I have found within the last couple months that the main focus of discussion lies in which candidate will more benefit the middle class. Senator Obama's commercials have advertised tax increases only for those citizens who make over $250,000 a year--what he considers above the majority of the middling/meddling classes. Honesly, I am not very sure on Senator McCain's policy but following suit with Republicans he most likely favors those above the middle class (help me out if I am wrong). Either way, there is always an outcry for middle class support/representation during election years. Senate races are always full of candidates who proclaim their middle status. In my home town, we always see "John (last name escapes me): Carpenter for Congress." In the south, where Republicans are often a shoe-in for office, democrats are seen with posters and signs reading, "Jesus: Carpenter for Congress." I'm sure He would make a good democrat (and hippie), asking for peace and love all the time. But His views on Pro-Choice would probably crucify Him.
But the answer to the under-appreciation and under-representation of middle class, I have learned in the past few days, does not come from politics. Senators, Representatives, Governors, Presidents, etc., all have their own agendas. The masses tend to be forgotten (as we complain about decade after decade). It is simply politicians being politicians. So, then, what is the answer? What could possibly shift the attention of Washington to the struggle of the Little Guy and his importance to society? Has anything ever had that affect? The answer is, yes, something has. But what?
Plague. The Black Plague to be specific.
First arriving in England in 1348, the "Black Death" spread rapidly. As in most cases with outbreak, the lower classes saw a much higher mortality rate than those of the upper. Though numbers have been skewed in the past (as with most statistics), based upon Church records of the time, about 30% of the population and 40% of the clergy perished in the overall course of the plague, which did not fully die out until the mid-17th century.
Though a terrible event in the history of man, The Black Plague did have its benefits. First and foremost, that most-hated neighbor you had, whose cat and son kept peeing in your yard (though you probably didn't have a yard so I'm not sure what they peed on, maybe your wife), was long gone. In fact, you were probably dead, too--along with your entire family/neighborhood. As morbid as this sounds, with the death of so many in the laboring class, those still alive became very valuable--even to the aristocracy. Their knowledge, craft, and even language became the most important aspects of society. What most do not know is that English, spoken primarily by the lay people, regained its prominence as the official language in England (of the aristocracy, courts, and church) because of the Plague. The upper classes, who mainly spoke French and needed to communicate with the remaining laborers, were forced to adapt.
The middle class in the United States will not see reform at the hands of politicians only. Representation/relief will come as a result of increased value and this will come with an increase in demand, which comes from a lack of supply. Neither Barack Obama or John McCain, as great of supporters of the Little Guy as they try to seem, will never have the effect that Nature can. If we middlers really want to feel important, pray for a plague. Then, we may have another reason to be red in the face.
