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Something else NOT mentioned, and I think this is an important point, is the definition of middle class. My neighbor that lived to three centuries and her daughter used the definition that I grew up around. Having discretionary income, a refrigerator, tv, and a/c. This was what I was taught was the general middle class, in the 50's along with one vehicle if you lived in the suburbs.
Then you have someplace like Wikipedia, which has differing definitions. So your worrying about a sliding mark, which is going to be a problem, as you can never reach a goal that is imagined only.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_class
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Middle class has always been a moving goalpost. Trying to peg it as anyone who has (insert random items/amount of money here) seems completely arbitrary. My dad grew up without indoor plumbing. Today anyone in the US who didn't have plumbing would be assumed to be indescribably poor. Yet my dad didn't consider himself poor because his family wasn't especially different from all the other people he knew. It was the depression and life was tough across the board.
