Is moving into the middle class a dream deferred?

Recent studies suggest that even in good times, Americans in the middle and lower classes largely stayed there, going back decades. What concerns economists even more is that people in the middle class tend to have a tough time recovering after recessions.

Robert Samuelson: Columnist for Newsweek and the Washington Post and author of the new book, "The Great Inflation and Its Aftermath: The Past and Future of American Affluence."

Gregory Acs: Principal research associate at the Urban Institute. He's co-author of an October report on economic mobility sponsored by the Pew Economic Mobility Project.