So rather than getting that new iPhone that they just love and want to go spend hundreds of dollars on that, maybe they should invest in their own health care.
"They've got to make those decisions themselves," Chaffetz added.
Camerota asked if health care will "require some sacrifice" for lower income Americans.

Chaffetz paints himself as the cure to Washington insiders, including Republicans who have failed to live up to their party's ideals. He lambasts immigration policy (calling for the elimination of birthright citizenship if the parents are illegal), federal meddling in schools (calling for the elimination of the Department of Education) and global warming (calling it "a farce").

So sorry that they are selling their homes. As forced to. Yeah but selling stuff and seeing I Phones very strange.

another graduate of the BigFan school of grammar I see

If I just get rid of my iPhone I'll be financially solvent!

In my neighborhood I know two families who are in the process of losing their homes. One of them is selling everything they can on Facebook, including their couch cushions. Yet, when I see them at activities, the parents and the jr. high kids they trudge around with all have the latest iPhones. To be honest, I think this is the type of people he is targeting with this statement.

actually , now that i think about it i have an old iphone 5 that's just sitting collecting dust

If I just get rid of my iPhone I'll be financially solvent!

I got into a discussion with an older gentlemen when I first entered the workforce after finishing my undergrad work. It was the mid-90's, and he said people are just losing ground every day. I went home and thought about it. And even back then you could see all the money people were spending that wasn't being spent in the 1960's:

Cable bills
Eating out regularly
Multiple tvs
Computers
Expensive gas and long commutes
Nearly everyone owns two cars
Houses that are much larger

Fast forward to today, and we've added things like:
High speed internet
Cell phones bills with the accompanying phone costs
Silly levels of medical costs. Just the sheer numbers of meds being consumed and the advancement in procedures
College tuition is both more expensive and widely used
Toll roads?

So while it is a shame that the middle class has stagnated and even regressed, many of the reasons are obvious. The average middle class person has more material wealth, while clearly being in a more precarious financial position. It doesn't mean we shouldn't try to solve declining social mobility and the massive wealth gap. But it's not as simple as, "things are worse today."

I totally get it, the cost of everything has gone up. It fucking sucks and its why there is a big part of me who is sympathetic to the Trump movement. That said, I recognized it and have done everything I can to remain modest.

What's interesting is that you didn't list the cost of housing. I had posted a while back about the costs of home ownership, so I don't want bore everyone more than I usually do. That said, I think this is where the middle class family is really getting destroyed. I moved out to Crystal Lake because it was all I could afford in 2004 and overpaid for a 3br 2ba home. $245,000 at that time was considered a low price. Where you get killed is in the updates and regular maintenance. My dad never knew how to do basic house maintenance, so I didn't learn shit from him. Now I have to pay someone to do just about anything and everything. In the '60s, people knew these skills and passed them down. Now we have video game skills and iPhone skills. If you are in a technology position, it works. If not, you are fucked.

I totally get it, the cost of everything has gone up.

That's not true.

But I agree with that assessment on monumental life purchases such as housing and education.

That's not true.

But I agree with that assessment on monumental life purchases such as housing and education.

The IRS now considers cell phones a "necessity", fwiw.

The IRS now considers cell phones a "necessity", fwiw.

They are right too.

I'm not sure why, I can see porn a lot better on a larger screen.

Because basic communication is a necessity.

I think its more an addiction. We were doing just fine before them.