Annual Scorecard Shows Who Passes -- and Fails -- America's Middle Class Families; Does Your Representative Make the Grade on Middle Class Issues? Drum Major Inst. for Public Policy Provides Answers in New Report 5/21/2004
From: Jen Bluestein of the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy, 202-528-6239 or jenbluestein2001@yahoo.com; Web: http://www.drummajorinstitute.org NEW YORK, May 21 -- The Drum Major Institute for Public Policy (DMI) is sending every Congressman and Senator in America home with their report card - their report card, that is, on how they voted on the legislation most critical to stabilizing and expanding the middle class and ensuring that every family has the opportunity to achieve the American Dream. The non-partisan DMI has compiled the first-ever, first-annual "Middle Class 2003: How Congress Voted," a scorecard of votes on legislation that significantly impacts America's middle class in 2003. Representatives were graded on their votes on key legislation that helps the middle class (such as the American Dream Downpayment Act, the Pharmaceutical Market Access Act) and hurts it (such as Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act and the Death Tax Repeal Act). Main findings from the scorecard include: -- The Senate, overall, earned a B for its support of the financial stability of the middle classbut this average masks real disparities. Votes broke down, for the most part, along party lines. -- While almost all - 96 percent -- Democratic Senators received an A, fully one-quarter of Republican Senators received an F for their failure to support the middle class. -- The House of Representatives, overall, did a poor job of voting with the middle class, receiving a C - again, with great disparities: 36 percent of the House received a failing grade, and 21 percent received an A. -- Only two pieces of legislation received strong support from both parties: the Unemployment Compensation Amendment Act and the American Dream Downpayment Act. These votes have real consequences: the middle class is experiencing growing financial insecurity, and a recent survey by the Consumer Federation of America showed that half of those surveyed with incomes between $25,000 and $75,000the very definition of middle classwere "worried about their financial condition". Additionally, -- More than 92 percent of the 1.6 million Americans who filed for bankruptcy in 2003 were middle class. -- The cost of childcare swelled to as much as 40 percent of middle class families' income; -- More than 40 percent of the 2.4 million newly uninsured Americans are middle class. "We hope that this scorecard will serve as a yardstick for middle-class Americans to measure how effectively Congress is acting in their interest," said DMI President Fernando Ferrer. "We believe that better policy will be created, and Americans will live better lives, when middle-class Americans know how their legislators vote on the issues that matter the most to them - and, just as important, when legislators know that their middle-class constituents are watching." 2004 is a big year for the middle class. While the presidential election has obvious implications, there are key pieces of legislationsuch as the College Affordability and Accountability Act, the Payday Borrower Protection Act, and the Defending American Jobs Act - which give legislators in the House and Senate opportunities to provide middle-class Americans with some relief from financial anxiety, as well as access to key components - such as quality education and health care - of the American dream. "There's no mystery about what our workers need in order to achieve the American Dream of a secure middle-class life: they need a good education, access to healthcare, a place to live that they can afford, and protection in times of financial strain. Too often the mystery is why they can't get that - and much of the responsibility belongs to Congress," says Jennifer Cunningham, executive director of 1199 SEIU New York Political Council, who hailed the Scorecard. "The Drum Major Institute's Middle Class Scorecard is a valuable addition to our arsenal as we fight for social justice - a clear picture for working men and women to look at as they assess how hard their Congressperson or Senator fought for the middle class - and whether to cast their vote in favor of sending them back to Washington! We'll be putting it to good use in our campaigns." --- The Drum Major Institute for Public Policy is a practical, progressive think tank that provides a unique lens. Through projects like the presidential candidate surveys, the monthly Injustice Index, and now, the Congressional Report Card, DMI focuses on how social and economic policy impacts the middle class. DMI is a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to challenging the tired orthodoxies of both the right and the left. The goal: progressive public policy for social and economic fairness. DMI's approach is unwavering: We seek to change policy by conducting research into overlooked, but important social and economic issues, by leveraging our strategic relationships to engage policymakers and opinion leaders in our work, and by offering platforms to amplify the ideas of those who work for social and economic fairness. Originally called the Drum Major Foundation, DMI was founded by Harry Wachtel, lawyer and advisor to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the turbulent years of the civil rights movement. DMI was relaunched in 1999 by New York attorney William Wachtel, Harry's son, Martin Luther King III, and Ambassador Andrew Young. Today, energized by the nationally recognized leadership of Fernando Ferrer, DMI is committed to adding a rigorous progressive voice to compete in the marketplace of ideas. |