There is absolutely nothing keeping people out of the middle class as it stands now. The only reason I am part of the middle class is because my grandfather slaved over an aluminum-ore vat for most of his life and saved every penny he had and my dad learned from this and had the same work and saving ethic. We had no aid, and expected none. You cannot pull yourself out of the lower classes in one generation and any attempt to do so is pointless. It takes years of spending and the correct moral, saving, and working values have to be taught to children to pull yourself out of poverty. When the government starts to intervene and take the responsibility of wealth management away from the worker, you take a critical element away from the individual, you take the experience of having to work for what you’ve earned away. I won’t begrudge anyone for wealth they’ve earned and desire no pity from anyone for not having it myself. I want to earn my wealth and once I’ve earned it I expect it to be mine, not shared amoung thousands who did nothing to help me earn it, just as I expect no money from them because I didn’t help them earn it. It’s the whole “you keep what’s yours and I’ll keep what’s mine” concept that no one seems to understand anymore.
Also, at what point does “investing in the lower class to pull them up” justify taking away a third of someone’s income? That’s like saying “oh you worked 50 weeks this year but we’re only paying you for 34.” That’s not just wrong, it’s stealing. That’s 640 hours of time someone has lost simply because someone else is being propped up by a wellfare program.