> If there is an equal increase in upper class population for every loss of middle class population, that just means that our incomes as a population are increasing.

> Yes, that is a decrease in the middle class-or-better bucket

Huh? Wat? Ignoring your contradiction completely, 1.5-2 million people dropped.

2% of ~100million working people is ~2 million people. 2 million people dropped out of the middle class to the lower class. 2,000,000. Two-million individuals. Two commas. Not to mention their kids. Or their retired parent(s).