The Disappearing Middle Class

There are three broad brackets of people based on available financial resources: the upper, middle and lower classes.

Individuals will identify their location within those tiers but a surprising number of people choose 'middle' regardless of their actual financial position. This is particularly true of the moderately wealthy who often loathe elevating themselves above their peers.

It's easy to understand how individuals reach that conclusion because if you only hang out with people in the same financial position as you, the expectation is that everyone else lives like that, too.

The reality is somewhat different though. There is a genuinely disadvantaged group of people within our community. Sometimes, that is the product of their choices and other times because of circumstances beyond their control.

Via good policy and bad, the government provides a social safety net for those in need through various welfare handouts and financial concessions.

At the other end of the spectrum, the wealthy are more able to look after themselves as they have the financial resources to make choices independent of government. They can also afford to leave should things get too tricky.

The middle class though, has always been an aspirational objective for many Australians. It's an attainable status for most no matter where they start, and historically, it's been achieved by getting a good job, starting a business or higher education.

However, that aspiration is now under direct threat.

Governments are making it harder to start and grow a business. The red, green and black tape associated with risking it all on a business idea is mind-numbing. Employing people is fraught with legal peril, not to mention the stress of dealing with a self-entitled generation of narcissists.

Our education system is churning out a bunch of lobotomised zombies who aren't equipped with some of the most basic skills required to make a living. They can tell you all about how unfair the world is or how many likes they have on Instagram but often can't write a grammatically correct letter or turn up to work on time!

Private employers often don't want a bar of these child-like University graduates, and many graduates don't want an accountable career in private enterprise. Instead, they focus on more certain careers in government jobs where their PC indoctrination is considered an asset.

A government job puts you in the highest percentile of average income and household net worth in the country. You get job security and free yoga classes. It also makes you more amenable to even bigger government as that makes your position even more secure.

The result of these employment trends is that a growing proportion of our populace depends on the government for their income and basic needs. That's exploded recently under the Covidmania, with many millions now reliant on handouts to maintain personal solvency.

Notably, the financial and economic problems now being addressed by the government were caused by government decisions in the first place.

Of course, having more people reliant on government suits the Marxist agenda perfectly. It allows rule by the elite and renders much of the populace as mere serfs of the state.

What we are seeing in Western Democracies is a deliberate and concerted attack on the middle class to wipe out aspiration and self-reliance. It emanates from the left of the political spectrum, but only some on the right side are prepared to push back.

Discouraging aspiration, independence and personal resources diminishes a nation and always ends badly. It is a fate we must resist if we genuinely care about our people, culture and country.