Why the US Constitution Needs the Middle Class

Why the US Constitution Needs the Middle Class

Top of Mind with Julie Rose - Radio Archive, Episode 539 , Segment 4

Episode: French Election, Cancer is Mostly Bad Luck, The People's Piano

  • Apr 25, 2017 11:00 pm
  • 22:17 mins

Guest: Ganesh Sitaraman, Professor of Law, Vanderbilt University, author of “The Crisis of the Middle-Class Constitution” We’ve been hearing for some time about the shrinking middle class in America – how people are getting either richer or poorer and the gap between them is widening. But if many in the middle class are moving up to wealthier ranks, what’s the problem? Do we really need a large group of people in the economic middle in order for America to function?

Other Segments

The Fight Against California's Tampon Tax

11 MINS

Guest: Cristina Garcia, Assemblymember, California’s 58th Assembly District In many states across the country, tampons, pads, and even diapers are taxed as luxury items. That “luxury” designation might seem surprising, but the truth is that actually, only a handful of states give a sales tax exemption to these kind of products.  Last year, California lawmakers pushed for legislation—dubbed the tampon tax--to eliminate sales tax on feminine hygiene products. The bill was vetoed by Gov. Jerry Brown, who claimed the state could not afford the loss in revenue. But California Assemblymember Cristina Garcia is not giving up—she’s back, with a bill called the Common Cents Tax Reform, which would lift the sales tax on feminine hygiene products and diapers in CA, while imposing an increase in sales tax on hard liquor.

Guest: Cristina Garcia, Assemblymember, California’s 58th Assembly District In many states across the country, tampons, pads, and even diapers are taxed as luxury items. That “luxury” designation might seem surprising, but the truth is that actually, only a handful of states give a sales tax exemption to these kind of products.  Last year, California lawmakers pushed for legislation—dubbed the tampon tax--to eliminate sales tax on feminine hygiene products. The bill was vetoed by Gov. Jerry Brown, who claimed the state could not afford the loss in revenue. But California Assemblymember Cristina Garcia is not giving up—she’s back, with a bill called the Common Cents Tax Reform, which would lift the sales tax on feminine hygiene products and diapers in CA, while imposing an increase in sales tax on hard liquor.