Back at the 50-room hotel, you are afforded an impressively civilized welcome, considering that you are in the absolute middle of nowhere.

FORBES: Magazine Article

So defining the middle class in absolute terms is hard (see article).

ECONOMIST: Burgeoning bourgeoisie

Ditto for whether the absolute standard of living of the poor and middle class improves or declines.

FORBES: Move up http://i.forbesimg.com t Move down

And it is an absolute fact in our history that when our middle class is strong, when the economy is growing from the middle out instead of from the top down, our country is stronger and our people are better off.

WHITEHOUSE: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney,

By that logic, the Spending Review is regressive in the broad sense (worse for the bottom half than the top half) but when it comes down to specifics, is actually going to squeeze the middle a little bit more than the absolute poor.

FORBES: The Stiff Upper Lip and Its Discontents

But what we simply cannot allow is Republicans to take care of the spending bill and leave town because the absolute effect of that would be a tax hike for middle-class Americans.

WHITEHOUSE: Press Briefing

One interesting point I found is that generally in a longer-term secular bear market, the absolute low of that bear market is generally reached in the middle of the bear market.

FORBES: 5 Growth Names if the Rally Holds

Measured as a proportion of their lifetime labor incomes, the middle class are the biggest losers, but measured in absolute dollars, the rich lose the most.

FORBES: Replacing FDR's New Deal With The GOP's Version Of The Great Society