Comment Re:The law is for the little people (Score 1) 325
At least half of the "middle class" should make more than the median income. But we have a lot of laws that provide special protections and subsidies for those with below median incomes, or for those living near or below the poverty line. I just don't think that consumer protections for all should be given such a low priority over helping families in dire need. Even after Obamacare coming into affect, middle class families can end up losing most of their life savings after just one major medical event. The outlook is worse for any family with a member who is chronically or terminally ill. People with moderate incomes are still forced to file divorce against a spouse that they love because otherwise their spouse would not qualify for nursing care assistance. A family that is already receiving food stamps and subsidized housing isn't hardly affected by a $600, $6,000, or $60,0000 hospital or nursing home bill. Just about anyone with below-median income can file chapter 7 bankruptcy and wipe out debt with a fresh clean start. But if a middle class family just barely exceeds median income for their area then the whole family has to pay 100% of their "disposable" income for either five years or until the debt is paid in full. If they have other expenses, like a car or home repair, and if this causes them to fall behind on their five year payment plan, the case can be dismissed, and they will owe the full debt plus interest. This middle class family would be allowed about $700/month to feed a family of four. If both parents work 60 or 70 uncompensated (ie salary) hours each week, then there isn't much time to prepare cheap meals from scratch.
The attitude in government is to either promote industry or to help the destitute. But there are increasingly more risks today to hard working families that can lose everything they've been working for. We should have more policies that protect the present status of middle class families rather than waiting for them to lose everything first before getting any help. Ending the sense of entitlement that hospital administrators have for the net worth of their patient's families would go a long way.
As our society is very litigious compared to most other countries, families are incurring legal expenses over matters that should be dealt with in ways that would be much less expensive. If my ex-wife is dating a registered sex-offender, it should only take a conversation with local law enforcement to halt visitations until the sex-offender is out of the picture. It should not take $30k in legal fees and a couple trips to court.
I could go on about restrictions that prevent families from starting a business, or saving money by doing certain repairs without paying fee after fee for permits, permissions, licenses, etc. for some of the most mundane activities. The middle class has it good - when they can actually keep most of the wealth they generate. But no one is going to bat for the middle class, so we are slowly losing protections we once had, losing freedoms we once had, and are facing greater risks of losing middle class status.