New White House Task Force on Middle Class

New White House Task Force on Middle Class

www.whitehouse.gov

About the White House Task Force on Middle Class Working Families: The Task Force is a major initiative targeted at raising the living standards of middle-class, working families in America. It is comprised of top-level administration policy makers, and in addition to regular meetings, it will conduct outreach sessions with representatives of labor, business, and the advocacy communities. The Task Force will be chaired by Vice President Joe Biden. The Vice President and members of the task force will work with a wide array of federal agencies that have responsibility for key issues facing the middle class and expedite administrative reforms, propose Executive orders, and develop legislative and policy proposals that can be of special importance to working families.

(visit the link for the full news article)

What is "Middle Class"? They never qualify what this Task Force means by middle class. If I don't want to be a part of the middle class, then what are my options?

Members of the Middle Class Task Force include: Vice President Biden, Chair; the Secretaries of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Commerce, as well as the Directors of the National Economic Council, the Office of Management and Budget, the Domestic Policy Council, and the Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors.

Boy that's alot of folks!

Are any of the members middle class? If not then why should I want to be middle class?

A lot of people say I have "Class" but I don't know what kind!
Maybe someone that is Middle classed can explain what it is to me and why I should Join.



www.whitehouse.gov
(visit the link for the full news article)

sounds good on the surface, why not help americans, but rest assured there is something else going on with this.

does this tie into usaservice.org in anyway?

or is it just some kinda slick PR move to get us all behind this?

I can only approximate from what I've read and heard from people and the government. But here goes. If total household income is less than $10,000 (if you're single; it's a higher amount for larger families) you're poor. Very poor. If your total household income is $30,000 to about $70,000 you're either working class or lower middle class or middle class, depending on how you want to identify yourself, and the size of your family. Middle class is approximately $70,000 to about $200,000 depending on family size and number of wage earners. Above $200k and you're upper class.

It seems like everybody in America is middle class by their own definition. Working class families often want to feel part of the mainstream. Rich people, on the other hand, don't like to call themselves rich even though they know very well that they are--it sounds so, well, greedy.

So if you listen to the average American you would get the impression that we're all one big class called the middle class.

What a joke. Nothing but a bunch of rich guys so disassociated with the middle class, trying to relate on topics they know absolutely nothing about.

Considering that today there are very few "middle class" citizens, and a ginormous number of poor...with a sprinkling of upper...to say that middle class individuals will be helped is rather absurd.

It's the poor that need help.

It is difficult to imagine that there should be a specific initiative meant to formalize what citizens are to get from the government based on their earning power. Only it's not really earning power, it's eligibility for debt that matters; according to the banks.

Or am I being too cynical.

Originally posted by Maxmars
Or am I being too cynical.

Nope. I think you nailed it.

Sign on the dotted line and we will make all your problems go away... for now.

Regular citizens can no longer declare bankruptcy but the banks get bailouts. Welcome to indentured servitude, making US citizens miserable since 2005.

I wonder if this is an example of "creating new jobs". I mean the task force itself. Is every position in that group considered a new job for purposes of the numbers? By choosing the heads of large federal agencies you are making sure none of the actual members are from the middle class so they can make decisions that reflect their opinions on what's best for those other poorer people who haven't the wonderful benefits and bottomless pockets of their own jobs.

Do I sound bitter? I don't really mean to. It's the middle class that pays the taxes in this country and does the actual work. It seems mean to me to constantly add to the burden.

I've been wondering too how middle class breaks down in terms of how money is spent. If everyone whose income is between $30,000 and let's say $80,000 were to write down how much is spent on housing, medical care, various kinds of insurance, utilities, income taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, taxes added to pretty much every utility bill, transportation to get to work (including car maintenance), food, clothing, I'm sure there are other essentials I'm forgetting, then what amount per month or year is left over to be discretionary income? How is that to be used? Vacation, new car, sports? I don't think the middle class has much discretionary income at all, and we live in a society where most things cost money. It's no wonder people live beyond their means since their "means" is used up by endless fees.

One thing that might help the middle class is that when this money is given to the banks, one half of everybody's existing mortgage is canceled, and the next time they get money, one half of everybody's credit card is canceled. That would get things moving and benefit the middle class. I'm not in favor of just helping people who are defaulting. Why penalize people who have kept up with payment and obligations? The middle class all needs support if you want people to be able to spend money outside their obligations and benefit the economy.

[edit on 30-1-2009 by earlywatcher]

The Plan:

1. Hold regular meetings and conduct outreach sessions with representatives of labor, business, and the advocacy communities.

2. ???

3. Profit!!!

This reminds me of all of those Congressional investigations where they have all these meeting to gather all the information about what happen. They then put the information together in a neat package with a simple report and you never hear a word about it again.


I have a feeling there will be many more tasks force for this and that.

Want to raise the living standards of the middle class? Lower taxes, Lower Taxes and LOWER TAXES.

I really don't see how this is even possible.

You try to up middle class and by doing this if more people have more access to the "finer" things in life the supplier will up the cost of his products if he's shooting for the higher class in return creating inflation making the poor dirt poor and the already dirt poor all but homeless. Mean while the middle class stays middle class and upper class stays upper however due to an inflation it drives the lower middle class to the poor class.

Unless I'm completely missing the point or idea behind it I am not seeing how this could actually work.

reply to post by Maxmars
I have finally found everything in one video

video.google.com...

This may take a while to view but it is a "Must See"
It all started with the silversmith

reply to post by Bejing


Here's another - a hard watch, but well worth the time.

Money Masters

Google Video Link