What is the Money Mindset of Middle Class America?

Is middle class America really disappearing? Ithe pilots who fly them, the janitors who keep
strongly disagree with this now famousthe airport clean, the attendants at the
statement and ridiculous idea. Think. The people ofgates,parking lots and ticket booths and the
middle class America are here to stay. They aretourist agents that we visit before we plan out
the keepers of community; the back bone oftrips.
American culture; the builders of a betterHow about at the hospital? Middle call Americans
tomorrow upholding a way of life here that is theare the people who took the time and made the
best in the world today. Sorry, no namescommitment to get the education to build the
mentioned but there is not space station in theX-ray machines, to design the hospital, to build it,
sky that middle class America is being transportedthe technicians who run the machines, the factory
to.workers who help produce them, the hospital
But if you look at the mindset of middle classadministration and last but not least, the surgeons,
America, a very significant paradigm shift isdoctors and nurses who help the people who are
needed if they can preserve this now famous titlein need. Sorry if I left out other important people
of "middle class." Maybe the soothsayers couldlike the ambulance drivers and all their counter
more accurately announce that 90% of middleparts.
class Americans are 6 digits in debt to live the allMy life was saved by this core group in the
American dream lifestyle.community. I could go on for every significant
Middle class America constitutes most of society.meaningful service occupation in our community
They are judged by the material side of the allthat maintains the best quality of life here on this
American Dream lifestyle, i.e. two homes, twoplanet. From fire fighters to the business
cars etc. But their real gift and contribution to thiscommunity, middle class America has set a high
planet is the model of a successful community,standard for community living, a model for
which they have allowed themselves to developsuccess that has never before been seen or
and maintain through many years of service andexperienced in human history.
practice.Did you know that 70% of the world's population
From the outside looking in, middle class Americalives in some form of poverty? Ad education, like
has the lifestyle every human on earth wants towe are blessed with today in America, is their
experience in their lifetime. Driving a car, a goodticket out of this miserable existence. I know
education, opportunities to specialize in fields ofbecause I run a Charity and have watched and
engineering, science, master every form of artlistened to deserving but poverty stricken youth
while enjoying all the entertainment in the buddingeither disappear or become all they are capable of
world of technology. All this in a community-basedbeing when given the opportunity for an
often a multi-cultural setting, can you paint aeducation.
better picture than that?An education means we are free to gain
From the inside looking out, to say that theknowledge and build the skills needed in so many
people who make up this class needs a betterareas of our lives today. This gift of freedom has
financial education would be an understatement.a responsibility for us to use our knowledge
Saving and investing money needs to replacewisely. And being humans we also use it to
borrowing and spending money. That commitmentsustain and maintain the quality of life called middle
to change might require small sacrifices in comfortclass America. The middle class American mindset
and lifestyle. I realized this when I recently hadis all about caring for the quality of relationships
$15,000 to either save or spend. However, inwith our natural world and the ones we have
order to maintain my middle class existence Icome to rely on as humans socially, economically,
spent it, quite quickly I may ad.politically and religiously.
Ask yourself this; if you could maintain yourIn my mind valuing knowledge for the sake of
meaningful life work in your community would youknowledge is truly using our God-Given resources.
want to leave this world with a million dollarsLife is so amazing here on this planet and we
saved up or be a million dollar debt? Did you knowhave the brain capacity and power to
that if our mindset included saving money, weacknowledge and contribute tour relationships
could all pay ourselves an extra $500 per monthinvolved with every process of life here in some
and in 30 years we would have a million dollarsway.
saved up because of the compound interest. LifeIs middle class America disappearing...NO. We
is not always written in stone. It can be takenwouldn't have a life here without them. Are most
from us unexpectedly. Ask yourself what you aremiddleclass Americans in debt to be living out a
leaving behind?lifestyle based on modern conveniences and
Think about what could happen if middleclasscomfort...yes.
America had the right mindset and saved andIs there a way we can shift our mindset as a
invested money over spending and borrowing.culture to saving and investing rather than
Poverty would be eliminated because the moneyborrowing and spending...Frankly, I don't think it's a
and these same values would be passed down tochoice. The alternative is to see our amazing
future generations. Let's face it, paying ourselvesquality of life here disappear along with the middle
$500.00 would make sense if we made savingclass system's unique character and distinction.
our first priorities. If we collectively agreed to liveAcknowledging this weakness and working
by this rule, we would make the changes and puttowards educating ourselves is our responsibility. If
the steps into place to make this happen.middle class America side-steps this, something will
So who is middle class America and why do wedisappear. It won't be the people whose unique
keep hearing that they are disappearing. I love toroots are now well established in the pursuit of
describe middle class America. At an airport,knowledge and freedom. Our standard of living will
basically they are the engineers that design thesimply will change for the worse.
planes, the mechanics who maintain their function,