Sen. Bernie Sanders: vicious, premeditated war against the middle class

Let's be very clear. A vicious and premeditated class warfare is being waged today against the American middle class. Poverty is increasing and tens of millions are working longer hours for lower wages. Meanwhile, the richest people have not had it so good since the 1920s, and the gap between the very rich and everyone else is growing wider. For the first time in the modern history of our country it is likely that the younger generation will have a lower standard of living than their parents as the American Dream becomes an economic nightmare. The time is long overdue for members of Congress to look beyond the needs of their wealthy campaign contributors and begin addressing the issue of income and wealth disparity.


The statistics on income distribution in the U.S. are staggering in their inequality. According to the latest analysis, in 2005 the top 1 percent earned more income than the bottom 50 percent of Americans -- with the top 300,000 earners making more money than the bottom 150 million. While the top-earning 0.01 percent received an average income increase of $4.4 million in 2005, the bottom 90 percent saw their average income decline by about $172.

The unfair distribution of wealth is even more appalling. Forbes magazine recently found that the richest 400 Americans were worth $1.54 trillion in 2006, up $290 billion from the previous year. In other words, while inflation-adjusted real wages declined for the vast majority of workers, the top 400 wealthiest individuals saw, on average, a $750 million increase.

Today, disgracefully and despite all the rhetoric of "family values," the United States has, at 18 percent, the highest rate of childhood poverty of any major country. Since George Bush has been president, nearly 5 million more Americans have slipped into poverty, 8.6 million have lost their health insurance, 3 million have lost their pensions and median family income has declined by about $2,500. So much for the president's "compassionate conservatism."

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