US President Barack Obama urged Congress on Saturday to immediately extend a tax cut for middle class Americans, arguing the move will give 98 percent of families and 97 percent of small businesses certainty that will lead to faster economic growth. “Congress can do that right now. They can…
Is the middle class an endangered species?
BOSTON — Meet Mr. and Ms. Median America.Or perhaps you already know them.His name is likely to be Michael. Hers, Jennifer. They’re 37 years old, and live in a detached home, worth about $188,000 — 60 percent of which, on average, still belongs to the bank. A child or two run around on the lawn out back.Jennifer and Michael have completed high school, but like 70 percent of Americans, they lack a Bachelor’s degree.Family time is tight. They sleep 7.6 hours each night, work 8.6 hours, commute 25 minutes each way, and take little more than 20 minutes for each meal. Their paychecks are signed by the state or local government — which over the past decade surpassed manufacturing as America’s biggest employer. There’s a one-in-three chance that they work on the weekend, and they are more likely than couples elsewhere in the developed world to have dual incomes — a necessity these days, to cobble together their $50,000 annual household earnings.Continue Reading… … Read More
Brazil’s emerging middle class stars in hit soap opera
Loud, coarse, but hard-working and supportive, the fictional denizens of a Rio suburb hold a mirror up to Brazil’s emerging middle class in a wildly popular soap opera. Brazilian telenovelas have traditionally depicted the melodramas of the elite, but Globo TV’s “Avenida…
Sen. Charles Schumer prods ‘Gang of 8′ to make middle class, deficit-cutting top priorities
Senator prods Gang of 8 to make middle class, deficit-cutting top priorities If you want to fix America’s tax code, one of the Senate’s leading Democrats argued forcefully on Tuesday, Congress needs to face one stark reality: “You can’t have it all.” That includes the so-called “Gang of…
Showing some cheek: Naked swimming takes off in Britain
Naked swimming with total strangers may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but this new trend is taking off fast in middle class Britain and is proving a much needed get away from the pressures of modern life. Read Full Article at RT.com … Read More
‘Russia key to sustainable growth in Asia’ – RUSAL’s CEO
The growing middle class in Asia is consuming more, increasing the demand for resources and putting a strain on local production. Aluminum industry company RUSAL’s CEO Oleg Deripaska argues Russia is part of the…Read Full Article at RT.com … Read More
