I am thinking about it - I guarantee it. Thats why I post stuff here - to gather opinions to digest, exchange ideas, etc. It might take me a long time to make up my mind though...I tend to be slow on the uptake.
I am just not sure people here understand the proper terms political systems. For example, communism and socialism are distinctly different from each other, are they not? But I seem to be often labelled a commie or a socialist. How could I be both?
I suspect its as the story says - I give the impression that my views are to the 'left' of many posters here, and they respond by name calling. To the extent that occurs I'm starting to doubt the benefit of posting here.
Drediock, no I don't think that's the same argument communism makes. True, I think communism makes the argument that all share the resources equally (and I agree it doesn't work out that way in practice - some people still have more power and wealth than others). The argument for a large middle class doesn't preclude the existence of the lower class or upper class. They would still exist.
Is socialism the only way to achieve a sizeable middle class? I suspect its not. For example, the author claims that "social norms that favor equality, strong labor unions, and progressive taxation" gave rise to the middle class which is in decline today.
Did that describe socialism? I don' think it did, because I think you can have all three of those components in a capitalist society.
In fact we did in the US after WWII - do you think we were a socialist country in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s?
Your experience growing up in the middle class sounds similar to mine. I remember our first color TV, our fist car with A/C, and flat tires were pretty common on our family car. My family had little hope of getting rich, but they did have secure jobs and affordable healthcare, which I think fewer and fewer people have today.