Authored by Peter Reagan via Birch Gold Group,

Here's the original press release from the National True Cost of Living Coalition.

The "middle class" is a rather vague concept – one definition is those whose incomes are 3x the federal poverty line (currently $15,000), which encompasses nearly 2 in every 3 Americans. They span the spectrum, from high school graduates to post-graduate degrees, and may work in blue- or white-collar jobs. They live in cities, the suburbs and in rural areas.

In fact, just about the only thing they have in common, other than their incomes, is their difficulty making ends meet:

…the economic hardships of millions of middle-class Americans are going unseen by their government. They feel left behind, unable to relate to testaments of a better economic forecast, and many doubt they will ever find a way out of their financial struggles.