Minimum wages, tariff policy, tax policy over decades, and the resulting national debt contribute to the K-shaped economy that is worsening conditions for lower and middle class working Americans.

 

12/19/2025 4:00:00 PM                Ryan Knutson      Wall Street Journal podcast – “The Journal”

It's Almost 2026. How’s the Economy?

 

The Middle Class Is Buckling Under Almost Five Years of Persistent Inflation

Workers growing tired of economy in which everything seems to get more expensive

By Rachel Louise Ensign and Rachel Wolfe     Updated Nov. 21, 2025

https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/the-middle-class-is-buckling-under-almost-five-years-of-persistent-inflation-4d783aee?mod=Searchresults&pos=1&page=1

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