"... a lot of income is dominates by top earners...". Perhaps the most salient comment in the article (which is wonderful, thanks). When WH says household savings are higher, etc. they are talking about people who have such big belts they can tighten interminably. Those people were further enriched by stimulus, stay at home savings, crazy engineering salaries and an ever-ebullient stock market and it will be a long time before they feel the pain. By the time those at the bottom of the ladder, the real working class, figure out the stimulus effects are over and cost-cutting at the top is threatening their livelihoods, they won't be able to climb out. Add to that increased cost of borrowing to stay afloat, etc. We have created a skewed picture that can scarcely be recognized by past events. Rich ground for manipulation and deceit.