Income. The numbers are on the screen. We will get your thoughts in just a minute. Your best ideas for growing the middleclass. We want to hear from you. Joining us on the phone is Jim Tankersley of the Washington Post cap how is the little class to find . Of the Washington Post. How is the middleclass defined . Guest i think most of us think of that typical family or household. When we talk about Median Income or median wealth, that is what we mean. What is that right there in the middle. Host does that change based on where you live . Guest it does but when you think about it nationally ok, the Median Income is a little over 50,000 a year. And that is about what it was in 1989. When theyre thinking about the middleclass nationally, we think of a it really has not gotten better in terms of income in a quartercentury. Host talk about how the middleclass is doing not just with income, but other parts of their pocketbook. Are there costs for them . Guest it has been a really tough couple of decades for the middleclass, frankly. The Great Recession was absolutely brutal on the middleclass and middleclass workers had not been doing fantastic before then. Incomes like they were in 1989 through the recession and theres new data that just came out. Through the recession, we saw homeownership declined by about 10 percentage points. Stock ownership went down by over 10 . Business ownership in the middleclass go down by about 20 . Its not just people getting a raise, but we are in an economy now that is doing well because stocks are doing well and home prices are going up, and it people spent less of their savings can and if people have less of their savings and they are less likely to capture that. Host what about the big cost that can wrong that come along, like healthcare. Gov guest Like Health Care . Guest Health Care Costs have grown fairly fast. We will see if slowing growth persists going forward. There has been one big break in the last couple of months for which is gas prices have gone down. That is something that the middleclass does spend a lot of money on. That really has helped peoples pocketbook. Peoples pocketbooks. Inflation has been low for some time now. But there are things that the middleclass cares for, like child care and education, that have gone up. Host we are asking our reviewers for their ideas on how to with little last. Washington is debating that. President obama laid it out on the state of the Union Address on tuesday. How would his ideas help the middle class . Will they help the middle class . And what about the republicans proposal seattle guest the republicans proposal . Guest the proposal by the president , yes imposing he has been proposing for some time. He is trying to be thorough and get at middleclass technician in a couple of ways. Ones is to say, hey, we know the middleclass economy is not working very well for you right now. We are going to make College Less Expensive or accessible to you so you have the skills to get a better job. We will try to find some tax breaks to give you, so you have some more money in your pocket book. He has long been focused on politics like that. When he is really trying to add onto that is waste to help the economy create better paying jobs, ways to help the economy create better paying jobs, which middleclass people really want. Hes trying to change the economy so better jobs are created. Republicans have an opening here. They are later to the game in coming up with a lot of targeted middleclass policies, but almost everything the president talked about in his speech on tuesday night was very government focused. Republicans have the chance to make arguments for ways to get government out of the way and allow the market to work better, which is in their wheelhouse of policies, ways to make it work for the middleclass. It will be interesting to see if they can design policies that are meant to do that. Host you wrote a six part series for the Washington Post about the middle class. You traveled around the country. What ideas did people you talk to about growing the middleclass . Guest the thing that has helped americas middle class really grow in the postworld war ii middle postworld war ii era, we got more americans more talents and more skills and the best possible use of their talents in the economy. What has happened in the last one in five years is exactly the opposite. We have been pushing talented people into less useful things. We need to find ways to break down those barriers and get people back doing the best possible thing they can do again. I will give you one quick example, which is that we have way too many people working in an industry where they make a lot of money but they do not create a broader economic value, but wall street, ok street. If we do get them into or k street. If we get them into more innovative industries, we would have more good jobs for people up and down the skills spectrum. Host what about Education Training people for these hightech jobs . Guest that is absolutely critical. We are in an economy now where it used to be a generation or two ago, a High School Education was all you needed to get a middleclass job. It is increasingly not true. I think part of what the president was trying to get at in his speeches the idea that people need more education. Whether that is actual College Skills training, or apprenticeships, or Community College, targeted Trinity College jobs pros programs targeted Community College jobs programs, those are tools that could korea could create better opportunities. Host you wrote a piece the other day of out how to tell how a politician is serious about helping the democrats. Our democrat and republican serious about helping the middle class . Guest we are finding out. Democrats are eager to see that republicans are late to the game and we are just repackaging old ideas, but i think that is a little unfair. Once you decide to make it give it and say, we just going to target policies that are going to grow the economy, but we need to come up with a way to help a specific group in the economy you need time to work those out. It will be interesting to see those proposals come out. We seen a few in the last year or so. But im really interested in what the president ial candidates on the republican side come up with. And the way that i think we can judge the seriousness of these is, first, to ask what is new here. Are you actually finding ways to creatively solve these problems, or are you just resting of what you would have been doing before any way you and number two what you would have done before any way . And never two, are you really addressing these problems . If what you are really doing is putting forth an agenda that does not really help, then it is not targeted and its not new then its probably not serious. Host Jim Tankersley, thank you for your time. He brought a six part series for the washington he wrote a six part series for the Washington Post. We are taking this debate outside of washington. Darrell in mobile, alabama, making over 75,000 per year, go ahead. Caller thanks for having my call. One thing i tend to see in america, well, for some americans, is that a lot of people save you dont work hard enough and youre not smart enough, that is why you are where you are. I find myself being a System Engineer for the federal government. Besides working hard, i realized i was very lucky. And the president s ideas that he put forth are very good stuff. Mr. Tankersley that you just had on here stole a lot of my thunder for what i was going to say. Host let me ask you you make over 75,000 in mobile, alabama. Does that take you pretty far . Caller it does take me pretty far. Like i said, im pretty fortunate. Im a System Engineer for the federal government. Im basically, i fall under those rules. For me, the whole thought that you know, if you are not smart enough, i believe there should be a floor. For basically, for people to be able to live humanely and not have to kill themselves with 2, 3, 4 jobs. Ive seen it. Its just not good. Host therell, you think the government should step in to make up for happen . Darrell, you think the government should step in to make that happen . Caller as much as i hate to say it yeah. Over the last 30 years, businesses have gone nuts in terms of taking away protections, taking away worker benefits. 20 years ago, i worked in an industry i worked in the Financial Services industry and it was a good place to work. But now, ever since bliley, its just a mess. Host im going to move on, so i can get another voice in here. Sheridan in columbus, ohio, you are making between 50,000 to 75,000 75,000 a year. Caller my idea is simply this. Do like the netherlands and switzerland, a living wage, not a minimum wage. Goodness sake, they are civilized. Number two, go back to pensions. The only companies that give pensions believe me, i get reports. Number three, bring profitsharing back. There may be some others, but were mailed me backing out of austin, minnesota, has profitsharing. I think it had it cornell meet packing hormel meatpacking out of austin, minnesota, has profitsharing. I think they got it is the 1880s. It was called socialism or communism back in the 1930s. You can look it up. These are the things that need to be done, greta. I wish to god he would have a program on the living wage. Get an economist on. Like you just had an Economics Writer from the Washington Post and find out i believe it would be at least 10 or 12 an hour. Who the devil can support a family on 15,000 a year . But thank you, greta. Its very good taste that they got you. Host thanks. David in amarillo, texas, under 25,000. Go ahead. Your ideas. Caller i have a few of them that politicians in washington d. C. Avenue not thought of in the last five minutes of sitting on the phone that politicians have not in 20 or 30 years. Campaignfinance. It seems like not an issue, but when you have the top percentage with more money than all the people in the country combined that are able to purchase seats in congress and the senate and are able to get exactly what they want, or they will bankroll and finance the current person they wanted their they want in there. Host that was david in texas, campaignfinance reform, his idea. You heard from the other collars about having a living wage, not a minimum wage. What are your ideas for washington . How can washington make this economy and this economy work for everyone . Lorren pennsylvania, go ahead. Laura in pennsylvania go ahead. Caller before i make my comment about the middleclass, i truly want to say this is the anniversary of roe v wade and im ashamed that cspan doesnt have a segment that since roe v wade we have killed 50 million unborn babies. There are hundreds of thousands of people marching in washington right now. Why arent your covering that . Why arent you all covering that . Those people that do get the right to life and they worked their way up, there is a minimum wage, mostly for people who are teens, getting into the job market. Then they worked their way up into the middle class. And hopefully, they have a good work ethic and they wont be doing things that will keep them trapped in the lower income which is the Number One Group of people having babies out of wedlock. Black president will not address that. Lets solve two issues, but the first is the right to live. Host laura, on that, we are covering the march for life, the 42nd rally taking place today. It begins at noon. We will have coverage on cspan3. We will join this event around 1 00 p. M. Eastern time. Tune in to for our coverage of that. This issue is also been taken up on the house side today. This is the Washington Post politics of the nation section. That debate taking place in washington outside the capital and insight as well. John, toledo ohio, you make between 25,000 and 50,000 per year. What are your ideas for helping uppermiddleclass . Caller first, thank you for allowing me to speak morning. We need to properly define this, as opposed to a certain income level middle income would be the top proper definition, because people who are welleducated in terms of myself, making 40,000 and sometimes you have factory workers sometimes making six figures. And maybe they havent gone to college, and thats a problem in itself, simply because through industrialization there are people who are in the middle class and not middle income. We spend so much money on, you know, in terms of military where it is not a benefit, but if we spend money on infrastructure and think that would generate and produce more jobs. Number one as opposed to middleclass, it should be middle income. Host lets talk about how you define middleclass. The wall street journal with this piece together. Your ideas for growing the middleclass will stop john, you heard his cap are growing the middle class. John, you heard his. Frank, what do you think you caller what do you think . Caller the president in his state of the union asked questions about jobs and 50,000 a year. Those were meant to be entrylevel. People work those jobs as they were waking working their way through college. Somehow they have gotten in their minds they can make a career out of working at mcdonalds and then talk the government into raising the minimum wage to where they can make a career off of it. We are getting so mixed up as to where the things should be. If we would get back to some decent paying jobs and get back into Worldwide Market for producing some things, get people working at a wage that is reasonable instead of these wages that have been jacked up so high by unions that we cant get into the market anymore then we can get back on track. We got to turn a whole lot of things around before we can ever do it. Host lets listen to what the president had to say yesterday. He went to boise idaho and talked about middle class economics at the university there. Heres what he had to say. [video clip] the verdict is clear. The ruling on the field stands. Middle class economics work. Expanding opportunity works. These policies will keep working if washington doesnt get in the way of our progress. [applause] we cannot suddenly put families at risk for taking away Health Insurance. We cannot risk another meltdown on wall street by unraveling the rules on wall street. We will stand between families and any attempt to roll back the progress. Because today, thanks to a growing economy, the recovery is touching more and more lives. Wages are finally starting to go up. More Small Business owners plan to raise their employee pay than at any time since 2007. We need to keep on going. Lets do more to restore the link between hard work and opportunity for every single american. That is our job. [applause] that is our job. Lets make sure all our people have the tools and support to go i far as their drinks and effort will take them. That is what middle class economics is. The idea that this country does best when everybody gets a fair shot and everybody is doing their fair share and everybodys playing by the same set of rules. We dont want to just make sure everybody shares in americas success. We want to think everybody can contribute to americas success. And when everybody is participating and given a shot, theres nothing we cannot do. Host president obama in idaho yesterday, a red state. He is traveling to another red state today, speaking at the university of kansas. He will be stressing his ideas for growing the middle class. Its a question for all of you this morning. We want your ideas. Share them with washington. What you think are the best ways to do that . Phone lines are divided by income. They are on the screen. John boehner yesterday responded to what the president had to say about the state of the union. Here is what he had to say. [video clip] although president really all the president really offered last night was more taxes and more government. Its the same thing that has failed the middle class for decades. These are not just the wrong policies, the wrong priorities. But the wrong priorities. There is a better way. We need to fix our broken tax code, balance our budget replace the broken Health Care Law with solutions that lower costs and protect jobs. The veto threats and fantasyland proposals from the white house will not distract the peoples house from the peoples priorities. Host speaker of the house, john boehner, responding to the president middle class economics in putting forth what the gop thinks needs to happen to help them in class. The wall street journal with the headline that the focus now turns to middleclass angst. Kerrville has the support of some democrats. Her bill has the support of some democrats. Those are some ideas being talked about in washington. In atlanta, what are your ideas . Caller all of these ideas are nothing more than little mosquitoes biting at a person. Really, the issue here is middle class is the only class of people that can actually dream because they have a full belly and a roof over their heads. Rich people are too contented to dream. Poor people cannot dream. Its important the country that washington makes it happen the way it should be. This is the weights been since the 1960s. On stability and education and all that, they are doing much better than on the republican singlemindedness on lowering taxes and starting wars. Host ray in pennsylvania, go ahead with your ideas. Caller good morning. The last general and touch on something there. I dont think the people in your program understand where the middle class came from. The japanese are left out in 1941 by attacking proharbor. The middleclass came about because we had to start factories in this country to build war materials. After world war ii, we were the only game in the world that produced anything deal building materials, you name it. That is where the middle class came from, manufacturing. If you dont believe that, look at the chinese. Where is this clown in the white house . Wife need talking about rebuilding our factories and giving us tax breaks, instead of buying all of the stuff from china . These mortal enemies called communist yo