Yes, contrary to popular belief, the middle class has grown over the past few decades in real terms (http://www.urban.org/research/publication/growing-size-and-

Yes, contrary to popular belief, the middle class has grown over the past few decades in real terms (http://www.urban.org/research/publication/growing-size-and-incomes-upper-middle-class http://www.urban.org/research/publication/growing-size-and-i...). However, its share of overall wealth has declined, due to growing income inequality. It's that perception of falling behind those above them on the ladder that fuels the sense that they are no longer doing well. And as for the long-term unemployed referred to in the article, the reality is that most of the people who have left the job market are retirees or students (http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2015/10/21/what-we-know-about-the-92-million-americans-who-arent-in-the-labor-force/ http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2015/10/21/what-we-know-about...). With regard to the startup decline referenced in the article, that trend reversed itself several years ago, and startups have been trending up to nearly pre-recession levels since 2013 (http://www.kauffman.org/microsites/kauffman-index/rankings/national?Report=StartupActivity http://www.kauffman.org/microsites/kauffman-index/rankings/n...). The bottom line: we've had seven straight years of real, meaningful economic and employment growth. It's not a facade or an illusion. However, growing income inequality means that a disproportionate share of the growth has gone to the upper class, and this has left many people feeling like they are falling out of the middle class.