3 ms·

The poor upper middle class. Always getting screwed.

ausjke 12y ago
The UMC is also the most hard-working class, who is carefully taking responsibilities for their families etc. And guess what, it's the most exploited/punished/screwed class by either tax system or zero-tuition policy like this. it looks like getting divorced, or one couple quitting job before kids are going to apply for college, or having unlimited kids, are the right strategies for the best colleges application than otherwise. I actually know one family did just that, the college-educated mid-age mom quit her job so her daughter got all the financial support from Harvard, and she is walking her dog on the community daily to stay fit now(instead of working). I am not sure if she will be back to work after 4 years when her kid graduates. Basically, the more screwed your (family) situation is, the more helps are there for you for free, even for the most prestigious universities admission! only the sky is the limit.
- geographomics 12y ago
  > The UMC is also the most hard-working class, who is carefully taking responsibilities for their families etc. I very much doubt the veracity of this broad generalisation. Indeed I'd be most surprised if there was any correlation between hard work and socioeconomic status, given that there are such a wide range of employment roles (including self-employed) in which one can work very hard, yet with such diverse financial rewards.
  - harryh 12y ago
    Prepare to be surprised: http://www.nber.org/digest/jul06/w11895.html http://www.nber.org/digest/jul06/w11895.html
    - geographomics 12y ago
      Interesting paper, thanks for the link. However, I do wonder to what extent the extra hours are voluntary, and if this definition relates to working harder (rather than longer).
  - jsprogrammer 12y ago
    There's also the conveniently undefined term 'hard-working'. It's likely too difficult to compare 'work hardness' across 'jobs'. Does a farm laborer who gets paid less than minimum wage and spends every day toiling in the fields really work 'less hard' than a lawyer who bills 60 hours a week from his air-conditioned office that he commutes to in his BMW from the suburbs? I doubt it.
- vacri 12y ago
  And yet, despite being screwed, they're still above the rest of the middle class and the working class. If it's really that onerous, take a pay cut and enjoy a drop to the MMC or LMC. Or join the working class. They don't pay much (individually) in the way of taxes, so apparently they're not screwed much. Life would be pretty sweet there!

The UMC is also the most hard-working class, who is carefully taking responsibilities for their families etc. And guess what, it's the most exploited/punished/screwed class by either tax system or zero-tuition policy like this. it looks like getting divorced, or one couple quitting job before kids are going to apply for college, or having unlimited kids, are the right strategies for the best colleges application than otherwise. I actually know one family did just that, the college-educated mid-age mom quit her job so her daughter got all the financial support from Harvard, and she is walking her dog on the community daily to stay fit now(instead of working). I am not sure if she will be back to work after 4 years when her kid graduates. Basically, the more screwed your (family) situation is, the more helps are there for you for free, even for the most prestigious universities admission! only the sky is the limit.

geographomics 12y ago
> The UMC is also the most hard-working class, who is carefully taking responsibilities for their families etc. I very much doubt the veracity of this broad generalisation. Indeed I'd be most surprised if there was any correlation between hard work and socioeconomic status, given that there are such a wide range of employment roles (including self-employed) in which one can work very hard, yet with such diverse financial rewards.
- harryh 12y ago
  Prepare to be surprised: http://www.nber.org/digest/jul06/w11895.html http://www.nber.org/digest/jul06/w11895.html
  - geographomics 12y ago
    Interesting paper, thanks for the link. However, I do wonder to what extent the extra hours are voluntary, and if this definition relates to working harder (rather than longer).
- jsprogrammer 12y ago
  There's also the conveniently undefined term 'hard-working'. It's likely too difficult to compare 'work hardness' across 'jobs'. Does a farm laborer who gets paid less than minimum wage and spends every day toiling in the fields really work 'less hard' than a lawyer who bills 60 hours a week from his air-conditioned office that he commutes to in his BMW from the suburbs? I doubt it.
vacri 12y ago
And yet, despite being screwed, they're still above the rest of the middle class and the working class. If it's really that onerous, take a pay cut and enjoy a drop to the MMC or LMC. Or join the working class. They don't pay much (individually) in the way of taxes, so apparently they're not screwed much. Life would be pretty sweet there!