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What is the middle class?

About two weeks ago, we launched AStrongMiddleClass.gov, the home of Vice President Joe Biden's Middle Class Task Force.
But what is the middle class, anyway?
A lot of people had that question -- it appeared frequently among the nearly 35,000 questions and comments that have come in since the site launched.
Jared Bernstein, the Executive Director of the task force and the Vice President's Chief Economist and Economic Policy Advisor, responds to some of these questions and comments over at the Strong Middle Class Blog.
"It used to be that the middle class was able to achieve the American dream of owning a decent home in a safe neighborhood with a good public school, having access to affordable health care, saving for college and retirement, and enjoying the occasional meal out, movie, and vacation," Bernstein writes. "The problem is that many middle class families are no longer able to achieve this dream. The task force will focus on making the American dream accessible again to the middle class."