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Saving the Middle Class

Saving the Middle Class will require fair trade policies, tax reform, campaign finance reform, and more active citizenship.

What has to happen to reverse the downward trends that will eventually eliminate the Middle Class and replace it with a socially immobile debt-ridden Working Class?

Some suggestions:

FAIR TRADE

In order to have a level playing field in the world of trade, we have to stick to our values regarding Environment, Work Place Standards, and Civil Rights.

If companies in other countries can produce goods cheaper than companies operating on American soil because they don't have to comply with clean air and clean water standards comparable to those in the United States, those goods should not be off-loaded in U.S. ports.

If workers in other countries can produce goods cheaper than American workers because those countries lack worker health and safety standards, those goods should not be allowed into the United States.

If workers in other countries produce cheap products because they are not paid enough to raise their standard of living above squalid conditions, those products should not be allowed into the United States.

If workers in other countries do not earn a decent wage, and if their kids don't have schools and decent housing, and food and health care, then we should not trade with companies that exploit the poorest of the poor and do nothing to raise their standard of living.

If workers in other countries do not have freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly and freedom to petition, then we should not trade with those countries.

If we adhere to these principles, we will do a great deal to spread freedom and democracy around the world.

LIVING WAGE

Minimum wage in the United States, corrected for inflation, has fallen over 30% since 1980. This is inexcusable. Some would have us believe that the only ones making minimum wage are middle class high school kids working at the mall. The fact is, people with families are trying to make it by working multiple minimum wage jobs. The minimum wage should be raised to no less than $7.75 per hour.

SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY

As we outsource manufacturing and business to offshore sources of cheap labor, we lose our technical know-how and we lose our influence over how business gets done. Business and Industry leaders have to live in a community and answer to community standards. We want them around where we can get to know them and they can know us. Sending business and industry offshore puts us in a weak, vulnerable, and dependent position with respect to the rest of the world and the means of production.

Community Supported Agriculture groups are found all over the country and they are a great way for consumers to eat fresh and support local growers. The Common Ground Country Fair in Maine strives to support Maine agricultural products and craftwork. It is a fun and interesting fair that growers and consumers from other states may want to explore. We need similar efforts for local businesses and factories.

INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY

Tom Ashbrook, host of the NPR program On Point had a program on January 25, 2006 examining the long-term implications of the Ford job cuts and loss of high-end manufacturing jobs. Tom repeatedly asked his guests what would replace those jobs and "float America's boat." No one mentioned new infrastructure. No one had a good answer. Rebuilding and updating our infrastructure is not just a "make-work" program for the unemployed. It is an absolute necessity in a world that requires greater energy efficiency and environmental sustainability.

Many will say that, what with U.S. financial commitments focused elsewhere (including between six and seven billion dollars spent per month for Iraq and Afghanistan) there is no money for big civil projects. Roosevelt and New York mayor LaGuardia found a way and our current U.S. leaders needs to do the same. American Society of Civil Engineers issued their Report Card last year (2005) rating the condition of U.S. infrastructure. It doesn't look good, and things have deteriorated since their 2001 evaluation.

CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM

In order to lure new campaign contributors and reward old ones, every session, Congress puts the tax code up on the "auction block." The winners tend to be the big-money contributors. The big losers tend to be those of the Middle Class.

TAX REFORM - It won't happen without serious campaign finance reform.

High-price homes, those $500,000 and up, have been tax shelters for the wealthy because of home-based business deductions and the mortgage interest deduction, which is allowed for second homes, as well. This deduction needs to be capped below an $500,000 sale price and eliminated for second homes. The maximum marginal rate for income taxes needs to be raised to 60%. It was 70% as recently as 1980.

CITIZENSHIP

We all need to be more involved in the civic life of our communities, our states, and our nation - that means being involved on a regular basis, not just on election day. We need to be involved early in the candidate selection process. We need to communicate with the candidates and elected officials. Instead of letting the news media or others set the political agenda, we need serious personal contemplation to decide what we feel is really important for us and our future. We need to know and communicate with our leaders. We should expect them to get back to us.

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Keywords: saving the middle class, fair trade, tax reform, campaign finance reform, shrinking middle class