Not often I give 50 claps. But this article deserves them.
You gave the best explanation of the rise of the middle class that I have come across. I don't think the Roosevelt had this in mind with his New Deal, but it--coupled with the aftermath of WW2--allowed the middle class to flourish. I would call it a great piece of social engineering, but I'm not sure there was a social engineer.
I'm not convinced that there is some master plan. But it seems the future is going in the way in the way you have laid out. The middle class is losing ground--and we are going back to humanity's natural hierarchy of 2%, 13%, and 85%, which I have called "The Orwell Ratio."
Many dystopian writers do not offer a solution. They just like ranting against the bad guys.
You provide a solution. However, western democracy is ripe for being manipulated by nefarious forces. It would take a great amount of energy to straighten out western democracy, which is likely to be invaded again. The Orwell Ratio is a strong human instinct.
Rather, that energy could be spent on building a new democracy.
Here is my website about my alternative democracy:
