Earlier this semester, I was given the assignment of reading an essay that led me to compare the social statuses of my parents. I closely examined the decisions both made throughout their lives that hold them responsible for their success today, in regards to the valued payoffs of hard work and education. My father was that same "chucklehead" high school dropout that Edward McClelland mentions in his article "RIP, the Middle Class: 1946-2013." Soon after landing a job as an electrician contractor for a security and alarm business, he was able to support our family of four in a new $85,000 home sitting on two acres. The problem that began to reveal itself later on with him was that his income was, and still is, in strict correlation with the income of his employers business and the status of the economy in its present time. I have personally experienced his struggling correlation, watching him go from making six figures a year to as low as $15,000 a year, with the only bonus for him being no job security or retirement plan. My mother, on the other hand, graduated high school and without force or guidance, had decided to earn a bachelor's degree in accounting. Today she's working with the same company that 13 years ago had started her off making $60,000 a year to an increasing gradual sum of $25,000 more today; obviously, job security or her 401k has and probably never will be a concern of hers. In conclusion of that evaluation, I saw the value of an advanced education far outweighs labor skills. McClelland's article expresses concerns that many people with similar situations to my father have today. While his article holds validity on the widely controversial claim that the middle class has decreased since the early 19th century, I can't say I completely agree with his thoughts and ideas on why it's happening or the who to blame part. McClelland has introduced many great factors to this topic that...