AdvertisementWalking the Middle Line24:50Download AudioEmbed on your websiteClose×Copy the code below to embed the WBUR audio player on your site<iframe width="100%" height="124" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://player.wbur.org/onpoint/2002/08/21/walking-the-middle-line"></iframe>Copy embed codeResumeAugust 21, 2002facebookEmailMiddle income families have stood by and watched the ebbs and swells of the economic boom. The median income is on the rise, but so is household debt. Costs of childcare, healthcare, and housing have many families walking a narrow fence while budgeting tightly and saving lightly. There's little cushion available if an unexpected emergency knocks somebody off the beam.Guests:Elizabeth Weinstein, Reporter, Wall Street JournalJared Bernstein, Economist, Economic Policy InstituteErika McMurry, from Louisville, Kentucky;Marty Murrell from DeWitt, IowaThis program aired on August 21, 2002.