The Middle Class Dilemma How Covid-19 has affected the working class
ABBY BOWMAN ADELAIDE CADY
Reporters
The coronavirus struck the United States in the beginning of March, immediately closing down schools and businesses in every state. Panic started to spread as more people were hospitalized and dying. The initial concerns of this pandemic were of people’s health and safety, and to insure that people were staying home to stop the spread of the illness. The state-issued stay at home bans required that everyone would not leave their homes, but without steady income, some families in America can’t afford food, rent, or any necessary utilities, as 78% of all U.S workers live paycheck to paycheck. This leaves many questions about what the families who are most affected by the disease are going to do, and how the country is going to deal with this big hit on the economy. Since President Trump declared a national emergency, 22 million Ameircans have filed for unemployment. “The cultural middle class–families making between $50,000 and $200,000 per year–see the hardest hit from the combination of liabilities forgiven or income guaranteed for others above and below them in the social strata,” said Seeking Alpha. Those with jobs that rely on consumers to purchase goods and services are left with no jobs at all since people are afraid to leave their houses and have no extra money to spend. However, a main focus of citizens is to feed their families, not to contribute to dying business. “Several economists expect that by the end of the month, more than 20 million people will have been thrown out of work, pushing the unemployment rate toward 15 percent,” as quoted from the NewYork Times. Many families who have lost their jobs share their story and The New York Times has shared some of them. “Ms. Douglass, a casting producer and a wedding videographer, said her work started to dry up a few weeks earlier. Now nearly all of her spring gigs have been canceled,” said the New York Times. Ms. Douglas and her husband, and millions of Americans alike, have filed for unemployment but have lost more than 75% of their average income. The government's attempt to assist those who have lost their jobs doesn’t help supply the income needs of most middle-class americans. “Middle-class Americans are more likely to have to dip into retirement savings to
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weather the storm, less likely to be helped by government stimulus than those poorer or wealthier, and far less likely to benefit from restructuring debt the way that owners of property or businesses are,” said The New York Times. The middle class is going to have to use retirement savings and other resources in order to be able to make it through the pandemic and the effects it will have on the economy, people’s employment and their incomes. Upper class Americans have not been as severely impacted by this epidemic as the lower and middle class. Lower class citizens are also getting enough assistance from the government to maintain themselves while quarantines. “Congress passes another stimulus bill guaranteeing the income of those making under $50,000 per year and forgiving business debt for the wealthy, quelling some of the discontent swirling, but not all,” said The New York Times. This leaves the middle class to struggle the most by the loss of jobs and the lack of assistance by the government and the aid they are distributing. Americans considered to be in the upper middle class also have a much different experience. The people who have flexible jobs and can work from home have luxuries during this time that most of their fellow citizens do not. “In New York, well-off city dwellers have abandoned cramped apartments for spacious second homes. In Texas, the rich are shelling out hundreds of thousands of dollars to build safe rooms and bunkers,” commented the Chicago Tribune. During this time, it is much easier to see the divide of the rich and poor. Some of the US’s richer citizens can treat this time as a vacation and break from normal life, but the fact is that more than half of the people in America are struggling to keep their homes and to feed themselves. This does not mean good things for the future, especially if the situation worsens and average American families fall deeper into poverty. Action needs to be taken by the government in order to help those who are struggling and suffering in this time crucial for Americans’ safety. “The clock is ticking for the government to get a handle on the pandemic.” The middle class needs to be assured that the money and resources that they struggle to find will be made up for and that they won't be impacted by this in ten years,” said Seeking Alpha.
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