Economic Struggles

     People are always looking for someone to blame, especially with poverty. In my opinion, I don't necessarily think its the rich os the poor's fault, but if we blame someone, I would agree with McClelland, and blame the government. In McClelland's, RIP, the Middle Class: 1946-2013 he explains the downfall of the economy in this country. He tells the story of a couple who had well paying jobs and were laid off, after that they struggled to find jobs even with the extra education they got. I thought this was a perfect example of why people shouldn't blame the poor for being poor. Was it their fault the company got moved overseas? Of course not. This couple worked hard to look for other jobs and still struggled to find jobs that would pay a livable wage. Like McClelland explains, the disappearing of the middle class is a "failure of the government." If the government interfered more theres a possibility the economy could slowly build its self up again.
    The story in From Nickel to Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich is about the struggles her and her coworkers and  go through working in a cleaning service. They worked very hard, with little to no benefits, they barely even got lunch breaks, and get paid unfairly. The women worked this job because it was enough to get them through the lifestyle they have. They can't real achieve much more with what they are getting paid, so they settle with what they have, which in the maids cases, was not a lot.
    I enjoyed these reading because they show how hard it is to be successful in todays economy. It also shows that not all people who are poor are lazy, as many people believe. If it is hard for college graduates to find jobs nowadays, imagine how hard it is for the poor. If the government gets more involved and comes up with new plans, I believe, we can eventually fix our broken economy.