Index
Abuse of power, eliminating
Accountability
Addiction, greed as
Aetna
Afghanistan, war in
African Americans: median net worth of households
Air traffic controllers
Airports
Alabama: credit card interest rate limits
Alaska: credit card interest rate limits
Alliance for Excellent Education
Alternative energy
American Society of Civil
Engineers,
134
Amtrak
Arab Banking Corporation
Arizona
credit card interest rate limits
Medicaid cuts
Automobile accidents
Automobile industry
Bahrain: bank bailout
Bailout
bank deregulation
Bank of America
benefits to wealthiest individuals and institutions
breaking up big banks
CEO compensation
cost of
foreign interests benefiting from
General Electric
increasing greed following
lack of congressional debate
lack of transparency over
potential for future need
results of greed
Banana republics
Bangladesh
Bank of America
Bank of Bavaria
Banking sector
bank deregulation
breaking up big banks
capping interest rates
credit card use and rates
low-interest loans to financial institutions
Bartlett, Bruce
Bear Stearns
Bermuda
Bernanke, Ben
Bonuses for CEOs
Boston Globe
Bowles, Erskine
Bridges
Britain
breaking up big banks
democratic openness
Brown, Sherrod
Budget Committee (Senate)
Budget deficit. See Deficit, budget
Budget surplus. See Surplus, budget
Buffett, Warren
Bullard, James
Burlington Zephyr train
Bush administration
Democratic votes for
tax cuts
economic stagnation and middle-class decline
increasing wealth of the wealthiest Americans
job loss and surplus diminution
loss of health insurance
loss of manufacturing jobs
median income decline
tax cuts for the wealthy
Wall Street greed
Business tax cuts
Campaign spending
Capital gains and dividends tax rate
Caucasians: median net worth of households
Cayman Islands
Cell phone service
Census Bureau, U.S.
Census data (2000)
Central Bank of Japan
Central Bank of Mexico
Chamber of Commerce
Chambers, John
Child poverty. See also Poverty
Child tax credits
Childcare
Children
estate tax
increasing economic difficulty of families
preschool programs
tax burden under 10-year extension
See also Education
China
as future of American corporations
educational superiority
free trade agreements
increased borrowing from
infrastructure investment
outsourcing jobs to
prison population
rail system
sustainable energy
trade policy
Christmas
Churchill, Winston
Cisco
Citigroup
Citizens for Tax Justice
Citizen United Supreme Court decision
Civil War
Clinton, Bill
budget surplus
economic recovery
estate tax rate
growth of the middle class
Clothing industry
Cohen, Ben
COLA (Cost-of-Living Allowance) payments
Collver, Chris
Comcast
Communications industry
Community banks
Conflicts of interest
Congressional Record
Corporate sector
beneficiaries of tax breaks
business tax cuts
cash on hand
China as future of American corporations
effective tax rate
Exxon Mobil tax refund
Federal Reserve loans
increasing wealth of CEOs
lobbying
Republican approach to spending cuts and the middle class
Supreme Court protection of
tax exemptions and rebates
trade policies
See also Bailout
Countrywide
Credit bubble
Credit cards
basic necessities of life
big bank monopoly on
capping interest rates
usurious interest rates
Credit unions
Dams
Death tax. See also Estate tax
Debt, personal
DeFazio, Peter
Deficit, budget
impact of estate tax repeal on
impact of payroll tax holiday on
stimulus package and tax extensions adding to
tax cuts during times of surplus and
Deficit, trade
Deficit reduction commission
Delaware: credit card interest rates
Dented can stores
Deregulation, banking
Dimon, James “Jamie,”
Disabled veterans. See COLA (Cost-of-Living Allowance) payments
Dividends, tax rate for. See Capital gains and dividends tax rate
Donohue, Tom
Doyle, Frank
Earned-income tax credit
Economic stimulation
Education
decreasing graduation rates
disadvantages to cuts in spending
infrastructure investment
paying for higher education
Pell grants
third world state of America’s
Effective tax rate
Emergency response
Energy industry
Estate tax
Exxon Mobil
Family size
Federal Highway Administration
Federal Reserve
credit cards and mortgages
lack of transparency in bailout disbursement
low interest loans to wealthy groups and individuals
protecting corporate interests
too-big-to-fail bank breakups
Wall Street bailout
Federal Transit Administration
Ferrara, Peter
Filibuster, Republican
Financial Services Committee (House)
Financial reform bill
Finland
Fiorina, Carly
Fisher, Richard W.
Food, affording
Food stamps
Forbes magazine
Foreign interests, bailouts for
Fortune 500 companies
Frank, Robert
Fraud, eliminating
Free market capitalism
Free trade policy
Freeze, spending
Gates, Bill
Geithner, Tim
General Accounting Office (GAO)
General Electric
General fund, payroll tax holiday and
Germany
Glass-Steagall Act (1933)
Global warming
Goldman Sachs
Great Depression
Greenspan, Alan
Gregg, Judd
Gross domestic product: decline under Bush
Hartmann, Thom
Health care
Health insurance
Heating, cost of
Hedge fund managers
Hewlett-Packard
Highway repair
Hispanics: median net worth of households
Hoenig, Thomas M.
Homelessness
Huffington, Arianna
Idaho: credit card interest rate limits
Immelt, Jeffrey
Immigration
Income distribution inequality
bipartisan cooperation to combat
declining income of middle class men and women
global and national figures
Joint Economic Committee report
median net worth of households
mobilizing American public against
precipitating economic crisis
two-income families
zero wealth
“Income Inequality and the Great Recession” (Joint Economic Committee report)
Income statistics
India, outsourcing jobs to
Infrastructure investment
Inheritance tax
Inouye, Daniel
Interest rates, credit cards
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Iraq, war in
Jail. See Prisons and jails
Japan
bank bailout
work ethic
Jobs and job creation
American work ethic
automobile industry
business tax cuts
cost of higher education
economic growth in recent years
expansion before 9/11
infrastructure investment
job losses under Bush
labor policy
loans to South Korea
middle class spending
outsourcing jobs
trade policies under Bush
under Clinton and under Bush
unemployment benefits extension
zero net job creation under Bush
Johnson, Simon
Joint Economic Committee (U.S. Congress)
JPMorgan Chase
Kansas: credit card interest rate limits
Kaufman, Ted
Kennelly, Barbara
Korea Development Bank
Kyl, Jon
Labor. See Jobs
Lacy, Alan
Lahart, Justin
Landrieu, Mary
Letters from Vermont and Pennsylvania residents
Lewis, Ken
Limits on payroll tax holiday
Limits on tax break extension
Lincoln, Blanche
Literacy
Living expenses
Loans, low-interest
Lobbyists
Los Angeles Times
Louisiana
decline of the middle class with increasing poverty
defining middle class
stimulus package
Mack, John
Manufacturing
job losses since 2007,
job losses through Bush trade policy and outsourcing
Marquette case (Supreme Court)
Math literacy
McConnell, Mitch
Media, control of
Median family income
Medicare Part D,
Medicare/Medicaid
Arizona’s cuts
cutting programs
deficit reduction commission recommendation
inadequacy of coverage
payroll tax holiday jeopardizing
privatization of
See also Payroll tax holiday; Social Security
Merrill Lynch
Mexico
Middle class
capping interest rates
college tax credit
defining by income
estate tax
expansion before 9/11
extension of tax cuts
income distribution inequality
loss of manufacturing jobs
lost decade of zero job creation
median income decline
mobilization of the middle and working classes
national debt burden
paying for higher education
Pell grants
shrinking of
tax cuts extension
trickle-down economics
Military
ineligibility of applicants
low salary increase
See also COLA (Cost-of-Living Allowance) payments
The Millionaire Next Door (Stanley and Danko)
Minimum wage
Mitsubishi
Morgan Stanley
Mortgages
Murdoch, Rupert
National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare
National debt
estate tax impact on
figures
increase under Bush
increase under the proposal
middle class and working families’ burden for
Republican approach to Social Security
under a 10-year extension
National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission
NBC
Net worth, median
Netherlands
New York Times
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
Norway
Obama, Barack
credibility damage on limits of extension
fighting tax breaks for the wealthy
increasing deficit and debt under
limits on tax break extension
Ohio
Oil industry
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
Outsourcing jobs
Pandit, Vikram
Paulson, Hank
Payday Lending
Payroll tax holiday. See also Social Security
Pearl Harbor
Pell Grants
Pelosi, Nancy
Pennsylvania: economic status of individuals and families
Pension programs
Poverty
Premier Bank
Prescription drug program
Prisons and jails
Privatizing of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid
Productivity, infrastructure investment and
Property taxes
Public opinion
defeating business tax cuts proposal
economic status of individuals and families
engagement of the populace in the policy choice
need for mobilization against tax break extension
rejecting tax breaks for the wealthy
Race/ethnicity: median net worth of households
Rail systems
Rebooting the American Dream: 11 Ways to Rebuild Our Country (Hartmann)
Recession
causes of
decline and stagnation of the middle class
See also Bailout
Reich, Robert
Reid, Harry
Religious views on usury
Republicans
bank deregulation
bipartisan cooperation on unemployment benefits extension
deficit reduction commission
driving up national debt
estate tax
impact of repealing tax breaks
making the extension permanent
Medicare Part D program
payroll tax holiday
privatizing Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security
protecting big money interests
refusal to negotiate over senior and disabled vet benefits
Social Security bankruptcy
trade policy and job outsourcing
Retirement age
Retirement savings
Richistan (Frank)
Rocky (film)
Roosevelt, Franklin
Roosevelt, Theodore
Rubin, Robert
Saudi Arabia
Schumer, Charles
Sears Roebuck and Company
Seniors. See COLA (Cost-of-Living Allowance) payments
Service sector jobs
Sickness, greed as
Simpson, Alan
Small Business Community
Small businesses: failure to obtain government loans
Social investment
Social Security
benefit amounts
cutting programs
deficit reduction commission recommendation
importance of protecting
misinformation and disinformation about
planned destruction of
privatization of
raising the age
Republican approach
surplus
working class loss of pensions
See also COLA (Cost-of-Living Allowance) payments; Payroll tax holiday
Solar power
South Dakota: credit card interest rates
South Korea
Spending cuts
estate tax versus
Republic approach to middle-class spending
Standard of living
Stimulus package
cost of
increasing deficit and debt
infrastructure investment
Stumpf, John
Summers, Larry
Supreme Court, U.S.
Surplus, budget
Sweden
Switzerland
TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program)
Tax cuts
congressional support during surplus periods
Exxon Mobil
for the middle class
increasing deficit and debt
package cost
support during times of surplus
Tax increase, stimulus package warding off
Tax rate, effective
Tea Party Movement
Telecommunications service
Third World America (Huffington)
Too Big to Fail, Too Big to Exist Act
Toyota
Trade policies
Transit systems. See also Rail systems
Transparency, lack of
Transportation, U.S. Department of
Transportation Construction Coalition
Treasury Department
payroll tax holiday
tax breaks to banks
Wall Street bailout
Treasury securities
Trickle-down economics
Two-income families
Udall, Mark
Unemployment
education and
loss of manufacturing jobs
trade policy influencing
Unemployment benefits extension
as Republican compromise
history of bipartisan cooperation on
Ohio’s loss of benefits
tax cuts for wealthy as compensation
Unions
USA Today
Usury
Van Susteren, Greta
Vanderbilt, Tom
Vermont
cost of school dropouts
credit card interest rate limits
economic status of the individual
increasing income inequality
increasing poverty
infrastructure status
public antipathy to tax breaks
Veterans. See COLA (Cost-of-Living Allowance) payments
Victoria’s Secret
Vietnam
Volcker, Paul
Wachovia
Wages
Wall Street collapse. See Bailout
Wall Street Journal
Walton family/Walmart
Washington Mutual
Washington Post
Waste, eliminating in government
Wastewater plants
Water systems
Wealthiest families
accumulated wealth
annual earnings and tax rate
defining by income
effective tax rate
increasing wealth under Bush
paying for the bailout
rejection of tax breaks
Republican support of tax breaks
shrinking middle class and increasing income inequality
winning the economic struggle
See also Capital gains and dividends tax rate; Corporate sector; Estate tax
Welch, Peter
Welfare, Social Security as
Wells Fargo
Welch, Jack
West Virginia: income figures
Wexner, Leslie
Williams, Ronald
Women: declining income of the middle class
Work ethic
Working families
economic status of the individual
effective tax rate
estate tax
job loss and economic depression
loss of manufacturing jobs
loss of pensions
lost decade
stimulating the economy
tax cuts extension
tax rates
See also Payroll tax holiday
World War II,
Zero wealth