Paula Gardner | PaulaGardner@mlive.com

It sounds like tax policy could improve for Michigan's middle class.

Congress is evaluating the new tax plan from President Donald Trump, and the big bipartisan refrain - from its unveil to reports about potential compromise - is that it has to benefit America's middle class.

One sign of that: "Middle" income earners were mentioned 14 times during a November 2 press conference on the plan, according to the Associated Press.

Democrats, in turn, say that the middle class gets crumbs, while the top income groups and corporations get a buffet.

Here's a look at what I'm seeing about this middle class conversation - and what I'm wondering about Michiganders' definition of just who we're talking about. -- Paula Gardner, MLive.com

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Paula Gardner | PaulaGardner@mlive.com

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Heather Khalifa

But I also keep wondering: Who is the middle class?

Is President Trump talking to me? Does he mean you? How many of our friends and neighbors in Michigan actually belong to this middle class who is on the receiving end of this year's tax promises?

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I started wondering about the definition as soon as politicians started touting benefits to the initial version of the tax plan - while I waited to hear something that would be good news for me.

I worry regularly about fully funding retirement savings and college savings plans for my two teens. I'm nostalgic for my pension plan and cost-free health insurance. And I don't regret our family's choice for one parent to stay home for many years with the kids. Am I not one of the "hard-working Americans" in the middle class?

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It's not something I normally think about.

But I've spent the last few months looking at Michigan's economy and where it's headed. And, I thought, if this 'middle class' drives so much in the world of politics and decision-making, who exactly are we talking about?

Because, in the term, it seems like we're talking about the Michigan Everyman.

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That's why I'm turning to you for answers.

Take a look at the rest of this article, which explores what it means to be "middle class."

Then consider your own situation and the people you know.

How do YOU define the "middle class" in Michigan? And what kind of earnings does a person need to be included in it?

Tell me and other readers in comments on this story. Or email me directly at paulagardner@mlive.com.

I'm hoping to talk to many of you about your answers, so be sure to let me know if you're willing to do that.

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ANN ARBOR NEWS

President Trump is not the first U.S. leader to say he's prioritizing the middle class.

There were "Reagan Democrats," who responded to late 1970s recession and inflation by voting for the candidate who said he was optimistic about America and promised to cut taxes and spending.

In 1992, President Clinton campaigned on protections for the middle class.

President George W. Bush passed a range of tax cuts that followed his campaign promise to make it easier to join the middle class.

President Obama prioritized "middle class economics" in 2015.

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We hear it from politicians all the time, don't we?

The middle class - which often seems to mean "The Average American" - emerges as a concern when discussing housing prices, Social Security, wages, unemployment, college costs, inflation, retirement savings, health care costs, voting trends ... the list may be endless.

As what I consider to be an "Average American," I feel it.

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Here's the dictionary definition:

The social group between the upper and working classes, including professional and business workers and their families.

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Some base it on median income.

The Pew Research Center defines a middle class household income within a range of 2/3 to double the national median income, which was $55,775 in 2016.

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Paula Gardner | PaulaGardner@mlive.com

In Michigan, that creates huge ranges based on household size.

Household of one: $22,648 to $67,942

Household of three: $39,226 to $117,678

Household of five: $50,641 to $151,922

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That means that a married couple with three kids could be considered 'middle class' if both spouses work full-time at an Amazon distribution center - or if one spouse is an automotive engineer, supporting a stay-at-home spouse.

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Do middle class families receive government assistance?

If following those income guidelines, they could.

That hypothetical family of five at the low-end of the scale qualifies reduced-price school lunches. In Michigan, the threshold is $53,243.

The family-of-three base number is just over the threshold of $37,777.

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Melanie Maxwell

Others define broad ranges for 'middle class.'

A study by the Urban Institute used 2014 numbers, and came to these definitions. Ultimately, the catch-all term "middle class" would mean people will incomes from $35,000 to $349,000.

Lower middle class: $30,000 to $49,999

Middle class: $50,000 to $99,999

Upper Middle Class: $100,000 to $349,999

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The Brookings Institution goes to the povery line for definition.

That means lower middle class would be a family of three with income between 100 and 250% of the federal poverty level, or between $18,871 and $47,177, according to an article in Investopedia.

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Do middle class families live paycheck to paycheck?

House Speaker Paul Ryan thinks so. He uses that definition when touting the tax plan.

But I suspect most people who call themselves middle class may not agree. It seems like a classic American view of the middle class is that it is the group of Americans who may have had to fight and educate themselves to places where they don't live paycheck to paycheck.

In fact, I tend to think of the paycheck-to-paycheck example as a definition of working poor. And that's who comes to mind when I hear a lot of politicians talking about "middle class."

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The 'middle income' group is shrinking.

Data from Pew Research Center shows that America's middle-range income earners are now 50 percent of the population, down from 61 percent in 1971. About the same numbers are at the lower to middle income tiers.

Yet the highest income group jumped from 4 to 9 percent.

I wonder if those folks now call themselves wealthy? Or do they think they belong in the middle class - and are they waiting for a tax break?

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When you step away from money, the term 'middle class' can mean values.

Don't judge - I like the snappy phrasing in Wikipedia for this.

"The term middle-class values is used by various writers and politicians to include such qualities as hard work, self-discipline, thrift, honesty, aspiration and ambition."

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Tanya Moutzalias

I grew up thinking that "middle class" went beyond income, as I struggled with envisioning a merger of "blue collar" and "middle class."

Maybe some of us consider characteristics beyond income levels. Is education part of the middle class social construct? What about family structure? Race? Home ownership?

Maybe, for many Americans, "middle class" simply means "people like me and around me."

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We're likely to hear more about the middle class.

It's a group that seems to be be pivotal to politicians. (Maybe a separate question would be: Is that actually converted to real influence, or does that remain a - to pull out another political cliche - "bastion of the rich?")

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Let me know your thoughts.

As I mentioned above, I'm considering all of this as I look at economic changes in Michigan.

I'd like to hear where you place "middle class" on the range of American society. And whether you'd consider talking to me or my MLive.com colleagues for future stories.

The comments are wide open here.

My email is PaulaGardner@mlive.com