THE AUTONOMOUS MIDDLE CLASS AS THE REPUBLIC'S FOUNDATION Colleague Victor Davis Hanson. Victor Davis Hanson argues that a stable republic relies on an autonomous middle class, which serves as a buffer between the wealthy and the dependent poor. Drawing on

THE AUTONOMOUS MIDDLE CLASS AS THE REPUBLIC'S FOUNDATION Colleague Victor Davis Hanson. Victor Davis Hanson argues that a stable republic relies on an autonomous middle class, which serves as a buffer between the wealthy and the dependent poor. Drawing on classical history, he warns that modern policies are "hollowing out" this class, creating a peasantry dependent on the state for survival, illustrated by government campaigns depicting adults in a state of perpetual adolescence and reliance. He contends that high taxes and regulations in places like California are driving this productive class away, leaving behind a stratified society of the very rich and the subsidized poor. NUMBER 1