September/October 2008 Issue

How to Fix It: Save the Middle Class

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“We really don’t know the negative impact of the squeezing of the middle class. If your kids have to be pulled out of school, if you lost your house, if you lost your job, if you lost your dignity, it takes years to recover—if you do. You just don’t become middle class overnight. We are losing the most precious gift we have as a country, the spirit of the middle class. When a country loses that, it loses its heart. And that is why Obama’s job is going to be the most difficult in recent years.”

Read an extended interview with Charles Rangel about the Bush legacy here.

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DECEMBER IS MAKE OR BREAK

A full one-third of our annual fundraising comes in this month alone. That’s risky, because a strong December means our newsroom is on the beat and reporting at full strength—but a weak one means budget cuts and hard choices ahead.

With only days left until December 31, we've raised about half of our $400,000 goal—but we need a huge surge in reader support to close the remaining gap. Whether you've given before or this is your first time, your contribution right now matters.

Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep-pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do. That’s why we need you right now. Please chip in to help close the gap.

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