The middle class is the largest class because it does encompass a wider range. There is lower middle class and upper middle class along with the middle. "Typical" is a relative term. What is 'typical middle class' in Des Moines is not the same as 'typical middle class' in New York City. It's not a question of "comparison", it is the level of living.

Why wouldn't a $1200 car repair have a "real affect" on a family making $200K? What are their expenses? What is their debt? A Family making $250K a year in the Chicago area doesn't have domestic help or a chauffeur. That is upper middle class. Don't assume or judge by your level.

"would pay 30 cents more per pizza (however, it is junk) to know he is hiring more and offering healthcare to his employees (which he doesn't have to pay for in full by the way)"

why do you care if papa john's offers health insurance to their employees??

what if papa john decided to drop health care but raise the hourly rate of his employees by lets say 3 dollars an hour instead???...maybe he would end up with a better workforce that way..

it a pizza place..i'll bet a good part of his workforce is under 25..they'd probably take 3 dollars more an hour over benefits..if we really lived in a free society choices like this would be available

and if papa john decided to drop insurance and replace it with nothing..no increase in pay or other benefits..his workforce would su.xk and his pizza would be even worse..if that's possible

"..if we really lived in a free society choices like this would be available"

We do, and they are.

You're getting more Ayn Rand Institute-like every day.

John McCain interviewed by A. Cooper about Harry Reid- says Reid 'went over the line' but did not say he was lying- interesting.

And the plot continues to thicken. The skinny among the Washington D.C. crowd is that Reid's informant is either Jon Huntsman, or his father Jon Huntsman, Sr.

Huntsman Sr, is business partners with Robert C. G.ay, who also happened to be Bain's managing director between 1989 and 2004. And if anyone knows the machinations Bain used to evade taxes for itself and its partners, well, it would be the guy in charge of the firm's finances. Huntsman Sr. is also a Republican and a Mormon (like Harry Reid), and he gave some serious scratch to Reid's campaigns.

I realize this is all circumstantial.

if thats true huntsman would be vilified..he probably (the son) wants to run for president again...no way its huntsman..either one..i'd be shocked

and the plot fizzes out..i told you reid was a liar..what a low life

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/08/10/reid-aide-divulges-details-on-source-romney-tax-claim-then-retracts/

You didn't read your link again. Nothing has "fizzled", and there is no evidence even suggesting Reid is lying.

"Reid aide Jose Parra first made the claims in an interview on Los Angeles' KTLK radio, defending his boss' decision to trumpet the tax charge last week on the Senate floor and explaining a bit about the source."

"This person is an investor in Bain Capital, a Republican also, and somebody ... who has been dealing with Romney's company for a long, long time and he has direct knowledge on this," Parra said.

"I do not know the party affiliation of the source, how long he invested with Bain, or his relationship to Romney beyond the fact that he was an investor with Bain Capital, as Senator Reid has previously stated," he said.

Asked Friday about the mix-up, a Reid aide told FoxNews.com the senator "does not have any plans to reveal further information about the identity of his source."

So, all that was actually "retracted" was party affiliation.

You're being pretty gullible in this one, Bags. For one thing, the Fox "story" does not support the blaring headline. They're guessing, probably correctly, that most of their readers won't bother to peruse anything but the headline.

One of my favorite bloggers, WaPo's Greg Sargent, talked with the senior Huntsman this morning. Unsurprisingly, Huntsman denied being the source of the comment, but he had a message for Mitt Romney just the same:

["I feel very badly that Mitt won’t release his taxes and won’t be fair with the American people,” Huntsman told me. In a reference to Romney’s father, who pioneered the release of returns as a presidential candidate, Huntsman said: “I loved George. He always said, pay your taxes for at least 10 or 12 years.”

“Mr. Romney ought to square with the American people and release his taxes like any other candidate,” Huntsman said. “I’ve supported Mitt all along. I wish him well. But I do think he should release his income taxes.”]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/jon-huntsman-sr-longtime-romney-backer-calls-on-him-to-release-tax-returns/2012/08/10/9f343a8c-e312-11e1-98e7-89d659f9c106_blog.html?wprss=rss_plum-line

harry reid has nothing..can't you admit it??

obama himself has siad reid is on his own on this one...what does that tell you???..even obama has serious doubts

Don't bet on it. One Mormon accusing another Mormon.

The President has to stay out of it. It's better for him to do.

Apparently there is scuttlebutt that Romney is considering Paul Ryan as his running mate.

["obama himself has siad reid is on his own on this one...what does that tell you???..even obama has serious doubts"]

It tells me just the opposite of what you think. Politics is a tough game to play.

That would be a nice thing to happen. ;)

<Picking that douche might be enough to convince me to vote for Obama. No way I want him 2nd banana.

That's kinda what I was hinting at with the wink.

Choosing Ryan creates the perfect storm for ousting Romney.

Picking him would make the Teabaggers salivate for sure.

I think you're missing the point. Picking Ryan works well for Obama-Biden.

What I'm saying is that the extreme right wing will love if he's VP, but it will drive the moderates and independents even further away.

One way or another the TP will have their say at the convention, and Romney ignores them at his own peril.