From Crosscut: “Jon Talton, the erudite business columnist for the Seattle Times, says we’ve hit an ‘alarming inflexion point.’ He writes, ‘Few would dispute that one of America’s signature achievements was creating the greatest middle class in history — and one that was growing and increasingly open to all. It was also an essential element to social stability and economic growth. Now it is being pushed into retreat.’ The middle class is shrinking, the lower and upper classes are growing, and nearly half of (49 percent) income is now flowing to upper income brackets, up from 29 percent in 1971. The rich are getting richer, the poor poorer, and the middle folk are far less secure.”