Mitt Romney feels that middle income is a lot above my pay grade.  On Good Morning America, my self image as a middle class person sort of dissolved.

Richmond Times Dispatch:

Mitt Romney is promising to reduce taxes on middle-income Americans.

But how does he define “middle-income”? The Republican presidential nominee defined it as income of $200,000 to $250,000 a year.

Romney commented during an interview broadcast today on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

The Census Bureau reported this week that the median household income — the midpoint for the nation — is just over $50,000.

We live in the 7th wealthiest county in the nation.  The median household income, according to the last census is $91,098. Notice the word household. that might imply more than one person earning that income.   I don’t think Mitt Romney understands me.  I thought I was doing ok for myself, especially being retired.  Now I think I am a loser.  I don’t have $200,000 coming in my house annually.  Maybe Mitt needs to do a little more studying of the American family if he wants to relate.

Does this alarm anyone else?

32 Thoughts to “Color me poor, according to Mitt Romney”

  1. Emma

    Now I’m REALLY confused. First Obama comes along and tells me I’m fabulously wealthy, and now Romney tells me I’m dirt poor. Help, I’m having an identity crisis!

  2. marinm

    Anyone making up to 250K is middle class.

    Being a High Earner Not Rich Yet (HENRY) can suck.

    1. That isn’t what he said. I understand the concept of upper limits.

  3. Emma

    When I was a kid, a man working behind the meat counter at the local grocery store (or a high-school shop teacher, like my dad was) could buy a home and support a wife and kids, no sweat. That’s what we thought of as “middle class.” It was just assumed that was the life you would have. It takes a lot to have just a little anymore.

  4. It certainly does and that isn’t just Northern Va talking.

    I think the idea that Romney assumed that $200-250 K was sort of where everyone fell astounds me.

  5. Lyssa

    I think they’re all just jealous of the middle class – used to be the happiest economic group. Now I don’t know if I’m rich or poor. I’ll just work on happy and content. M

  6. Censored bybvbl

    Romney’s probably right in that it takes about $200,000+ to feel that a family can comfortably buy a house, maintain a couple cars, send kids to college, and expect an unempoverished retirement – what most of us thought of as middle-class as we were growing up. However, that is not reality as it exists in the US.

  7. Emma

    I just wish someone had informed me how poor I actually was when I had four kids and two dogs living in my house all at once. I might have been able to apply for food stamps..

    What a wonderful Election Day this is going to be. Maybe the best tactic will be to close my eyes and vote for whichever candidate my finger falls closest to.

  8. Lyssa

    Wonder how many are planning to do the same thing Emma.

  9. marinm

    @Emma

    “What a wonderful Election Day this is going to be. Maybe the best tactic will be to close my eyes and vote for whichever candidate my finger falls closest to.”

    Not really a difference between the two guys. People aren’t voting for Romney they are voting against Obama. They just have a sucky choice.

    RON PAUL 2012

  10. @Censored bybvbl

    I never thought middle class was without struggle. I think Romney needs to bring it down….way down. I think he is on the upper limits of middle class….those who are on the cusp of being poor upper class…they just haven’t arrived yet.

  11. @marinm

    Many people are voting for Obama because they want to vote for him. I have no idea why people are voting for Romney. The scales have sure fallen off my eyes.

    I am at the age and station in life where I will always vote my pocketbook rather than my ideals. Sometimes it is difficult. In this case, it isn’t.

    Emma, I thought many months that I was poor. I just didn’t know what to do about it so I went to work.

  12. Marin, I think that 2012 ship as sailed.

  13. Lyssa

    Middle class is a euphemism for working class which is of course needed to win the election. Probably be up to $500k by November 1st. Obama includes up to $200k as “middle income”. That’s four times the average and 97% of earners in the US.

    1. It should be a euphamism for middle class. I am so tired of this election.

      I think Romney probably thinks people making just $200k are poor.

    2. Is Obama actually saying the words middle class? I know that $250k is a cut off taxing purposes.

  14. Emma

    I guess it means “not wealthy enough for tax shelters and overseas bank accounts, but enough money to pillage to fund whatever projects politicians need done to stay in power.”

    1. Something like that. Also “makes too much for food stamps and govt programs.”

  15. Emma

    omg, that was grammatically horrible. But you know what I mean.

  16. SlowpokeRodriguez

    Did you factor in that when Ben Burn-Yank-Me fires up the money printers, that $200,000 gets watered down? Heck EVERYONE’s salary gets watered down. $200k today isn’t what it was in the 90s.

  17. Lyssa

    I was trying toward something similar – the not working class have people making money for them and that totals more than $250k so they’re not really working class…

  18. Lyssa

    So yhe average income in the US is just at the poverty line.

  19. marinm

    2012 Poverty Guidelines for the
    48 Contiguous States and the District of Columbia Persons in
    family/household Poverty guideline
    1 $11,170
    2 15,130
    3 19,090
    4 23,050
    5 27,010
    6 30,970
    7 34,930
    8 38,890
    For families/households with more than 8 persons,
    add $3,960 for each additional person.

    Article with some discussion and history on the 250K metric. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/15/weekinreview/15tax250copy.html?_r=0

    Are the Poor Getting Poorer? http://www.learnliberty.org/content/are-poor-getting-poorer

    And Slow does have a point. As Mr Bernake has shown — he is trying to create a stock bubble – by stimulating prices in stocks by lowering the value of the dollar. People will have higher 401Ks in the short term but the buying power of that dollar is less than what it was.

    Oops.

  20. SlowpokeRodriguez

    Based on what I have seen from most Obama voter, I’m not sure they know why they’re voting for him, apart from a free ride to the polls and a large can of Schlitz.

  21. Cato the Elder

    SlowpokeRodriguez :
    Based on what I have seen from most Obama voter, I’m not sure they know why they’re voting for him, apart from a free ride to the polls and a large can of Schlitz.

    You forgot about the free condoms.

  22. Censored bybvbl

    Most Obama voters that I know wouldn’t be lured to the polls by a free ride, a can of Schlitz, or a free condom. Too many of them have paid-for rides and liquor cabinets filled with Jack Daniels or Courvoisier and fridges complete with ample champagne with which they’ll celebrate the election results as they watch Romney get stomped. Keep thinking that well-heeled white voters won’t pull the lever for Obama. You’ll need all that Schlitz and maybe that condom for a little pick-me-up sex after Romney’s defeat…

  23. TWINAD

    @ Censored,

    LOL.

    Romney is not doing himself any favors…this blunder, his trip to Europe last summer and then trying to smugly address the deaths in Libya this week as something Obama is responsible for is revealing his true self. Obama 2012!

  24. Censored bybvbl

    @TWINAD

    Hi, TWINAD! Hope all is well with you and yours.

  25. Morris Davis

    According to the Census Bureau, the median household income in 2011 was $50,054. The percentage of households earning over $200,000 was 4.2%. With 95.8% below that level it’s hard to say the top 4.2% includes those that constitute the American middle of anything relative to earnings. Of course if that’s how Romney defines middle class then his policies really would be aimed at helping the middle class.

  26. Censored’s comment will have to be saved for election night 2012. That’s a classic.

  27. Elena

    @Censored 😉

  28. Elena

    Slow,
    Why do you WANT to sound racist and ignorant?

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