A recent poll shows 45% of young adults overall report to be struggling financially but that jumps to 57% for people w/o a college degree. Young adults have lost faith in the American Dream & most politicians haven’t noticed or maybe just don’t care. iop.harvard.edu/youth-poll/l...

This piece perfectly captures my @ucpress.bsky.social publication experience—including braving the Feb. 2026 “Great Snowicaine” with Exec. Ed. Maura Roessner, family, friends & supporters from PressShopPR.com to make it to @thedailyshow.com: ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/employee-new...

I’ve been on shows with R, D, indy, progressive, center, conservative & libertarian hosts (@thedailyshow.com, @chadbensonshow.bsky.social, @johnfugelsang.bsky.social, @faithfulpolitics.bsky.social, @msignorile.bsky.social). One thing is clear: everybody knows we’ve failed the struggling middle class

I was so optimistic to see the 1st part of the headline, but quickly lost faith when I saw the word "challenges." Words like "hurdles" & "feud" (in the article) made me realize that the middle class will continue to struggle to find affordable housing. Oh well. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/12/u...

Absolutely overjoyed to see that my book has debuted at #5 on the New York Times list for new nonfiction!!! Please buy it, read it, and tell our political leaders to enact laws & policies that help restore the American middle-class. www.nytimes.com/books/best-s...

Affordability is not just the "political word of the moment" & isn't a hoax. As my book shows, even with a strong stock market, America’s middle class is struggling & angry b/c they can’t find good jobs, affordable housing or child care, or pay their bills on time. @geoffgarin.bsky.social

He explains how to destroy the middle class in a few easy steps. My book shows how to protect the middle class in a few easy steps: bookshop.org/p/books/the-...

My new book (www.ucpress.edu/books/the-mi...) explains why young adults can afford middle-class “stuff” but can't attain the markers of the middle class, like buying a home. Being financially fragile means they aren’t starting families. Not a hoax: this is a crisis. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/20/u...

Enjoyed talking w/ @fpwellman.bsky.social re: affordability, the middle class & my new book (www.ucpress.edu/books/the-mi...). The convo starts ~ 18:20: www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_48.... Spoiler: affordability isn’t a “hoax.” Middle-class folks are struggling b/c political leaders are ignoring them.

As I discuss in detail in my new book (www.ucpress.edu/books/the-mi...) on the middle-class, homeownership is slipping away from the middle-class. These families are struggling now just to find affordable rental housing. www.cbsnews.com/news/afforda...

I note in this piece (& explain in more detail in my forthcoming book) that young adults are anxious & angry because they are struggling financially. Many wonder whether they will ever become (much less remain) middle class. businessinsider.com/millennial-e... via @businessinsider.com

Norms and rules matter. My hot-off-the-press article that explores the shattering of norms and procedural rules in 2020-2024 Trump-aligned cases predicted much of what we're now experiencing. www.utoledo.edu/law/law-revi...

Why should politicians care about the #middleclass? As I argue in detail in my soon-to-be-published book with the @ucpress.bsky.social, we won't have a thriving economy if we don't have a strong middle class. Restoring the middle class is good for American families & for society overall.

Today's job news is awful. Even the anticipated interest rate cut won't help unemployed workers & recent college graduates find jobs soon enough to prevent them from suffering financially. It'll be years before lower/middle-income families recover from this administration's economic policies.

66% of straight Repub men who don't have kids want kids someday. The challenge with reversing declining fertility rates? Only 43% of straight Dem men, 42% of R women & 38% of D women want kids. Liberal "single cat ladies" aren't the problem. The likely culprit? Financial precarity & uncertainty.

Lower- & middle-income families can't afford to buy homes in Austin & can't always afford the full cost to attend UT (neither are problems for rich Texans). Rich out-of-state families have found a loophole to get in-state tuition AND keep housing costs high near campus. www.kut.org/education/20...

Parents are struggling to find good jobs & reasonably priced care for their kids. US fertility/birthrates are at historic lows. The gov't says it wants more young adults to have kids, but is trying to gut convenient & affordable after-school & summer programs. Make it make sense. t.co/MdNlwTHvyk

On a mostly bipartisan basis, the Texas Leg just made it easier for cities to create smaller homes & multi-family units in mixed-use developments even if there's NIMBY opposition. It’s not perfect but it's at least a start to respond to the affordable housing crisis. www.pew.org/en/about/new....

Young adults need stable/good paying jobs to be financially stable, but kudos to Texas legislators for passing (on a bipartisan basis) legislation to require a course in financial literacy & help young people hopefully avoid stupid financial decisions. www.texaspolicyresearch.com/bills/89th-l....

Rather than gut public education by eliminating the Dept of Ed or pushing private school vouchers, political leaders should support career and technical education programs that prepare students for in-demand middle-class jobs that don’t require a bachelor’s degree. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/06/o...

The ideal of the American dream of upward mobility if you work hard & follow the rules doesn’t match the current reality. Middle-class families are struggling to make ends meet & their children may be even worse off than they are. Politicians: where are you? www.cbsnews.com/news/cost-of...

City leaders must radically rethink their land use policies or America's middle class will forever struggle to find affordable housing (to rent or to buy). Tiny homes/ADUs can be both short- and long-term housing fixes. www.inc.com/sarah-sicard...

To save the middle-class, all cities should consider creating an “Infrastructure Academy” that partners with unions & community colleges to provide skills training & child care that will prepare non-college workers for careers that pay living wages. www.statesman.com/story/news/e...

At long last, my book that explores why so many lower/middle-income people struggle to become & remain middle-class will be published in early 2026. Given current economic trends & political realities, I’m sadly confident that this book will be relevant for the foreseeable future.

Like @dalie.bsky.social, I'm excited to attend the @brooklynlawschool.bsky.social symposium & discuss my forthcoming book for the very first time with an amazing group of scholars! Registration and full agenda here: www.brooklaw.edu/news-and-eve...

Apprenticeships use an “earn-while-you-learn” model to give young workers skills (but no crippling student loan debt) to help them get middle-class jobs. This apprenticeship program also helps alleviate a critical “Texas-sized” nursing shortage. www.texastribune.org/2025/02/17/t...

To increase the supply of affordable housing, cities must review all building codes to ensure regulations (for ex. 2 required stairways in buildings 3 floors+) are still needed given safety features (like sprinklers & fire-rated walls) mandated in new buildings. www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-...

These firings are going to gut the middle-class workforce. Lots of reasons the IRS is targeted. But let's not ignore that of the roughly 90,000 employees nationwide: non-Whites constitute 56% and women are 65% www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/p...

When middle-class federal workers were furloughed during the 2018-2019 gov't shutdown, many had to borrow from friends/family, sell things on eBay, or use GoFundMe just to make ends meet. Can't even imagine what they'll have to do if they are fired on (cruelly) short notice.

About 3 weeks after the Nov 2024 election, I started viewing political announcements using this lens of “will this make things easier or harder for lower- & middle-income families to become and remain middle class?” Harder is still winning by a landslide.

I am thankful I am not spending Thanksgiving being forced to enter into agreements “not to discuss” the things that matter most to me.

I have been viewing most recent political "announcements" using this lens: will this make it easier or harder for lower- & middle-income families to become and remain middle class. So far harder is winning by a landslide.