the wealth of the country. In India, only 3% of adults comprise the middle class but enjoy 22.6% of the wealth of the country. Compared to these countries, our middle class is larger (good) but we are dividing up our twenty percent among more people. Do you agree? Based on that, I agree the chart misleads. At first glance, it appears our middle class has shrunk to 19.6%.

I wish you'd use percentages. Dollars are misleading. Cost of living, spread of dollars among how many, what dollars buy from country to country. Percentages compare apples to apples. However, what constitutes our middle class and what our dollars can buy are significant pieces to the algorithm that determines the condition of our middle class which is shrinking and is smaller than first world comparable countries.

The light of day. That's why I deleted so many posts. I was getting off track. If you disagree with the above. let me know. I'll think before I answer.

Finally, where's the other 80%? That's a lot of wealth you know. Did you read the chart that we have created 900 new millionaires? Isn't the wealth of the country primarily in the hands of Wall Street? I wonder how that compares globally? I have no idea. Just a thought. Young people on new frontiers (like tech most recently) do very well in the US. Yet our technology for the average person is woefully behind that of other countries which feature more competition, lower prices and faster speeds. There's something about America which moves wealth into fewer pockets compared to our Canadian and European brethren.

Adding one more thought: global agreements like Nafta were supposed to help create middle classes in these countries. Have they succeeded or are these very small middle classes comprised of a few people who enjoy the benefits of these agreements and made wealthier their elite? I am somewhat surprised at the small percentage of people who actually make up the middle class in these countries.