The State of the Middle Class

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/01/25/Strengthening_the_Middle_Class_Pt__2

U.S. Congressman Anthony Weiner (D-NY) gives his take on the current state of the American middle class.

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Urban Conversations Conference: Strengthening the Middle Class with discussants Byron Brown, mayor of Buffalo; Manny Diaz, mayor of Miami; Mufi Hannemann, mayor of Honolulu; Lisa Servon, associate professor and director of the Community Development Finance Project at Milano; and Anthony D. Weiner, U.S. Representative (D- New York).

As income disparities between wealthy and working-class families become more pronounced, middle-class neighborhoods are disappearing from many American cities. How are leaders working to make their cities livable for middle-income families and affordable for the millions aspiring to gain a foothold in the middle class?

Urban Conversations brings together elected officials and leading thinkers from across the nation to foster fresh perspectives and new insights into the key challenges facing urban America and to discuss strategies for addressing them. - The New School

Anthony David Weiner is a Democratic politician from New York. He represents New York's 9th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. The district includes parts of Brooklyn and Queens.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• middle
• classes
• schools
• teachers
• education
• economics
• economy
• recession
• americans
• income
• distribution
• taxes
• dream
• wealth
• fora.tv
• foratv
• fora
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[Chokula99]

Middle class is what makes the difference between the way Americans live and people from Mexico where the middle class is almost inexistent. if America loses the Middle class then the ones who will be jumping the border are the Americans not the Mexicans,off course some tuxedo people want America to come back to the Industrial Revolution a handful of landlords and an army of Industrial slaves thats their goal bring America back to the Rockefeller era.

[ftggog]

great analysis.

but just a comment. It's not only an American thing. Many states around the world are facing the same problem too. Objective analysis should not be America-centric.

[TheRobin3212]

Such a terrible loss for the true Progressives of America!

[BT4free]

search youtube fairtax, solution for the middle class

[criticalsection]

Historically, the 3 "classes" were defined as upper class inherited their money, middle class earned their money, and lower class existed on the charity of others. The more people you have earning their money the better.

[TheRich0000]

Do you feel that the public took advantage of the businesses by practicing "predatory purchasing" tactics.

Each party played a role, but one party certainly had more impact on the actions of the other party. The question is, which party do you want to help support while we get out of this mess.

[TheRich0000]

All Americans, as well as American businesses, have put us in this situation. The is a large amount of personal debt that all Americans are carrying and need to pay off. This debt build up over many years, and even transformed from secured debt to unsecured debt.

No recovery will be lasting until the public pays down their debt, regardless of what any politician tries to do.

[msrebelnardcore]

@Volomonoh Principal (I learned that from "Grease" when I was 10 y/o).

[Volomonoh]

Public education is worse because of a total disconnect between affordability, objective and devotion and the subsequent bureaucratic displacement in which soo many resources and capital are wasted. The problem is government intervention and my principle making over a hundred grand and driving a Mercedes while I sit in an old, tarnished desk.

[qwertypoiu4321]

Class warfare is just an empty misdirection to demagogue the poor and promote coercion.

[john51880]

I don't question he means well. But when he uses the term "Middle class" I am saddened because I know he it committing economic discrimination against high income earners. Class war fair is low rent. Why not tax every earner at the same % per $? Because he likes spending beyond what should be fair. God forbid government live with in there means!

[ninemen123]

@biancademonet People are so frightened to touch the NHS it stays in place even though eveyone knows it's a waste of resources, I like many others have never used that system but we pay into it all our lives.