Middle Class Blues

In the April 9th Fortune Magazine, writer, Geoff Colvin, offers his opinion on the Middle Class' problems.  Where do we start, right??
His article, titled "Politicians say they can cure the Middle Class Blues.  Don't Believe Them", he offers an interesting perspective that I wanted to share.  The middle class is where the votes are AND we have been the most hit by the recession and and financial crisis.  Republicans blame Obama for "more spending, more debt, more regulation", Democrats say recession started under Bush, caused by his rich banker friends...lots of pointing fingers but no real solution, right?
The article discusses how both narratives are "irrelevant"!!  Interesting, huh??
I was....
The sorry situation were are in according to Colvin is that THE problem started long before the recession and financial crisis hit.  Incomes in the middle class have gone nowhere for more than 20 years after rising slowly through most of the 20th century.  The economy demands high-level skills from workers and for most of the 20th century, the US kept up.  A brief history, "In 1900 few people stayed in school past 8th grade, by 1970 a large majority finished high school and many went to college.  American workers became the worlds best-educated and earned the rewards.  The in 1970, the American education level stopped rising.  High school graduation peaked at 77% in 1969 and has dropped to 69% today, college rates have dropped too.  The economy keeps demanding more workers with advanced skills but we stopped producing more. Other countries relentlessly educated their people so we fell from #1 in the world to middle of the pack".
We know this already....
BUT, what is interesting is that the Infotech Revolution came along.  This is great for high-wage earners w/ 3 computer screens on desk to multi-task more and embrace the latest technology and this is great for the low wage earners who's job of restaurant cook, waitress, mechanic is unchanged...."but the middle class jobs are disappearing, software is taking over routine back office tasks and info tech coordinates supply chain and manufacturing can be done by lower paid workers abroad".
The problem is not the recession or income inequality...the problem is that the middle class isn't supplying the new skills the world is demanding....
In closing, this is Great news folks!  We can fix that problem....its called an overhaul in our education system...and it has to be done on a State Level (not a federal one)....Presidents cant make much difference in this issue.  But we can.....we have identified the problem, now the future is in our hands.