Here’s a video from the Federal Reserve:

economic security · Federal Reserve · middle class

Michael Bridges, from an nbcnews.com post

In an nbcnews.com post, Seth Freed Wessler posts about a trend with younger Americans. He starts it with this:

“First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby in the baby carriage … or so the old taunt goes. Increasingly in American, though, the middle step is missing, and not totally for reasons of changing morals.

It’s the economy.

You can read his full post here.

GOP war on the Middle Class · middle class

The following commentary appeared in the Eden Prairie News on January 29, 2015:

I’m grateful to the people of Minnesota for giving me the chance to serve a second term as senator. And I’m ready to keep fighting for middle class families and for families aspiring to be in the middle class.

Republicans now control the Senate majority, and while serving in the minority will be a new experience for me, my job will remain the same: working hard for Minnesota.

(more…)

Al Franken · finding common ground · middle class · Senator Franken

Below is a post from the National Memo made by Michael A. Memoli and Lisa Mascaro of the Tribune Washington Bureau on January 21, 2015:

Lacking the presidential bully pulpit but boasting the largest congressional majority in generations, top Republicans accused President Barack Obama of loading his State of the Union address with partisan priorities instead of demonstrating the leadership needed to move shared priorities like tax reform and trade through Congress.

GOP leaders tapped one of their newest faces to give their official prime-time response to the president’s address. Rather than respond directly to the president’s speech, though, Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa began what she called a conversation with the nation about her party’s agenda, framing it as aimed at boosting the middle-class families like the one she grew up in.

“We heard the message you sent in November — loud and clear. And now we’re getting to work to change the direction Washington has been taking our country,” she said.

Republicans have seemed determined since the election to shake the GOP’s image of catering to the nation’s wealthy elite. Ernst, calling herself a mother and soldier, recalled that while growing up she had to put plastic bread bags around her one good pair of shoes to keep them dry in the rain. These Americans “have been hurting” in the current economy, but “too often, Washington responded with the same stale mind-set that led to failed policies like Obamacare.” (more…)

2015 State of the Union · Barack Obama · GOP · Joni Ernst · middle class · Mitch McConnell · National Memo · President Obama · Sen. Joni Ernst

In the third gubernatorial debate in Duluth, Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson yet again proved he doesn’t know what he stands for and failed to provide any clear ideas for how he would improve Minnesota

Jeff Johnson, MPR Capitol View

At today’s gubernatorial debate in Duluth, Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson continued his “Say Anything” tour and proved yet again that he doesn’t know what he stands for. During the debate, Commissioner Johnson continued to try to have it both ways on issues ranging from education to the minimum wage to support for the Iron Range, and still failed to provide any clear ideas for how he would improve Minnesota.

Education

At today’s debate, Jeff Johnson continued to claim he never cut education funding.

Yet when Johnson was a legislator, he did vote to cut education funding, a fact cited by numerous Minnesota media outlets at the time. Johnson will also not commit to funding increases in the future, which puts programs like all-day kindergarten and early education in jeopardy.

• “The bill cut education funding two percent from the current two-year budget. It also includes $437 million in payment shifts to school districts.” [MPR 05/23/03]

• “The K-12 funding bill lawmakers agreed to on Thursday includes delaying some aid checks to districts. When those late payments come in, the state action amounts to a $185 million cut. But until that aid comes, school boards will have to accommodate more than $600 million in cuts.” [Star Tribune 05/26/03]

• “Under the education funding bill, Early Childhood and Family Education (ECFE) programs statewide will see a 20 percent cut next year.” [MPR 05/30/03]

(more…)

Duluth Debate · education · income inequality · Iron Range · Jeff Johnson · middle class · Say Anything Tour · school shifts minimum wage · transportation