ObamaCare Defines Middle Class

Of all the media outlets and all the blogs I follow, the MDW was the first to note that ObamaCare would define the official national work week for the first time in US history: 30 hours.

MDW also was one of the first to note that the new official work week AND ObamaCare rules would drive an American cultural shift from full-time workers to part-time workers.

This is a new wrinkle, something I missed. Many upper middle income investors have learned to keep their incomes at about the levels of their Congressmen, which that is the sweet spot for a nice income and relatively modest taxes, especially with the right exemptions and deductions.

But now, ObamaCare offers something for lower middle income folks also: keep your income below the ObamaCare threshold of $62,000 for a married couple, and $78,000 for a family of three.

ObamaCare is doing something that "we" haven't been able to do in this country until now: define exactly the thresholds required for part-time, full-time, upper middle class, and lower middle class. We've always had government guidelines/rules for the "poverty threshold" but now we have "rules" for the middle class, at both ends.

There's been a general agreement among employers that 40 hours was the "standard" work week, but now we have 30 hours as the "official" work week. Initially that will apply to healthcare benefits, but it's only a matter of time before 30.5-hour full-time workers will start picketing for overtime pay whenever they work more than 30 hours.

Late last month Geraldo Rivera tweeted that 70 was the new 50. With ObamaCare, 30 is the new 40.