1) Note that I indicated that the 20% increase was a real increase and not a nominal one. That means that to the extent that household expenses have increased,

1) Note that I indicated that the 20% increase was a real increase and not a nominal one. That means that to the extent that household expenses have increased, it's because households are using their newfound wealth to purchase more/better stuff! That's not a hollowing out of the middle class, that's a prospering one. 2) Household debt has declined significantly over the past 15 years: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/HDTGPDUSQ163N https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/HDTGPDUSQ163N https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/TDSP https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/TDSP