Erika Volk

Professor A. Lohmeyer
Composition 1
8 September 2015
The article RIP, the Middle Class: 1946-2013, by Edward McClellan draws people into
the ongoing discussion of the debate of wether or not the middle class is still in American social
classes. McClellan writes his thoughts about the death of the middle class between the years of
1946 to 2013. He uses memories from his childhood and facts from other authors to back his
argument that the middle class of America is no longer in existence.
McClellan states that middle class failure is due to the lack of government involvement
and not because of capitalism. He backs his argument by stating that college graduates work
$9.80 an hour jobs to improve their financial fortunes rather than work jobs they have a degree
in. The author also stated a fact from a survey that say 24 percent defined the American dream
as not being in debt (553). Another fact McClellan stated is that 18 year olds cannot graduate
from high school and get a job that pays well enough to make a living without going to college
(554). McClellan feels that with the help of government funding and lower costs of college
education, the economy would be more successful.
The author feels that past presidents also play a role in the downfall of the middle class.
Carter, Reagan, and Clinton all played major roles by raising interest rates, deregulating
industries, choosing lower prices over employment, and moving manufacturers overseas.
According to McClellan, President Nixon, had he survived Watergate, would have saved the
middle class with his raised tariffs, plans for government regulation of the economy, trade
protection, and he was the last president who had a plan for protecting American workers from

the vicissitudes of the global economy (554). Other presidents that eventually came along and
tried to save the middle class are George W. Bush, who sent money to automakers, and Barak
Obama, who set up the auto task force to help companies through bankruptcy and the Affordable
Care Act.
McClellan summarizes a couple, Gary Galipeau and his wife Voss, as they live through
the Golden Age of middle class living. He writes about how they were hired out of high school
by the manufacturer Carrier where they were told they would have a job for life, but in 2004
they lost their jobs (552). The company found it hard to pay so many people to do one job as
technology advanced. It became almost impossible for them to find jobs that could keep them
financially stable enough to make it through retirement. They took low paying jobs and the
Carrier manufacturer was moved overseas as a cheaper way to keep up production.
In conclusion, the death of the middle class, according to McClellan, is due to the lack of
government assistance. Also, many presidents helped in the downfall of the thriving middle
class. According to McClellan, the only way to fix or bring back the middle class is to vote in the
right government.
McClellan, Edward. RIP, the Middle Class: 1946-2013. They Say/ I Say with Readings. Ed.
Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein, and Russel Durst. New York: W. W. Norton and
Company, 2015. Print. 549-559