I don't know whether the Opinion page and columnists of the Times can be read without subscribing, so I won't post the actual link to this column here. But this Sunday's edition has a thoughtfully written piece by Robert Reich entitled, "The Limping Middle Class".

Reich is often much too flaming a liberal for me, but I read the first few lines of this piece and felt compelled to finish it. Reich defines the problem of the middle class which is shrinking and growing less prosperous, but isn't too specific on solutions. The answer is pretty obvious though--somehow encourage policy which slows the flow of wealth to the top 2-3% of Americans and begin to get more wealth into the hands if the middle class.

Some here will call that "income redistribution" and rail against the idea as an offshoot of socialism. I might observe that the policies of our government actually has re-distributed wealth--increasingly from the middle class to the wealthiest. The effects are as described by Reich in his thoughtful column.

This is one of those pieces of information that folks should read, as background before blindly accepting less thoughtful and often self-serving statements, often by partisan politicians. Reich describes a problem that can't be refuted. Now the question becomes. What can be done to correct it?

Try to search for "The Limping Middle Class" by Robert Reich in the September 4, edition of the New York Times or maybe on Reich's personal website. You'll find it thought-provoking