The middle class is the one doing the shopping. Remember, you hate walmart, even though thats where the little folks shop to make ends meet.

The biggest difference is that the youngest adults dont want to pay for it. Those with degrees and a good salary will get a benefits package, but not as good as a govt employee. (at least for now) The money from healthcare premiums will come right out of the wages they would have been paid in lieu of that expense. Since more people will be paying more for people who cannot pay, its the working folks who absorb that increase in costs.

The total burden cost of an employee cannot go up without raising prices or reducing expenses somewhere else. Like it or not, the CEO is not going to work for free. Since business is not growing, new employees are not needed bad enough to endure increased expenses. The value of everything is based on the lowest employee cost, which is minimum wage. Thats what the unions use to figure their contracts and cost of living adjustments. Management looks down at those wages and has to pay more for managers, (although first level supervisors are often close to union scale) I knew car a salesmen that made more than the desk managers and F & I "managers", so he would not take a promotion. For the most part, a promotion comes with an increase in salary. Even at Ben and Jerrys. "Newmans own" is a nonprofit. Id bet money the CEO/Director, makes more than anyone else.

When you can do what the average CEO does and do it as well, then you too, can demand more money than anyone else. They get fired when they dont get it done.