[lit-ideas] Re: Illegal Immigration

Wednesday, September 14, 2005, 10:55:09 PM, Paul Stone wrote:

> JE: I mean there's an upper middle class that's distinct from the middle
> middle class.  The upper middle class is a bit like Andreas' friend,
> the middle middle is more what we think of (OK, I think of) as middle
> class.  But if you think the difference between more than $600,000 per
> year and (say) $30,000 per year is "whatever", then, Paul, WHATEVER.

PS> PAS: $600,000 a year is "middle class"? IN WHICH COUNTRY? Come on.

I got that from an Indian web page (but will check it out).  "In which
country?": the UK.  I assumed India followed a similar pattern
(whereby the "upper class" is not defined by wealth [alone]).



PS>  Can't
PS> you tell I'm making a semantic argument? I'm saying that to further
PS> 'classify' a section called "middle class" into no less than FOUR more
PS> sections is rendering the term "Middle" completely meaningless. Why not
PS> just stratify them into numbered parts.

PS> class 1 = <15,000
PS> class 2 = 15-30 K

PS> etc. etc.

1.  The stratification I gave you is income based for "upper" and
"middle" middle, it may not be for "lower (middle)" as that's
apparently applied to a rural grouping.
(2.  I made up $30,000; here's an Indian datum:

>The youngsters are part of a middle-class boom in India. The National
>Council of Applied Economic Research estimates that the number of
>people living in households that earn at least $1,800 annually?considered
>the minimum for middle-income families?

3.  Stratifying by income alone has never made much sense to social
analysts but, well, whatever

PS> Someone quoted a bunch of coutries and their wage disparities.


Yes.  I was *staggered* that the UK wasn't more appalling, frankly.

PS>  Most were in
PS> the 10-50 times bracket {USA notwithstanding}. Now, your quotes of 600K vs
PS> 30 K is a TWENTY fold difference.


Yes.  Of course if you take the true figure -- see above -- it's even
worse...


PS>  SURELY these two 'earners' can't be said
PS> to be members of the same class. In Canada, someone who makes 600K/year is
PS> probably in the top 1% of wage earners. I can't imagine that being referred
PS> to as "middle class" by anyone but someone who is rather stretching the 
truth.

or someone from the UK or France or, well, one of the old countries;
or one type of Marxist
-- 

                             mailto:judithevans001@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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