Can't the middle class (which includes me) be happy that we have what we have and don't live in a country where 99% of the people live in tin shacks while the top 1% lives on plantations and controls the army and government. At least here in the US we have 89% living in nice houses, making salaries that are just enough to get buy and live a relatively luxurious life, with 10% only living in poverty and 1% at the top not completely controlling the government.
Because the top 1% now relies heavily upon threats to what people have as the consequences of their middle-class efforts. Our 1% might not yet have the power to send dissidents to labor camps, torture chambers, mental wards, or execution pits -- but they seem to be working on that. It is enough for those elites to use poverty as a threat.
Enhancing the power of the elites to deny us what we have earned through our efforts will create misery -- not happiness. More people are becoming poor as elites enrich themselves. Executives are being paid well for treating subordinates badly, squeezing competition, and getting concessions from the government.
