You're watching...
The Heritage Foundation’s Robert Rector on problems facing the middle class in the current economy.
Also in this playlist...
Auto-advance: ON
Auto-advance
This transcript is automatically generated
-- -- -- As we first reported yesterday the average American family's income is now back to where it was back in 1990 -- According to latest census info the median household income fell to 50054.
Dollars.
Down for the last four straight years and it's 9% lower than it was in 1999.
Joining the company from DC Robert Brusca who is with The Heritage Foundation.
Rob -- it seems to me that it's actually.
That that the in these numbers will not including -- -- payments from the government to the -- law.
And if you do include those that there's transfer payments.
The pull up are actually doing a little bit better than the middle class which is really doing badly about got it right.
That that's exactly right.
According this census report we now have eleven million more adults without work.
Then when the recession began five years ago.
The number of full time full year workers is down by eight million.
So working families are suffering because they've lost one or more job -- or they've moved to part time work.
Meanwhile the welfare state is going gangbusters.
We're spending close to a trillion dollars a year assisting low income people that doesn't include social security and Medicare.
And when the census goes to count that that's 9000 dollars per recipient.
None of that money is counted as income when they calculate poverty.
So the poverty numbers are essentially meaningless do you blame this decline in America's purchasing power -- standard of living in the last four years do you directly blame President Obama is always -- something -- going off.
Well the recession was not -- by President Obama.
And the recession -- jobs down but the fact is that.
For example the number of adults without work at all that continues to get worse it got worse last year not better.
So Obama has failed to rebuild jobs in America and there is a result the middle class continues to suffer.
You know the last time we go well together.
Jon Stewart picked up -- -- and pilloried me as -- -- made fun of the pull off.
Are you making fun of the pull our -- wrapped up.
No I but I think we have to be honest when the American public hears the word poverty they think about somebody that's homeless.
In fact the almost all poor people.
Live in perfectly good houses and apartments that are in great condition they're larger than the average house of non for people.
In France or Germany or in England.
The four out of five poor people say they were not hungry for even a single day during the year.
Nineteen out of twenty poor children were not hungry for even one day out of the year according -- the US Department of Agriculture.
And 80% of poor households have air conditioning two thirds have cable TV half of them have a computer 40% have Internet a third of them have a widescreen TV 25% of them have Tivo you know other than that -- pretty desperate shape you better watch Jon Stewart tonight you might just I -- -- -- appearance Robert racked up thanks for joining us so we will you see you thank you and thank you so.
And we will be right.
