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Category Archives: Middle Class

One Of The More Powerful Critical Pieces On America I’ve Read In A Long Time

Charlie Pierce has written an extremely powerful piece, “The Cynic and Senator Obama,” in this month’s Esquire. Whatever you may think of it - it’s an important criticism, made more moving by Pierce’s love for an America lost (and feared forever lost). I got there via Ezra Klein’s post, which is also well […]

Posted 18 May 2008 † Hiram Wurf § Big Picture § Bush Administration § Civil Liberties § Civil Rights § Court System § Crime § Democratic Change § Democratic Party § Ethics § Foreign Policy § Gay Politics § Intelligence § Iraq War § Media Watch § Political Communication § Poverty § Presidential Election 08 § Privatization § Religion § Republican Party § Technology § Terrorism § Torture § Veterans § Working Hard - Living In Poverty ‡ Comments (0) °

Good Paying American Jobs For Americans

“I’ve been ungodly blessed, you know, I just happened to be born at the right time in the right place. I tell people if I’d been born a few thousand years ago I would have been some animal’s lunch, because I can’t run very fast or jump very high. Or if I’d been born in […]

Posted 13 May 2008 † Hiram Wurf § Dollars and Social Sense § Economic Development § Economy § Making Work Pay ‡ Comments (1) °

Was Charlie Gibson Right About $200,000 Being A “Middle-Class” Income?

The short answer is “no” - and Media Matters, Matthew Yglesias and others have properly taken news anchor Charles Gibson to task for suggesting that $200,000 is a “middle-class” income. But even if Gibson is wrong about “two professors” at St. Anselm College making that amount, or was wrong because, as Media Matters points […]

Posted 17 April 2008 † Hiram Wurf § Big Picture § Dollars and Social Sense § Economy § Political Communication § Presidential Election 08 ‡ Comments (1) °

Money Can’t Buy Me Love, But Happiness…?

Pay me more and I’ll let you know.
Money and happiness may not have a super-strong relationship - but it’s enough to be bad news for the Bush economy, where Americans have been earning less over the years. Perhaps depressed wages have contributed to depressing people with an overwhelming majority of Americans believing […]

Posted 16 April 2008 † Hiram Wurf § Bush Administration § Dollars and Social Sense § DuPage Politics § Economic Development § Economy § Illinois Politics § Political Communication § Poverty ‡ Comments (0) °

DuPage Urbanization

Progress Illinois has a great discussion of DuPage urbanization based on this Boston Review article. I have some mixed thoughts about what’s there - but they’re certainly worth reading.

Posted 31 March 2008 † Hiram Wurf § Democratic Change § Democratic Party § DuPage Politics § Economic Development § Economy § Housing § Illinois Politics § Political Communication § Privatization § Race § Religion § Republican Party § Transportation ‡ Comments (0) °

Dianne McGuire Gets AFL-CIO Endorsement For IL State House 96

The AFL-CIO has endorsed Democrat Dianne McGuire for the District 96 House seat. Dianne had this to say about the endorsement,
“With over a million members employed in the State of Illinois, the AFL-CIO Committee on Political Education (COPE) endorsement means a great deal to any candidate. This organization represents working men and women […]

Posted 06 December 2007 † Hiram Wurf § Democratic Party § DuPage Political Campaigns § DuPage Politics § Illinois Political Campaigns § Illinois Politics § Political Communication § Union ‡ Comments (1) °

Two Quick Perspectives On Losing The American Middle Class

1. “If the distribution of income in the U.S. today were the same as it was in 1979, and the U.S. had enjoyed the same growth, the bottom 80 percent would have about $670 billion more, or about $8000 per family a year.” Where did that money go and what changed? The top 1% […]

Posted 17 November 2007 † Hiram Wurf § Dollars and Social Sense § Economy § Political Communication § Working Hard - Living In Poverty ‡ Comments (1) °