Jim has a great op-ed in the Stamford Advocate today on the unique economic challenges and inequalities in Connecticut and the fourth Congressional district in particular, and a way forward towards facing these challenges. Here's an excerpt:
The great question facing America in the 21st Century is not whether we will be successful, but who gets to share in that success.
The answer to that question is particularly important here in Connecticut where income inequality is growing faster than in any other part of America, according to a study released this month.
While the top fifth of Connecticut residents are doing extraordinarily well (their income grew 45% over the last 17 years), the working class has lost real ground, losing 17% of their household income. Disturbingly, Connecticut is the only state where income for the worst off among us has actually significantly decreased.
As a result, Stamford and Norwalk are growing less and less affordable for middle class families every day. The National Low Income Housing Coalition reports that rents in Stamford and Norwalk are the most expensive in the country. Neighborhoods in Stamford that have historically been affordable for young families breaking into the middle class – Glenbrook, Springdale, the East Side, and the Cove – are now too expensive for most working families. A worker wishing to rent a simple two bedroom apartment here must earn more than $31 an hour, nearly twice the national average hourly wage.
Simply put, our middle class families are being squeezed.
How can we reverse this trend?...
Read the full piece and forward to your friends, family, and co-workers.
Great article! It’s good to see Jim is squarely on the side of the middle class, even though he’s done better financially himself. Somebody has to stand up for regular families here in the district who are worried our kids won’t be able to have a future here, no matter how hard we work and how successful they are in college. It’s becoming a district of the very rich and the very poor, with few in between.
exacty you have the rich then the poor.....more like the whole 4 district is rich then you have the poor city bridgeport were it seems like we have the worst school system in the district. why cant are schools be like like schools in darien and other schools in the district we pay the same taxes. thats why im voting fore himes because bridgeport needs must be listen to. so obama 08 and himes 08
