Actually the Pew Institute is vague with comments such as "promote job creation". What kind of job creation? More McJobs for every one? More minimum wage jobs to perpetuate poverty? At least begin with raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, raise taxes on imports to promote domestic industries, tax corporations and the wealthy to the max and increase the civil service by three million. We shouldn't have to wait in line for four hours to get a driver's license or SSN and then hear that there are no jobs out there! Universal healthcare would probably boost employment more than any other public interest program with the added benefit of lowering bankruptcies, living longer and healthier and reducing national stress across the board.

Education is another way of bankrupting Americans rather than helping their upward mobility. With typical undergrads having a student debt of $100,000 when graduating, you almost guarantee that the student will die in debt. No tuition for post K-12 education would be a logical start along with more 'grants' rather than 'loans' for the poor.

Equal opportunity begins with full employment at decent wages. Instead of a War on Terrorism or Drugs, we need a War on Poverty. Also equal opportunity can't exist in a society in which corporate America can high jack both our government and our media. Public broadcasting (i.e. CBC in Canada) that doesn't depend on corporate sponsorship, new election finance laws and of course a repeal of Citizens United are the bare minimum for Americans in restoring democracy to our country.

Of course it is a long shot that any of this will happen as long as the public continues to support the two corporate parties. It's never easy seizing power from the 1% especially when so many can't see the trees through the forest.

"The top three things Americans told Pew that the government should do? Provide all children with a quality education, promote job creation, and ensure equal opportunity — all of which Obama called for in his address."

Not surprising that he called for them in his address since a poll outlined exactly what he should say. What would be surprising is if he ever delivered on what he called for. And experience has shown that the only thing he ever delivers on is his promises to Wall St.. Not surprising since his grandmother was a "bank officer" and he's now part of the 01%.

He's too busy building "street cred" for killing people and ensuring the bonuses for Wall St. and their cronies. He's not to be believed. This man is not another MLK, Reagan, Lincoln, or JFK. He's just a media invention used to promote Wall St. and the 01%.

The majority of US citizens are for single payer health care. Where was he on that?

"Citizens United" must be repealed!!!!!

But has anyone heard any politician whatsoever mention this need?????

I don't know if Santorum is a bit more honest than the usual politician or if he talks without too much thought. He gave us the famous "man on dog" quote and in Iowa he TWICE said social security needed to be cut immediately. Of course the SS comment is untrue and politically stupid, but seems to display honesty of opinion, I guess.

Babones sez: "Obama and Santorum are right to argue that the government has a responsibility to foster an economic environment that encourages intergenerational mobility."

***
They are NOT right to argue for this, when every action they have ever taken has been designed to produce just the opposite. Their "arguments" are just politics.

Unfortunately the mobility aids are not like crutches and walkers that someone decides to donate from their "disposable income" garnered from planned obsolescence. They entail liberating people from fractional reserve banking, and removing the illusion of the Bernaysian system of pathologically perpetually deferred promises, among other things.

ya know its bad when:

"Dallas, TX - The slumping economy in the United States isn't just affecting Americans. According to recent reports, the decline in employment opportunities is driving many illegal Mexican immigrants back over the border.

Enrique Hubbard, the Mexican consul general in Dallas told Fox News that the rate of Mexicans returning to their home country is "almost 100 percent more this year than it was the previous two years.""

"According to the Center for Immigration Studies, there has been an 11 percent drop in illegal immigrant population in the U.S. since August of last year, and that 1.3 million illegal immigrants have returned to their home countries. According to the C.I.S. the population of legal immigrants is still growing.

Reportedly, the Mexican economy will likely be affected in a similar way that the American one has by the insurgence of so many workers needing jobs. It is expected that wages will be driven down and social services will be strained by the influx of people returning to Mexico."

http://banderasnews.com/0808/nw-returntomexico.htm

"Three cheers for Arizona!!! The shoe is on the other foot and the Mexicans from the State of Sonora, Mexico don't like it. Can you believe the nerve of these people? It's almost funny. The State of Sonora is angry at the influx of Mexicans into Mexico.

Nine state legislators from the Mexican State of Sonora traveled to Tucson to complain about Arizona's new employer crackdown on illegal’s from Mexico. It seems that many Mexican illegal’s are returning to their hometowns and the officials in the Sonora state government are ticked off. A delegation of nine state legislators from Sonora was in Tucson on Tuesday to state that Arizona's new Employer Sanctions Law will have a devastating effect on the Mexican state.

At a news conference, the legislators said that Sonora, – Arizona's southern neighbor, – made up of mostly small towns, – cannot handle the demand for housing, jobs and schools that it will face as Mexican workers return to their hometowns from the USA without jobs or money."

http://www.morningliberty.com/2010/05/19/illegal-immigration-sonora-authorities-angry-mexicans-are-going-back-to-mexico/

congratulations to the senate congress and whitehouse - after 40 years of your diligent efforts you have finally reduced amerika to a status of "less attractive" than mexico

the rockefellers would be proud - there'll probably be a little extra in the pay packet this month for all your efforts

well done!

So, upward mobility pretty much stopped in 1980? Probably really backed off starting in January 1981. That's when St. Ronald of Reagan opened fire on the middle class.

Obama is just a waterboy for the rich. He has no intention of creating upward mobility. Absolutely everything he has done proves he cares nothing about the American People. Obama has and continue's to build a police state, and support perpetual war. That's it. Forget Washington, there is no hope there. Our only hope is to work collectively and cooperatively to build a better world from the ground up. Washington is a disease, not a cure. Corporations are a disease, not a cure. The cure lies in people cooperating to build a new society,. There is no other path. I will point blank state that if you participate in politics today your energy will be spent and you will end up where you started. On election day protest, don't vote. Fly your flags upside down and don't vote. If you vote your voting for corruption. Voting will not change things. You must build a new society to change things. If you can't perceive that after all this time and information, then there's no hope for a better life. Happy little Fascists is your future.

Obviously lack of intergenerational mobility is genetic, like all other problems.

The simple solution is for Monsanto, or some other mega biocorp, to create a GMO to correct the fault. They can put into poor kids' Wheaties and all will be OK.

We won't see any changes unless Americans get tired of being lied to--lies like: 9/11 was carried out by a man in a cave; Al Qaeda is not a CIA-backed organization; Osama bin Laden did not die in 2001, but was killed in 2011; torture produces valuable evidence; drone attacks only kill bad-guys; when we do it, it isn't a war crime; wealthy people create jobs--the list goes on and on, yet every lie is firmly believed by most Americans. Until that changes, we will continue to be played like expendable pawns on a chess board.

The OECD (which is the group of 'most developed' countries) has been tracking social mobility for some time. These studies usually take a lot of time and funding and there aren't many of them - I'd been informally citing the same one for years until this came out:

http://www.tuac.org/en/public/e-docs/00/00/06/77/document_doc.phtml

I suspect that Santorum (or an aide - he seems a dim bulb, and I say this as a Pennsylvanian who's heard way too much of him) caught wind of an article about that particular study.

There was some small push on the far left to publicize the results of a similar OECD study that came out several years ago (I recall the number of countries being fairly small - maybe only 7? - and the US ranking dead last), but it was generally ignored. Anyone else recall that study?