Not bad as a group. Even the Repugnicans are only half bad.

I'm surprised. I wasn't sure Walden would even be a positive number.

YAY for The Faz and his perfect score! I'm proud to have him represent me!

This is how middleclass.org describes the middle class.

What Is The Middle Class?

The middle class is more than an income bracket. Over the past fifty years, a middle-class standard of living in the United States has come to mean having a secure job, the opportunity to own a home, access to health care, retirement security, time off for vacation, illness and the birth or adoption of a child, opportunities to save for the future and the ability to provide a good education, including a college education, for one’s children. When these middle-class fundamentals are within the reach of most Americans, the nation is stronger economically, culturally and democratically.

Most Americans identify themselves as middle class. Yet DMI is concerned not only with those who currently enjoy a middle-class standard of living, but also with expanding the middle class by increasing the ability and opportunities of poor people to enter the middle class. The middle class is strengthened when more poor people are able to work their way into its ranks. In a nation that is increasingly polarized between the very wealthy and everyone else, DMI sees the poor and middle class as sharing many of the same interests. Simply put: what strengthens and expands the middle class is good for America.

I especially like the part that says, "The middle class is strengthened when more poor people are able to work their way into its ranks."

Oh, if poor people could only work harder. If this is how we are defining the middle class being better for America than the poor in the U.S and most of the rest of the world are fucked!

I'd like to see the aristocracy get eaten by the poor so the middle class can move on up. Then the poor can move up. Then, uh, the, uh, domesticated housepets can move into the ranks of poor folks?

I like the ratings and agree with them but highly doubt this group is truly non partisan there seems to be a pattern of reds getting 40% or below and democrats 90% and above, granted I only look at about 40 people out of a few hundred. On another note since does Dennis Kucinich oppose the SCHIP bill, the website says he voted against it, it would seem he would be a major supporter of it. If anyone knows could you inform me as to why he voted no on the bill.

Lets be honest, this is NOT a non-partisan group. That said, poor and middle class workers will be well served if they read the book “Job Shift – How to Prosper in a Workplace without Jobs” by William Bridges. When I read this book over ten years ago while working as a high tech worker I realized my philosophy degree wouldn’t cut it at work. To move ahead I needed to re-educate myself to have marketable skills in the workplace. So I went back to night school (at age 35 on student loans), got my MBA and many professional certifications, and moved from $15.00 per hour to over $50.00 per hour. I can now afford a decent home, healthcare, and education for my family. I’m optimistic about my professional future too. It didn’t happen overnight, it has become a progressive life project. If you want to get ahead financially, make a plan, work hard, work smart to get an education and skills that pay, and be willing to change your outlook on work and life. If you’re able to make a change but not willing to, then don’t complain about your current state or the successes of other people's hard work.

JAC, "If you want to get ahead financially, make a plan, work hard, work smart to get an education and skills that pay, and be willing to change your outlook on work and life."

What you are saying is that people who make a plan, work hard, work smart, get educated, have a good outlook will never be subject to layoff. That is not reality.

This is especially true for people over 50 who have worked hard all their lives, played by all the rules, and in some cases one day the whole unit was laid off due to a merger, or given early retirement from the company they worked for since college.

It would be nice to believe your statement, but for too many of us it is not reality. And reading a book will not protect people from such layoffs. I speak as someone who went back to school in midlife but due to changes in the employment situation unforseen when I went back to school, there are now more people qualified for such positions than there are jobs.

Nor will it protect them from employers who don't like to hire older workers (yes, age discrimination does exist) or who have more qualified applicants than they have jobs for.

As near as I can tell, DMI is a non-partisan group. The fact that Repubicans vote against middle-class interests says more about the Republican party than it does the interest group.

There seems to be an idea among thoughtful people that to be fair, a group needs to criticize Democrats and Republicans equally. That's silly. Criticism should depend on the facts, not the party. It's like complaining about a judge because plaintiffs win more often than defendants in his trials. We don't want the judge to aim for a balanced quota; we want him to aim for justice.

I know Republicans would like us to believe that any one who criticizes any Republican has a partisan axe to grind. That's basic defensive psychlogy. But, given how badly the Republican party is floundering -- especially in Oregon -- they should be more willing to accept criticism. Republicans would do better in the short term and America would do better in the long term if the Republican party moved back toward the middle.

FYI... I'm now over 50, been laid off 4 times in 8 years, and landed better paying work every time. As William Bridges points out, over the years learned to adjust ones skill levels (and get certifications that are in demand) for the job market that pays best, and not count on old skills to get by. Granted, not everyone is sharp enough to figure it out, but there are opportunities for those willing to just try. Go online at PCC and get an Oracle Certification for example (very high demand and 70k per yr). Shoot, I've helped friends who where laid off from construction get their commercial drivers license and now make about 50k per yr.

Thanks for the write-up Blue Oregon! To respond to Israel Bayer's comment-- that line you quote about helping the poor join the middle class does NOT say in anyway "oh if only the poor would work harder they'd have more money". Our scorecards include bills like the minimum wage increase because we know that the poor do work and work hard and that hard work isn't enough any more for a person to move out of poverty. We know there are policy changes that must take place in order to help the poor join the middle class- - things like making it easier to join a union, having fair trade, guaranteeing health care for all.

I have no idea where you got the idea, Israel that we are devaluing the poor. What we are actually saying is that policy needs to help the poor become middle class. I'm sure that the poor would agree that they'd like to make better wages and have a better standard of living.

Elana,

How could any us argue against higher wages, unions and health care? But in my humble opinion, none of that has to do with joining the middle class, it's got to do with human rights - which I'm sure you agree.

I don't think the website is bad per say, I just think it reeks of propaganda that somehow says that the Dems or Republicans and policy will somehow lift us out of the local and global crisis many poor people face.