RUFDRAFT Posted June 21, 2011 Report Share Posted June 21, 2011 Whew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilmor Posted June 21, 2011 Report Share Posted June 21, 2011 But wait! There's more! http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081013081734AA2jsZ1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RUFDRAFT Posted June 21, 2011 Report Share Posted June 21, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Hawkins Posted June 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2011 There is no standard definition, and in fact, an overwhelming majority of Americans say they are "middle class" or "upper-middle class" or "working class" in public opinion polls. Hardly anybody considers themselves "lower class" or "upper class" in America. It’s possible to come up with a definition of what constitutes "middle income," but it will depend on how large a slice of the middle one prefers. If we look at U.S. Census Bureau statistics, which divide household income into quintiles, we could say that the "middle" quintile, or 20 percent, might be the "middle" class. In 2006, the average income for households in that middle group was $48,561 and the upper limit was $60,224. But we could just as reasonably use another Census figure, median family income. In 2006, the median – or "middle" – income for a family of four was $70,354. Half of all four-person families made more; half made less. Journalist Chris Baker examined the ambiguous meaning of the term "middle class" in a 2003 Washington Times story. He, too, found no generally accepted definition, but he did get this broad one from Jared Bernstein, an economist at the liberal Economic Policy Institute: "There are working families who can pay their bills, but they have to really think about such minimal expenditures as picking up a pizza after work, going to the movies, making a long-distance telephone call. They may have some investments, but they depend on each paycheck for their well-being." But others could have different definitions. Baker interviewed a man who earned about $100,000 a year and a woman who made $35,000, both of whom said they were middle class. Public opinion polls show how slippery the term can be. An Oct. 2007 poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation, Harvard School of Public Health and National Public Radio asked 1,527 adults what income level makes a family of four middle class. About 60 percent said a family earning $50,000 or $60,000 fit that description. But 42 percent answered an income of $40,000 and 48 percent said $80,000 were both middle class. Other polls suggest that 90 percent or more of Americans consider themselves to be "middle class" or "upper-middle class" or "working class." An April 2007 poll by CBS News found that of 994 adults surveyed only 2 percent said they were "upper class," and 7 percent said they were "lower class." In another poll, taken by Gallup/USA Today in May 2006, 1 percent said they were "upper class," and 6 percent said they were "lower class." Interestingly, since 12.3 percent of Americans were living below the official federal poverty level in 2006, these poll findings suggest many who are officially poor still consider themselves to be "middle class" or "working class." So what do politicians mean when they say "the middle class"? Good question. Each politician may be talking about a different group of Americans, but the message many voters hear is that the politician is talking about them. For example, Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards called for "tax breaks to honor and strengthen three pillars of America’s middle class: savings, work, and families." One of his proposals is to expand a tax credit to give dollar-for-dollar matches on savings up to $500 a year. Some version of that credit would be available to families earning up to $75,000. Republican candidate Mitt Romney, meanwhile, later proposed eliminating "taxes on dividends, capital gains, and interest on middle class families." He defined "middle class" as anyone with an adjusted gross income of under $200,000 – and acknowledged that such a proposal would affect "over 95 percent of American families." http://factcheck.org/2008/01/defining-the-middle-class/ My Head hurts............ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIKEBOY Posted June 22, 2011 Report Share Posted June 22, 2011 RUF...now that's funny...and you're too old!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIKEBOY Posted June 22, 2011 Report Share Posted June 22, 2011 Ok, and I'm just say'n here...........but, Who the H E double hockey STYX...hehehe, get it? Who the HE double hockey sticks, is gonna tell some guy or gal, that randomly rings the doorbell at the dinner hour with a clipboard and no front teeth, making minimum wage, what they ACTUALLY make annually? Really? Would you tell some total stranger from the census bureau, or at least he says that's where he's from, how much money you make? In today's world? It ain't Wally and the Beave or Mayberry anymore folks! So...that said...how good or accurate is the information the census bureau is getting anymore? Hmmmmm? Right? EDIT- and I'll be standing by on this one...I ain't going to bed till I get a response!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SGT0225 Posted June 22, 2011 Report Share Posted June 22, 2011 Ok, and I'm just say'n here...........but, Who the H E double hockey STYX...hehehe, get it? Who the HE double hockey sticks, is gonna tell some guy or gal, that randomly rings the doorbell at the dinner hour with a clipboard and no front teeth, making minimum wage, what they ACTUALLY make annually? Really? Would you tell some total stranger from the census bureau, or at least he says that's where he's from, how much money you make? In today's world? It ain't Wally and the Beave or Mayberry anymore folks! So...that said...how good or accurate is the information the census bureau is getting anymore? Hmmmmm? Right? EDIT- and I'll be standing by on this one...I ain't going to bed till I get a response!!! If you own a SHELBY GT you are lower class. If you own a SHELBY GT500, KR or SS you are middle class If you own a car that is worth as much as my house, you are upper class. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilmor Posted June 22, 2011 Report Share Posted June 22, 2011 If you own a SHELBY GT you are lower class. If you own a SHELBY GT500, KR or SS you are middle class If you own a car that is worth as much as my house, you are upper class. Nooo nooooo.....Shelby GT is middle class....GT500 and above is upper class and they should "spread the wealth"!!!! Free mods for everybody!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Hawkins Posted June 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2011 Nooo nooooo.....Shelby GT is middle class....GT500 and above is upper class and they should "spread the wealth"!!!! Free mods for everybody!!! WOW....... what if you drive a used Chevy Chevette? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MY500SS Posted June 22, 2011 Report Share Posted June 22, 2011 If you own a SHELBY GT you are lower class. If you own a SHELBY GT500, KR or SS you are middle class If you own a car that is worth as much as my house, you are upper class. ....................Hockey STYX. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIKEBOY Posted June 24, 2011 Report Share Posted June 24, 2011 WOW....... what if you drive a used Chevy Chevette? Then you would have NO business on this Forum!!!! :bag: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejrail Posted June 24, 2011 Report Share Posted June 24, 2011 Then you would have NO business on this Forum!!!! :bag: How about a yellow Maverick Grabber? :bag: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejrail Posted June 24, 2011 Report Share Posted June 24, 2011 I guess I might be middle class. According to my wife I have too much middle and too little class. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIKEBOY Posted June 30, 2011 Report Share Posted June 30, 2011 What's this debt ceiling they speak of? Should I be worried about this if I'm low class? Aren't we bottom feeders so low to the scum of the earth that ANY ceiling would be a NON-issue anyway? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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