The American middle class is a social class in the United States. While the concept is typically ambiguous in popular opinion and common language use, contemporary social scientists have put forward several, more or less congruent, theories on the American middle class. Depending on class model used, the middle class may constitute anywhere from 25% to 66% of households.

One of first major studies of the middle class in America, , was made by sociologist C. Wright Mills in 1951. Later sociologists such as Dennis Gilbert of Hamilton College commonly divide the middle class into two sub-groups. Constituting roughly 15% to 20% of households is the upper or professional middle class consisting of highly educated, salaried professionals and managers. Constituting roughly one third of households is the lower middle class consisting mostly of semi-professionals, skilled craftsmen and lower level management. Middle class persons commonly have a comfortable standard of living, significant economic security, considerable work autonomy and rely on their expertise to sustain themselves.

}}

Members of the middle class belong to diverse groups which overlap with each other. Overall, middle class persons, especially upper middle class individuals, are characterized by conceptualizing, creating and consulting. Thus, college education is one of the main indicators of middle class status. Largely attributed to the nature of middle class occupations, middle class values tend to emphasize independence, adherence to intrinsic standards, valuing innovation and respecting non-conformity. Income varies considerably from near the national median to well in excess of $100,000. Most societal trends in the US originate within the middle classes.

History

Sub-divisions

The middle class by one definition consists of an upper middle class, made up of professionals distinguished by exceptionally high educational attainment as well as high economic security; and a lower middle class, consisting of semi-professionals. While the groups overlap, differences between those at the center of both groups are considerable.

The lower middle class has lower educational attainment, considerably less workplace autonomy, and lower incomes than the upper middle class. With the emergence of a two-tier labor market, the economic benefits and life chances of upper middle class professionals have grown considerably compared to those of the lower middle class.

The professional/managerial middle class

The "professional class", also called the "upper middle class", consists mostly of white collar professionals, most of whom are highly educated, salaried professionals whose work is largely self-directed. Many have graduate degrees, with educational attainment serving as the main distinguishing feature of this class. Typical occupations of the Professional Class would include Professor, Physician, Lawyer, Accountant, Journalist, Architect, Physicist, Chemist, Engineer, Geologist, Actuary, Pharmacist, Dentist and Airline Pilot, and Policy Work. Household incomes commonly exceed $100,000, with some smaller one-income-earner households having incomes in the high 5-figure range. Class members usually hold college degrees and often hold graduate degrees. Middle class professionals tend to conceptualize, create, consult, and supervise in their occupations. As a result, upper middle class employees enjoy great autonomy in the work place and are more satisfied with their careers than non-professional middle class individuals. The educational attainment among the members of this class lends the professional middle class some immunity against economic downturns and an above-average lifestyle while also serving as the main entrance barrier into this class. According to sociologists such as Dennis Gilbert, James Henslin, Joseph Hickey, and William Thompson, the upper middle class constitutes 15% of the population. }}

Values and mannerisms are difficult to pinpoint for a group encompassing millions of persons. Naturally, any large group of people will feature social diversity to some extent. However, some generalizations can be made using education and income as class defining criteria. William Thompson and Joseph Hickey noted that upper middle class individual have a more direct and confident manner of speech. Upper middle class manners tend to require individuals engaging in conversational discourse with rather distant associates, and to abstain from sharing excessive personal information. This contradicts working class speech patterns, which often include frequent mentions of one's personal life. Further research also suggests that working class parents emphasize conformity, traditional gender roles, and the adherence to external standards in their children, such as being neat and clean and "[believing] in strict leadership." (Gilbert, 1998) This contrasted with professional class households, where gender roles were more egalitarian and loosely defined. Upper middle class children were largely taught to adhere to internal standards, with curiosity, individuality, self-direction, and openness to new ideas being emphasized. with roughly 1% having voted for Nader in 2004.

Sociologists such as Dennis Gilbert, William Thompson, and Joseph Hickey estimate the upper middle class to constitute roughly 15% of the population. Using this figure, one may conclude that the American upper middle class consist of professionals making more than $62,500 who commonly reside in households with six figure incomes. Both of these figures are considerably above the national median of $32,000 regarding individual income and $46,000 for households. Many upper middle class professions feature salaries above $67,348, which was the median household income for a household with two income earners in 2003. For example, the median salary for economists was $72,780, meaning that the majority of economists out earn the majority of two-income households with their single salaries alone. Overall, the median household income of a household whose householder had a bachelor's degree or higher was $77,179. The median household income for those with master's degree was $81,023, while those with a doctorate or professional degree had a median income above $100,000 annually.

===Lower middle class=== The lower middle class is the second most populous according to both Gilbert's as well as Thompson & Hickey's models, constituting roughly one third of the population, the same percentage as the working class. However, according to James M. Henslin, who also divides the middle class into two sub-groups, the lower middle class is the most populous, constituting 34% of the population.

===Working class majority=== Some say the majority of Americans are members of the working class.

The use of the term "working class" is applicable if the nature of the work is the main determinant of social class. Class distinctions are seen in the distribution of individuals within society whose influence and importance differ. The nature of a person's work and the associated degrees of influence, responsibility, and complexity determine a person's social class. The degree of influence and responsibility a person has or the more complex the work, the higher his or her status in society.

As qualified personnel become scarce for relatively important, responsible, and complex occupations income increases, following the economic theory of scarcity resulting in value. According to this approach, occupation becomes more essential in determining class than income. Dental assistants made roughly $14.40 an hour, about $32,000 annually. Unlike dentists, dental assistants do not have much influence over the treatment of patients. They carry out routine procedures and follow the dentists' instructions. Here we see that a dental assistant being classified as working class. Similar relationships can be observed in other occupations.

Vernacular middle class

The term middle class in more colloquial language use may refer to all those individuals who might at one point or another be identified as middle class, as they occupy neither extreme of the socio-economic strata. Most of those with households income between $40,000 and $95,000 identify as "middle class." The term can also be used to describe those at the actual center of the income strata, who may also be referred to as the middle-middle class. There are many different theories on the middle-middle class. The middle-middle class may be composed of those households with annual incomes of 80% to 120% of the national median household income. Persons in this income range could, in accordance to solely economic reasoning, be referred to as the American average. Such households would boast annual incomes ranging from $35,200 to $52,800, and thus be located in the middle of the income range. Yet another definition states that the statistical middle class includes all those households with income ranging from $25,000 to $100,000. This is, however, a very vague definition, as it includes persons from all but the lowest quintile. Using this definition creates a class so economically fragmented that it would lump together those who are struggling to make ends meet with two incomes and those who are able to live the iconic middle class lifestyle with just one income and are highly educated.

Weberian definition

Some modern theories of political economy consider a large middle class to be a beneficial, stabilizing influence on society, because it has neither the possibly explosive revolutionary tendencies of the lower class, nor the absolutist tendencies of an entrenched upper class. Most sociological definitions of middle class follow Max Weber. Here the middle class is defined as consisting of professionals or business owners who share a culture of domesticity and sub-urbanity and a level of relative security against social crisis, in the form of socially desired skill or wealth. Thus the theory on the middle class by Max Weber can be cited as one that supports the notion of the middle class being composed of a quasi-elite of professionals and managers, who are largely immune to economic downturns and trends such as out-sourcing which affect the statistical middle class.

Income

As social classes lack clear boundaries and overlap there are no definite income thresholds as for what is considered middle class. Sociologist Leonard Beeghley identifies a male making $57,000 and a female making $40,000 with a combined households income of $97,000 as a typical middle class family. Sociologists William Thompson and Joseph Hickey estimate an income range of roughly $35,000 to $75,000 for the lower middle class and $100,000 or more for the upper middle class. Many social scientists including economist Michael Zweig and sociologist Dennis Gilbert contend that middle class persons usually have above median incomes.

Education and income

Educational attainment is one of the most prominent determinants of class status. As educational attainment represents expertise, which is a necessary component of the capitalistic market system, its ownership may be seen as the ownership of one of the factors of production. Unlike personal income, household income does not reflect occupational achievement as much as it measures the number of income earners. Sociologist Dennis Gilbert acknowledges that a working class household with two income earners may out-earn a single-income upper middle class household, as the number of income earners has evolved into one of the most important variables in determining household income. For example, according to the US Department of Labor, two registered nurses could quite easily command a household income of $126,000 annually, while the median income for a lawyer was $94,930. Furthermore, household income fails to recognize household size. For example, a single attorney, earning $95,000, may have a higher standard of living than a family of four with an income of $120,000. Yet household income is still a commonly used class indicator, as household members share the same economic fate and class position.

Several reasons can be cited as to why the professional middle class is so influential. One is that journalists, commentators, writers, professors, economists, and political scientists, who are essential in shaping public opinion, are almost exclusively members of the professional middle class. Considering the overwhelming presence of professional middle class persons in post secondary education, another essential instrument in regards to shaping public opinion, it should come as no surprise that the lifestyle exclusive to this quasi-elite has become indicative of the American mainstream itself. In addition to setting trends, the professional middle class also holds occupations which include managerial duties, meaning that middle class professionals spend much of their work-life directing others and conceptualizing the workday for the average worker.

Typical occupations

''Note that according to the many different ways of sub-dividing the middle class, some of the occupations indicative of the professional middle class might be categorized as upper-middle or lower-middle.

As mentioned above, typical occupations for members of the middle class are those identified as being part of "the professions" and often include managerial duties as well, with all being white collar. There is great diversity among the occupations found among those living the middle class lifestyle, and the appropriateness of some occupations being placed here will depend on each individual’s personal outlook. The following is a list of occupations one might expect to find among this class: Accountants, Professors (Post-secondary educators), Physicians, Engineers, Lawyers, Architects, Journalists, Mid-level corporate managers, Writers, Economists, Political Scientists, Urban planners, Financial managers, High school teachers , Senior Nurses, Pharmacists and analysts, etc... Autonomy is often seen as one of the greatest measurement of a person's class status. Even though some working class employees might also enjoy largely self-directed work, large degrees of autonomy in the work place, as well as influence over the organizational process, which are commonly the results of obtained expertise, these can still be seen as hallmarks of upper middle class or professional middle class professions. In addition to professionals whose work is largely self-directed and includes managerial duties, many other less privileged members of the statistical middle class would find themselves in semi-independent to independent white collar positions. Many of those in the statistical middle class might work in what are called the professional support fields. These fields include occupations such as dental hygienists, and other professional and sales support.

Consumption

The American middle class, at least those living the lifestyle, has become known around the world for conspicuous consumption. To this day, the professional middle class in the United States holds the world record for having the largest homes, most appliances, and most automobiles. In 2005, the average new home had a square footage of 2,434 square feet (roughly 226 square meters) with 58% of these homes having ceilings with heights in excess of nine feet on the first floor. As new homes only represent a small portion of the housing stock in the US, with most suburban homes having been built in the 1970s when the average square footage was 1,600, it is fair to assume that these large new suburban homes will be inhabited by members of the professional middle class. Overall, many social critics and intellectuals, most of whom are members of the professional middle class themselves, have commented on the extravagant consumption habits of the professional middle class. It is also often pointed out that the suburban lifestyle of the American professional middle class is a major reason for its record consumption. The increasing materialism, even among such a highly educated class, is also often claimed to be connected to the notion of rugged individualism which gained popularity among the ranks of the professional middle class in the 1970s and 80s. While its income increased as fast as that of the rich in the years following the second World War, it has since experienced far slower income gains than the top. According to economist Janet Yellen "the growth [in real income] was heavily concentrated at the very tip of the top, that is, the top 1 percent." As the U.S. is home to a progressive tax structure the share of net-income received by the top 1% is smaller, and the share of the middle class consequently larger, than their shares of gross pre-tax income. In 2004, the top percentile’s share of net income was 14%, 27.8% less than its share of gross income, but nonetheless nearly twice as large as in 1979, when it was clocked at 7.5%. and technological changes which have created opportunities for certain people to accumulate far greater relative wealth very quickly (including larger markets due to globalization and Information Age technologies allowing faster and wider distribution of work product).

The notion that the middle class is shrinking is controversial because the economic boundaries that define the middle class vary. Households that earn between $25,000 and $75,000 represent approximately the middle half of the income distribution tables provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. Over the past two decades, the number of households in those brackets decreased by 3.9%, from 48.2% to 44.3%. During the same time period, the number of households with incomes below $25,000 decreased 3.5%, from 28.7% to 25.2%, while the number of households with incomes above $75,000 increased over 7%, from 23.2% to 30.4%.

The change has not always been in the same direction. Poverty rates increased early in the 1980s until late in the 1990s when they started to go back down. Since 2000, the percent of all people living in poverty is up from 11.3% to 12.3% in 2006. However, a closer analysis reveals all of the 7% increase can be found in households who earn over $100,000.

See also

American Dream

Middle Class Millionaire

Middle Class

Plain Folk of the Old South

Upper middle class in the United States

Bibliography

Beckert, Sven, and Julia B. Rosenbaum, eds. The American Bourgeoisie: Distinction and Identity in the Nineteenth Century (Palgrave Macmillan; 2011) 284 pages; Scholarly studies on the habits, manners, networks, institutions, and public roles of the American middle class with a focus on cities in the North.

Blau, Peter & Duncan Otis D.; The American Occupational Structure (1967) classic study of structure and mobility

Curwood, Anastasia C. ed. Stormy Weather: Middle-Class African American Marriages Between the Two World Wars (University of North Carolina Press; 2011) 240 pages; explores the public and private views of upwardly mobile African-Americans between 1918 and 1942.

Fussell, Paul; Class (a painfully accurate guide through the American status system), (1983) (ISBN 0-345-31816-1)

Grusky, David B. ed.; Social Stratification: Class, Race, and Gender in Sociological Perspective (2001) scholarly articles

Hazelrigg, Lawrence E. & Lopreato, Joseph; Class, Conflict, and Mobility: Theories and Studies of Class Structure (1972).

Hymowitz, Kay; Marriage and Caste in America: Separate and Unequal Families in a Post-Marital Age (2006) ISBN 1566637090

References

External links

What's (Not) the Matter With the Middle Class?, The American Prospect

Lou Dobbs discusses "The War on the Middle Class" on 10/17/2006

Gabor Steingart (spiegel online) October 24, 2006">A SUPERPOWER IN DECLINE: America's Middle Class Has Become Globalization's Loser by Gabor Steingart (spiegel online) October 24, 2006

American Middle Class: Endangered Species by Pete Fisher (newmediajournal.us) March 1, 2006

Category:Social class in the United States

Name	Paul Krugman
School tradition	New Keynesian economics
Image name	Paul Krugman-press conference Dec 07th, 2008-8.jpg
Birth date	February 28, 1953
Nationality	United States
Institution	Princeton University,London School of Economics
Field	International economics, Macroeconomics
Alma mater	MIT (PhD)Yale University (B.A.)
Influences	John Maynard KeynesJagdish BhagwatiRudi DornbuschJames TobinAvinash DixitJoseph Stiglitz
Opposed	Freshwater economics born February 28, 1953) is an American economist, professor of Economics and International Affairs at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, Centenary Professor at the London School of Economics, and an op-ed columnist for The New York Times. In 2008, Krugman won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics for his contributions to New Trade Theory and New Economic Geography.
Name	Krugman, Paul
Alternative names	Krugman, Paul Robin
Short description	American economist, columnist, author and Nobel Laureate
Date of birth	February 28, 1953

Category:1953 births Category:Academics of the London School of Economics Category:American bloggers Category:American columnists Category:American economists Category:American essayists Category:American foreign policy writers Category:American Nobel laureates Category:American people of Belarusian-Jewish descent Category:Enron Category:Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Category:Fellows of the Econometric Society Category:Jewish American social scientists Category:Living people Category:Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni Category:New Keynesian economists Category:New York Times columnists Category:Nobel laureates in Economics Category:People from Nassau County, New York Category:Princeton University faculty Category:Trade economists Category:United States Council of Economic Advisors Category:Yale University alumni

Name	Drew Carey
Caption	Carey in November 2008
Birthname	Drew Allison Carey
Birth date	May 23, 1958
Birth place	Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Occupation	ActorComedianPhotographerGame show host
Yearsactive	1985–present
Url	http://www.drewfromtv.blogspot.com

Drew Allison Carey (born May 23, 1958) is an American actor, comedian, photographer, and game show host. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and making a name for himself in stand-up comedy, Carey eventually gained popularity starring on his own sitcom, The Drew Carey Show, and serving as host on the U.S. version of Whose Line Is It Anyway?, both of which aired on ABC.

Carey has appeared in several films, television series, music videos, a made-for-television film, and a computer game. He currently hosts the game show The Price Is Right. He is interested in a variety of sports, has worked as a photographer at U.S. National Team soccer games, and is a minority owner of the Major League Soccer team Seattle Sounders FC. Carey is engaged and has written an autobiography detailing his early life and television career.

Early life

uniform, with rank insignia of a Corporal]] Drew Carey was the youngest of Lewis and Beulah Carey's three sons and raised in Parma, Ohio. When he was eight years old his father died from a brain tumor. According to his autobiography, he was born with six toes on his right foot and he played the cornet and trumpet in the marching band of James Ford Rhodes High School, from which he graduated in 1975.

He continued on to college at Kent State University and was expelled twice for poor academic performance. He left KSU after three years, but not before becoming a member of Delta Tau Delta Fraternity. After leaving the university, Carey joined the United States Marine Corps Reserve in 1980 and served for six years. In 1986, after winning an open-mic contest, he became MC at the Cleveland Comedy Club. Carey was working as a stand-up comedian in 1991 when he appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. His performance that night impressed Carson, who invited Carey to the couch next to his desk; this was considered a rare honor for any comedian. In that same year, Carey joined the 14th Annual Young Comedians Special on HBO and made his first appearance on Late Night with David Letterman. In 1994, Carey wrote his own stand-up comedy special which aired on Showtime, entitled Drew Carey: Human Cartoon, for which he won a CableACE Award for Best Writing.

Acting career

Early roles

Following on the success of his early stand-up career, he subsequently appeared in a number of supporting roles on television shows, during which he developed the character of a hapless middle-class bachelor. In 1993, Carey had a small role in the film Coneheads as a taxi passenger. Turning his attention to television, in 1994, Carey co-starred with John Caponera in The Good Life, a short-lived sitcom that aired on NBC. After the show's cancellation, Carey joined up with writer Bruce Helford (who was also a writer for The Good Life), who gave Carey a job as a consultant for the television show Someone Like Me.

The Drew Carey Show

After their stint on Someone Like Me, Carey and Helford developed and produced the storyline for The Drew Carey Show. The show premiered on September 13, 1995 on ABC. In his autobiography, Carey revealed his frustration with having to deal with censors and being unable to employ the off-color humor common to his stand-up routines. By the final season, he was earning $750,000 per episode. The show had high ratings for its first few seasons, but declining ratings and increasing production costs (around $3 million per episode) preceded its cancellation. Carey's income from Whose Line Is It Anyway? and The Drew Carey Show led to his inclusion on the Forbes list of highest-paid entertainers of 1998, at 24th with $45.5 million.

For the WB's 2004-2005 prime time schedule, Carey co-produced and starred in Drew Carey's Green Screen Show, a spin-off of Whose Line Is It Anyway?. It was canceled by the WB, but picked up shortly afterward by Comedy Central. The catch on this show was that all the improv was done in front of a green screen, and then animation was inserted in post-production.

On November 18, 2010, the Game Show Network announced that Drew Carey will host a new improv show in primetime in the Spring of 2011, called Drew Carey's Improv-a-ganza. The shows will be filmed at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada in January and February 2011, and will begin to air in March 2011.

Improv All-Stars

Carey was one of the founders of the Improv All-Stars, a group of eleven actors who perform in unscripted skits. The group joined Carey in both of his improv shows, Whose Line is it Anyway? and Drew Carey's Green Screen Show, and some members had major roles or guest starred on his previous shows. The Improv All-Stars travel on comedy tours, performing at comedy clubs throughout the United States. Laura Hall also reprises her role as the in-house musician.

Game show host

Power of 10

In 2007, Carey began hosting game shows. On April 13, 2007, Carey was selected to host the CBS game show pilot Power of 10. The show ran from August 7, 2007 to April 7, 2008 and aired twice weekly during the late summer and early fall. Each game featured contestants predicting how a cross-section of Americans responded to questions covering a wide variety of topics in polls conducted by CBS.

The Price Is Right

After taping the pilot episode for Power of 10, Carey was contacted by CBS about replacing the retiring Bob Barker at The Price Is Right. After initially turning down the offer, Carey announced on Late Show with David Letterman that he would succeed Barker as host of the program beginning in the fall of 2007. His first episode of The Price Is Right was taped on August 15, and his shows began airing on October 15, 2007. In response to replacing Barker as host of the game show, Carey stated: }}

When Carey began hosting, the set, theme music, and show logo were updated. Prizes previously removed at the request of Barker returned (such as leather and wool goods and foreign automobiles). During Carey's second year as host, he began to write some of the sketches used during the Showcase, which features guest appearances by stars of other CBS programs. The show also began including live performances by endorsers of musical instruments when those prizes were offered.

Other roles and appearances

Carey began appearing in commercials for restaurants in the late 1990s in Canada with The Great Root Bear, but his two-year contract with A&W; Food Services of Canada was cut short in November 1998 after an episode of The Drew Carey Show featured McDonald's. As a result of his dismissal, Carey sued A&W; for compensation. at Disney's Hollywood Studios]]

On April 22, 1999 at Disney's Hollywood Studios (then "Disney-MGM Studios"), part of Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, Carey debuted a 12-minute attraction entitled Sounds Dangerous! In the show, a camera follows Carey through a day as an undercover detective. When his video camera fails, the audience is left in complete darkness wearing earphones, following his adventure through sound cues. The attraction is presently running on a limited "seasonal" schedule.

In 1999, Carey made a cameo appearance in "Weird Al" Yankovic's music video for "It's All About the Pentiums". In 2004, he made an appearance for Fountains of Wayne's video for "Mexican Wine" giving an introduction to the video as if it were on a stage.

On May 7, 2000, Carey's television film Geppetto debuted on The Wonderful World of Disney. The film, an adaptation of Pinocchio, included actor Wayne Brady who had joined Carey on Whose Line Is It Anyway? and a few episodes of The Drew Carey Show. Carey took singing lessons to prepare for the role. To make him appear, the Sims must throw a successful party, which causes Carey to arrive in a limo and join the festivities. Carey is a fan of The Sims series and during one April Fool's episode of The Drew Carey Show, a scene takes place completely within The Sims.

In 2001 he made an appearance in the WWF's annual Royal Rumble event. He eliminated himself after Kane made his way to the ring.

Carey provided the entertainment for the 2002 Annual White House correspondents' dinner. In 2003, he joined Jamie Kennedy to host the WB's live special Play for a Billion. In September 2003, Carey led a group of comedians, including Blake Clark and the Drew Carey Show's Kathy Kinney, on a comedy tour of Iraq.

In 2005, Carey appeared in three films: the animated film Robots, where he provided a voice-over for the character Crank; The Aristocrats where he retold a dirty joke along with other celebrities; and the documentary, Fuck, where he was interviewed.

On June 8, 2006, Drew Carey's Sporting Adventures debuted on the Travel Channel. In this series, Carey traveled throughout Germany to photograph multiple FIFA World Cup soccer games while he immerses himself in the culture of the towns and states he visits.

In early 2008 Carey appeared in Matt Groenings The Simpsons as part of the episode 'All About Lisa' as a guest on Krusty the Clown's Krusty The Clown Show

In September 2008, Carey began filling in as a guest DJ on Little Steven's Underground Garage on Sirius radio

Writing

Carey has routinely written throughout his career, including developing his stand-up comedy routines in his early stand-up career, and then moving on to assist in writing sitcoms. In 1997, Carey published his autobiography, wherein he shared memories of his early childhood and of his father's death when he was eight. He also revealed that he was once molested, had suffered bouts of depression, and had made two suicide attempts by swallowing a large amount of sleeping pills.

Personal life

A United States Marine, he adopted his crew cut hair style during his time in the service. Carey has had refractive surgery to correct his vision and therefore did not really require glasses (any glasses he wore in public were merely props to help the audience recognize him). However, while this was true for several years, on the May 17, 2006 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! he revealed that when he turned 40, he actually developed a need for bifocals. Carey currently lives in Los Angeles and New York City.

On October 9, 2007 Carey proposed to Nicole Jaracz. In a statement regarding the engagement, publicist Christina Papadopoulos said, "It will be the first marriage for both. No date for a wedding has been set yet. They are both very happy and excited about their future together." She has a five year old son from a previous relationship. They have no children of their own.

Carey had coronary angioplasty in 2001, which encouraged him to change his eating habits. In July 2010, Carey announced that he had lost an estimated 90 pounds.

Carey revealed on The Wanda Sykes Show in April 2010 that he once had nipple piercings that were pulled during a "practice fight" and he has since removed them due to this incident.

Political views

Carey is an outspoken libertarian He has expressed his political philosophy in the following terms:

I believe the answers to all the problems we face as a society won't come from Washington, it will come from us. So the way we decide to live our lives and our decisions about what we buy or don't buy are much more important than who we vote for.

Carey has expressed his distaste for the Bush administration's management of the War in Iraq, specifically on the September 15, 2007, episode of Real Time with Bill Maher. In 2007, he made donations to Ron Paul's presidential campaign. On the September 26, 2008 episode of The Late Late Show, Carey defined "libertarian" to host Craig Ferguson as "a conservative who still gets high."

Carey has spoken about his various political beliefs in several interviews and in 1998, he led a "smoke-in" in defiance of California's newly-passed no-smoking ordinance inside bars and restaurants. Carey has hosted a series of mini-documentaries called The Drew Carey Project on Reason.tv, an online project of Reason Foundation, a libertarian think tank. The first episode, "Gridlock", addresses private highway ownership and was released on October 15, 2007. Other episodes discuss topics such as eminent domain, urban traffic congestion, and medical marijuana.

Sports involvement

Carey is a devoted fan of the U.S. National Soccer Team, Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Cavaliers and Cleveland Indians. In 1999, Carey was part of the pregame ceremonies at the first game of the return of the Cleveland Browns, televised on ESPN. Carey is a fan of Barcelona and of the Scottish team Rangers. In 2006 he was a season ticket holder for the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Carey has shown his support for the Indians by throwing the first pitch at an August 12, 2006 game against the Kansas City Royals. He was rewarded by the Cleveland Indians for being "the greatest Indians fan alive" with a personal bobblehead doll made in his likeness that was given to fans. Carey responded to his bobblehead likeness by saying "Bobblehead Day, for me, is as big as getting a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame."

In 2001, Carey was the first television actor to enter World Wrestling Federation's 30-man "Royal Rumble" match, which he did to promote an improv comedy pay-per-view at the time. He appeared in a few backstage segments before his brief participation in the match. Upon entering the ring, Carey stood unopposed for more than half a minute; he eliminated himself by offering money to Kane and then fleeing the ring.

In 2003, Carey competed against five other celebrities in the first celebrity edition of the World Poker Tour. He placed fifth, only beating out comedian/actor/musician Jack Black. Carey won $2,000 for his charity.

Philanthropy

in June 2006 while filming Drew Carey's Sporting Adventures]] Carey is a supporter of libraries, crediting them for beginning his successful comedy career. On May 2, 2000, in a celebrity edition of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, he selected the Ohio Library Foundation to receive his $500,000 winnings. He later went on to win an additional $32,000 on the second celebrity Millionaire, making him one of the biggest winning contestants on Millionaire who did not win the top prize. Carey also has played on the World Poker Tour in the Hollywood Home games for the Cleveland Public Library charity. In June 2007, Carey offered to donate up to $100,000 (in $10,000 increments) to the Mooch Myernick Memorial Fund if anybody could beat him at the video game FIFA Soccer 07 for the Xbox 360. He dared five players from both the U.S. Men's and Women's National Teams to compete against him. Carey ended up donating $100,000 plus $60,000 for losing two games out of the six games he played.

In October 2009, Carey made a bid of $25,000 in a charity auction for the @drew Twitter account. He later increased his offer to $100,000 if the number of followers of his account @DrewFromTV reached 100,000 by the end of the auction. In an interview with CBS News, he announced that he would instead donate $1 million to the charity, Lance Armstrong's LIVESTRONG Foundation, if his follower count reached one million by December 31, 2009.

Photography

Carey can sometimes be seen on the sidelines of U.S. National Team soccer games as a press photographer. His images are sold via wire services under the pseudonym Brooks Parkenridge. He won the People's Choice Award for Favorite Male Television Performer for his work in The Drew Carey Show, in both 2000 and 2001. On February 21, 2003, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His star can be found at 6664 Hollywood Blvd. In 2004, Comedy Central ranked him #84 on its list of the 100 greatest standups of all time. On June 21, 2008 Carey won second place from the Los Angeles Press Club for his feature on medical marijuana in the multimedia package category.

Filmography

Carey has starred in only a few television shows and films, but also has numerous guest star appearances in a variety of other sitcoms and comedy shows.

Television work

{|class="wikitable" |- ! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes |- | 1992 ||The Torkelsons || Herby Scroggins || Episode "Say Uncle" |- | 1994 ||The Good Life || Drew Clark || |- | 1994 ||The Adventures of Pete & Pete (uncredited) || Veteran || Episode "Grounded for Life" |- | 1995–2004 ||The Drew Carey Show || Drew Carey || |- |rowspan="3"| 1997 ||Home Improvement || Road Kill specialist (Seymour 'Sy' Winterfleffin) || |- |The Weird Al Show || rowspan=3|Himself || Episode "The Competition" |- |Sabrina the Teenage Witch || Episode "To Tell a Mortal" |- | 1998–2007 ||Whose Line Is It Anyway? || Host |- | 1999 ||King of the Hill ||Hal || Episode "Not in My Back-hoe" |- | 2000 ||Baby Blues || rowspan=7|Himself || Episode "Bizzy Moves In" |- | 2001 || WWE Royal Rumble |- | 2004–2005 ||Drew Carey's Green Screen Show || Host |- | 2006 ||Drew Carey's Sporting Adventures || | |- | 2007–2008 ||Power of 10 || rowspan=2|Host |- | 2007–present ||The Price Is Right |- | 2008 ||The Simpsons|| Himself |Guest on the Krusty the Clown Show |- | 2010 ||Community|| Ted || Episode "Accounting for Lawyers" |}

Films

{|class="wikitable" |- ! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes |- | 1993 ||Coneheads ||Taxi passenger || | |- | 2000 ||Geppetto || Mister Geppetto || Made-for-TV movie |- |rowspan="2"| 2005 ||Robots ||Crank || Voice role |- |The Aristocrats ||Himself || | |}

References

External links

Drew Carey's blog

"Stand-Up Guy", interview with Carey in Reason by Nick Gillespie and Steve Kurtz

Drew Carey and the Improv All-Stars

Category:1958 births Category:Actors from Ohio Category:American game show hosts Category:American libertarians Category:American photographers Category:American soccer chairmen and investors Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American television actors Category:American television personalities Category:Actors who attempted suicide Category:Kent State University alumni Category:Living people Category:Major League Soccer executives Category:Ohio Republicans Category:People from Cleveland, Ohio Category:United States Marines Category:United States Marine Corps reservists

Name	Bernie Sanders
Jr/sr	Junior Senator
State	Vermont
Party	Independent
Otherparty	Democratic (affiliated non-member)Progressive (affiliated non-member)Liberty Union
Term start	January 3, 2007
Alongside	Patrick Leahy
Preceded	Jim Jeffords
Date of birth	September 08, 1941
Place of birth	New York City, New York
Dead	alive
Occupation	CarpenterFilmmakerWriterResearcher
Residence	Burlington, Vermont
Spouse	Jane O'Meara
Children	Levi Sanders
Alma mater	University of Chicago (B.A.)
Religion	Judaism
State2	Vermont
District2	At-large
Term start2	January 3, 1991
Term end2	January 3, 2007
Preceded2	Peter P. Smith
Succeeded2	Peter Welch
Office3	Mayor of Burlington
Term start3	1981
Term end3	1989
Predecessor3	Gordon Paquette
Successor3	Peter Clavelle

Bernard "Bernie" Sanders (born September 8, 1941) is the junior United States Senator from Vermont, elected on November 7, 2006. Before becoming Senator, Sanders represented Vermont's at-large district in the United States House of Representatives for 16 years. Sanders also served as mayor of Burlington, Vermont from 1981 through 1989.

Sanders is a self-described democratic socialist, and has praised European social democracy. He is the first person elected to the U.S. Senate to identify as a socialist. Sanders caucuses with the Democratic Party and is counted as a Democrat for the purposes of committee assignments, but because he does not belong to a formal political party, he appears as an independent on the ballot. He was also the only independent member of the House during much of his service there. He is one of two independent Senators in the 111th Congress, along with Joe Lieberman.

Early life, education and career

Sanders, the son of Jewish Polish immigrants to the United States, was born in Brooklyn. He graduated from James Madison High School in Brooklyn and later attended the University of Chicago, graduating with a B.A. in political science in 1964. After graduating from college, Sanders spent time on an Israeli kibbutz, an experience which shaped his political views. In 1964, Sanders moved to Vermont, where he worked as a carpenter, filmmaker, writer and researcher, among other jobs.

Sanders's lifetime legislative score from the AFL-CIO is 100%. As of 2006, he has a grade of "C-" from the National Rifle Association (NRA). Sanders voted against the Brady Bill and in favor of an NRA-supported bill to restrict lawsuits against gun manufacturers in 2005. Sanders voted to abolish the so-called "marriage penalty" for taxes and also voted for a bill that sought to ban human cloning. Sanders has endorsed every Democratic nominee for president of the United States since 1992. Sanders is a co-founder of the House Progressive Caucus and chaired the grouping of mostly liberal Democrats for its first eight years.

Sanders voted against both resolutions authorizing the use of force against Iraq in 1991 and 2002, and opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq. But he later joined almost all of his colleagues in voting for a non-binding resolution expressing support for U.S. troops at the outset of the invasion, although he gave a floor speech criticizing the partisan nature of the resolution and the Bush administration's actions in the run-up to the war. In relation to the leak investigation involving Valerie Plame, on April 7, 2006, Sanders said, "The revelation that the president authorized the release of classified information in order to discredit an Iraq war critic should tell every member of Congress that the time is now for a serious investigation of how we got into the war in Iraq, and why Congress can no longer act as a rubber stamp for the president." Sanders supports universal health care and opposes what he terms "unfettered" free trade, which he argues deprives American workers of their jobs while exploiting foreign workers in sweatshop factories.

In June 2005, Sanders proposed an amendment to limit provisions that allow the government to obtain individuals' library and book-buying records. The amendment passed the House by a bipartisan majority, but was removed on November 4 that year by House-Senate negotiators, and never became law. Sanders followed this vote on November 5, 2005, by voting against the Online Freedom of Speech Act, which would have exempted the Internet from the restrictions of the McCain-Feingold Bill.

In March 2006, after a series of resolutions calling for him to bring articles of impeachment against the president passed in various towns in Vermont, Sanders stated it would be impractical to impeach George W. Bush, given the "reality that the Republicans control the House and the Senate." Still, Sanders made no secret of his opposition to the Bush Administration, which he regularly attacked for cuts in social programs he supports.

Sanders has also criticized Alan Greenspan. In June 2003, during a question-and-answer discussion with the then-Federal Reserve chairman, Sanders told Greenspan that he was concerned that Greenspan was "way out of touch" and "that you see your major function in your position as the need to represent the wealthy and large corporations." Senator Sanders has maintained and warned (in 1998) that investment banks and commercial banks should remain as two separate entities.

Republicans have attacked Sanders as "an ineffective extremist" for passing only one law and fifteen amendments in his eight terms in the House. Sanders responded by saying that he had passed "the most floor amendments of any member of the House since 1996." Former Democratic National Committee chair Howard Dean has stated that "Bernie Sanders votes with the Democrats 98 percent of the time."

Senate campaign

Sanders had mentioned on several occasions that he would run for the Senate if Jeffords (with whom he has a longstanding friendship) were ever to retire, and entered the race on April 21, 2005, following Jeffords's announcement that he would not seek a fourth term. New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, endorsed Sanders; Schumer's backing was critical, as it meant that any Democrat running against Sanders could not expect to receive any significant financial help on a national level.

Sanders was also endorsed by Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, and Democratic National Committee chairman and former Vermont governor Howard Dean. Dean said in May 2005 that he considered Sanders an ally who votes with House Democrats. Sen. Barack Obama also campaigned for Sanders in Vermont. Sanders entered into an agreement with the Democratic Party to be listed in their primary but to decline the nomination should he win, which he did easily.

Speculation abounded that the state's popular Republican governor, Jim Douglas, would enter the race as well. Many pundits believed Douglas was the only Republican who could possibly defeat Sanders. However, on April 30, Douglas announced he would seek a third term as governor. In the view of many pundits, this effectively handed the open seat to Sanders.

Sen. Sanders consistently led his Republican challenger, businessman Richard Tarrant, by wide margins in polling. In the most expensive political campaign in Vermont's history, Sanders defeated Tarrant by an approximately 2-to-1 margin in the 2006 midterm election. Many national media outlets (including CNN) projected Sanders the winner before any returns came in.

Sanders is only the third Senator from Vermont to caucus with the Democrats — following Jeffords and Patrick Leahy. He made a deal with the Democratic leadership similar to the one Jeffords made after Jeffords became an independent. In exchange for receiving the committee seats that would be available to him as a Democrat, Sanders votes with the Democrats on all procedural matters unless he asks permission of Majority Whip Richard Durbin. However, such a request is almost never made and is almost never granted. He is free to vote as he pleases on policy matters, but almost always votes with the Democrats.

Senate career

Sanders and Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) introduced the Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act of 2007 on January 15, 2007. The measure would have provided funding for research and development on geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide, set emissions standards for new vehicles and a renewable fuels requirement for gasoline beginning in 2016, established energy efficiency and renewable portfolio standards beginning in 2008 and low-carbon electric generation standards beginning in 2016 for electric utilities, and would have required periodic evaluations by the National Academy of Sciences to determine whether emissions targets are adequate.

On September 24, 2008, Senator Sanders posted on his website a letter to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson against the initial bailout proposal, drawing more than 8,000 citizen co-signers in the first 24 hours. On January 26, 2009, Sanders and Democrats Robert Byrd, Russ Feingold and Tom Harkin were the sole majority members to vote against confirmation of Timothy Geithner to be United States Secretary of the Treasury.

On December 10, 2010, Senator Sanders delivered an 8½ hour speech against the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010, the proposed extension of the Bush-era tax rates that eventually became law, saying "Enough is enough! [...] How many homes can you own?" (A long speech such as this is in the tradition of a filibuster, though because it did not block Senate action, it didn't technically qualify as a filibuster under US Senate rules.)

In response to his "filibuster," "activists across the country started talking up the notion of a 'Sanders for President' run in 2012, either as a dissident Democrat in the primaries or as a left-leaning Independent." Hundreds of people signed online petitions urging Sanders to run, and pollsters began measuring his support in key primary states.

Renegotiaton of NAFTA

He is a strong advocate for renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and is a strong opponent of the United States current trade policy towards Latin America and China.

Iraq War

Sanders has opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq from its start and voted against it in the House of Representatives. He has called for a speedy withdrawal and increased veterans benefits.

Media freedom

Sanders has also been a leader in calling for media reform and opposes increased concentration of media outlets. He appeared in Orwell Rolls in His Grave and , two documentaries on the subject.

Global warming and the environment

He warns about the dangers of global warming.

US Federal Reserve audit

Sanders has introduced a Senate companion bill to H.R. 1207 which will conduct an audit of the Federal Reserve.

Civil rights and women's rights

He is a vocal supporter of gay rights, supporting same sex marriage, and of pro-choice legislation.

Personal life

Sanders is married to Jane O'Meara, president of Burlington College, and has one son, Levi Sanders, from a previous marriage. His brother, Larry Sanders, is a Green Party District Councillor for Oxford East in Oxfordshire, England. His nephew, Jacob, is a former Oxford city councillor for the Green Party.

Sanders is one of two sitting U.S. Senators who went to James Madison High School in Brooklyn. Before becoming a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Sanders's roommate was Richard I. Sugarman, a professor at the University of Vermont. Coincidentally, the only other Independent currently serving in the U.S. Senate, Joe Lieberman (I-CT) shared a suite with Professor Sugarman when the two attended Yale University in the 1960s.

Sanders has regular guest appearances on the Thom Hartmann radio program for the Friday segment, "Brunch with Bernie".

Sanders also stars in his own weekly five-minute show, "Senator Sanders Unfiltered", hosted online at www.sandersunfiltered.com.

Electoral history

Most recent election shown below. For a complete list see: Electoral History of Bernie Sanders

References

External links

United States Senator Bernie Sanders official U.S. Senate site

Friends of Bernie Sanders official campaign site

Bernie Sanders Denounces Tax Cut in 8.5 Hour Senate Speech - video report by Democracy Now!

Category:1941 births Category:Living people Category:People from Brooklyn Category:People from Burlington, Vermont Category:Independent politicians in the United States Category:American anti-Iraq War activists Category:Democratic socialists Category:American social democrats Category:Harvard University faculty Category:Jewish members of the United States House of Representatives Category:Jewish United States Senators Category:Jewish American mayors Category:LGBT rights activists from the United States Category:American people of Polish-Jewish descent Category:Mayors of places in Vermont Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from Vermont Category:University of Chicago alumni Category:United States Senators from Vermont Category:Liberty Union Party politicians