On Fri, 27 Apr 2007 03:32:26 +0200, Mxsmanic
wrote:

Marco Leon writes:

Yes, and yes. While I don't think that the reasons you mentioned are the
primary reasons, I do think they play a part. Salaries are indeed higher but
so are the housing prices. A "starter" house in Long Island, NY for example
is around $450K. Paying for that mortgage while bringing up a family leaves
little room to blow $7K on a year's worth of flight training.

Forty years ago, a "starter" house might cost 1.5 times the annual salary of a
person in the middle class.

40 years ago a "starter home" was a small, quiet two bedroom home. For
the last 20 years a "starter home" was more than what most of us ever
hoped ever achieve 40 yerars ago. 20 years ago young professionals
would move out of their apartment into their first home that ran more
than a quarter million at least in this area. HOwever that home would
be gaining equity due to inflation far faster than they were making
payments. Now starter homes are becoming much more modest around here.

such a person (although the middle class is disappearing).
No it's not.
It's just becoming more isolated from the upper and lower classes.