40% of the US makes about $40K a year or less and only 20% of the population makes more than $90K. once adjusted for inflation this equates to $14K and $32K in 1980 dollars.
the vast majority of the country is totally screwed and most don't even realize it. on the bright side there will be plenty of abandoned strip malls for old people to live in. the majority of the "middle class" has no real retirement savings right now, the top have about $200K in total retirement but at an average of 30% inflation over each decade, that amounts to peanuts down the road.
Conservatism is the default ideology for lazy non-critical thinkers