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By Christopher S. Rugabur AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON » A sense of belonging to the middle class occupies a cherished place in America. It conjures im - ages of self-sufficient people with stable jobs and pleasant homes working toward pros- perity. Yet nearly five years after the Great Recession ended, more people are coming to the painful realization that they're no longer part of it. They are former profes - sionals now stocking shelves at grocery stores, retirees struggling with rising costs and people working part- time jobs but desperate for full-time pay. Such setbacks have emerged in economic statistics for several years. Now they're affecting how Americans think of them - selves. Since 2008, the number of people who call themselves middle class has fallen by nearly a fifth, according to a survey in January by the Pew Research Center, from 53 percent to 44 percent. Forty percent now identify as either lower-middle or lower class compared with just 25 percent in February 2008. According to Gallup, the percentage of Americans who say they're middle or upper-middle class fell 8 points between 2008 and 2012, to 55 percent. And the most recent Na - tional Opinion Research Center's General Social Sur- vey found that the vast pro- portion of Americans who call themselves middle or working class, though still high at 88 percent, is the low - est in the survey's 40-year history. It's fallen 4 percent- age points since the reces- sion began in 2007. The trend reflects a wid- ening gap between the rich- est Americans and every- one else, one that's emerged gradually over decades and accelerated with the Great Recession. The difference between the income earned by the wealthiest 5 percent of Americans and by a me - dian-income household has risen 24 percent in 30 years, according to the Census Bu- reau. Whether or not people see themselves as middle class, there's no agreed-upon def - inition of the term. In part, it's a state of mind. Incomes or lifestyles that feel mid- dle class in Kansas can feel far different in Connecticut. People with substantial in- comes often identify as mid- dle class if they live in urban centers with costly food, housing and transportation. In any case, individuals and families who feel they've slipped from the middle class are likely to spend and borrow less. Such a pullback, in turn, squeezes the econ - omy, which is fueled mainly by consumer spending. "How they think is re- flected in how they act," said Richard Morin, a senior edi- tor at the Pew Research Cen- ter. People are generally slow to acknowledge downward mobility. Many regard them- selves as middle class even if their incomes fall well above or below the average. Ex- perts say the rise in Ameri- cans who feel they've slipped below the middle class sug- gests something deeply rooted. More people now think "it's harder to achieve" the American dream than thought so several decades ago, said Mark Rank, a soci - ology professor at Washing- ton University in St. Louis. Three years ago, Kris- tina Feldotte, 47, and her husband earned a com- bined $80,000. She consid- ered herself solidly middle class. The couple and their four children regularly va- cationed at a lake near their home in Saginaw, Michigan. But in August 2012, Fel- dotte was laid off from her job as a special education teacher. She's since man- aged to find only part-time teaching work. Though her husband still works as a truck salesman, their in - come has sunk by more than half to $36,000. "Now we're on the upper end of lower class," Feldotte said. Americans' self-percep - tion coincides with data doc- umenting a shrinking mid- dle class: The percentage of households with income within 50 percent of the me- dian — one way to define a broad middle class — fell from 50 percent in 1970 to 42 percent in 2010. The Pew survey didn't ask respondents to specify their income. Still, Pew has found in the past that people who call themselves middle class generally fit the broad defi - nitions that economists use. Roughly 8.4 percent of respondents to the National Opinion Research Cen - ter's survey, last conducted in 2012, said they consider themselves lower class. That's the survey's highest percentage ever, up from 5.4 percent in 2006. NORC is a social science research organization at the Univer - sity of Chicago. INCOme More Americans see middle-class status slipping AssociAted Press in this March 11 frame grab taken from video, Jeremy Horning speaks to a reporter in southfield, Mich. Horning returned to school aer losing his job as a logistics manager at a warehouse. He now works part-time at a call-in center. By Kristin Wyatt Associated Press DeNVeR » Three-fourths of Americans say it's inevitable that marijuana will be legal for recreational use across the nation, whether they support such policies or not, according to a public opin - ion poll released Wednes- day that highlights shifting in attitudes following an era of drug war and "tough on crime" legislation. The Pew Research Center survey also shows increased support for ending manda - tory minimum prison sen- tences for non-violent drug offenders and doing away altogether with jail time for small amounts of marijuana. The opinions come as pub - lic debate on these topics has led lawmakers around the nation to consider policy changes. Since California became the first state to le - galize medical marijuana in 1996, at least 19 others, and the District of Columbia, have followed suit, includ - ing two that have approved recreational use. More than a dozen state legislatures considered legalization mea - sures this year. Meanwhile, critics and political leaders, both lib- eral and conservative, have clamored for an end to harsh drug sentences, saying man- datory minimums have con- tributed to prison over- crowding, civil rights viola- tions and strained budgets. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has been pushing Congress to overhaul drug sentencing policies. The telephone sur vey found that 75 percent of re - spondents — including ma- jorities of both supporters and opponents of legal mar- ijuana— think that the sale and use of pot eventually will be legal nationwide. It was the first time that question had been asked, but it reflects a gradual trend of acceptance. The survey indicates that four years ago, 52 percent of respondents said they thought the use of marijuana should not be legal, while 41 percent said it should. The new poll shows a reversal with 54 percent in favor of le - galization and 42 percent op- posed. It marked a turning point in a gap that has been shrinking fairly steadily since 1969, the earliest data available, when 84 percent said pot should be illegal, and only 12 percent thought otherwise. "Pot just doesn't seem as bad," said Gregory Carlson, a 52-year-old landscaper from Denver who did not partici - pate in the Pew survey. "You don't see anything about someone smoking a joint and then driving the wrong way into a school bus," Carlson said. With a chuckle, he added Wednes - day, "They just drive slower." The survey also high- lighted a dramatic shift in attitudes on drug conviction penalties. The survey was about evenly divided in 2001 on whether it was good or bad for states to move away from mandatory minimum sen - tences for non-violent drug offenders. Today, poll re- spondents favored moving away from such policies by a nearly 2-to-1 margin, or 63 percent to 32 percent. Respondents sa id by margin greater than 3-to-1 that people who use small amounts of pot shouldn't go to jail. "Even people who don't fa - vor the legalization of mar- ijuana think the possession of small amounts shouldn't result in jail time," said Car- roll Doherty, Pew's Director of Political Research. The nation thought differ- ently a generation ago. Congress passed the Anti- Drug Abuse Act in 1986 to set mandatory minimum sentences for federal drug crimes that could end up in life sentences for repeat of - fenders. Years later, many states reported prisons bursting at the seams, prompting public officials started abandoning "lock 'em up" drug policies in the 1990s. The trend has since accelerated. Last month, Holder testi - fied in support of proposed sentence reductions in an effort to reserve the "the harshest penalties for the most serious drug offend - ers." mARIjuANA Another poll shows drug war policies being rejected AssociAted Press file in this Jan. 1 file photo, pot store employee david Marlow, right, helps a customer, who smells a strain of marijuana, at the crowded sales counter inside Medicine Man recreational retail marijuana store in denver. Associated Press WASHINGTON » Lawmakers on Capitol Hill accused Gen- eral Motors of a potentially criminal cover-up of its de- fective ignition switches and fumed at the lack of an- swers from its new CEO dur- ing a second day of hearings Wednesday into why GM waited a decade to recall cars with the deadly flaw. Members of a Senate subcommittee also said GM should tell owners of the 2.6 million cars being recalled to stop driving them until they are repaired. But CEO Mary Ba rr a ga ve a ss ur an ce s t ha t the cars, mainly Chevrolet Cobalts and Saturn Ions, are safe to use while own - ers wait for the replacement part, saying she would let her own son get behind the wheel if he took certain pre - cautions. GM has linked the switch to 13 deaths and dozens of accidents. Others, including relatives of some victims, have a higher count of fatal - ities. The automaker has said the ignition switch can move from the "run" position to the "accessory" position because of weight on the key chain. That causes the engine to shut off, disabling power steering, power brakes and the front air bags. As s he d id T ue sd ay a t a House hearing, Barra said many of the answers Con - gress is seeking will come out in an internal GM inves- tigation that should be com- pleted in 45 to 60 days. She also said she was unaware of certain details about GM's handling of the problem — an assertion that frustrated some of the senators. "You don't know anything about anything," Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., bristled. Barra also tried to assure la wm ak er s th at G M is n ow more focused on safety and the consumer. Few sounded convinced. "If this is the new GM leadership, it's pretty lack - ing," Boxer said. Senators aggressively questioned Barra about how GM approved a replacement switch in 2006 but never changed the part number. AuTOmAKeR Lawmakers accuse GM of possible criminal cover-up Select "Subscribe" tab in lower right corner Complete information for automatic weekly delivery to your email inbox That's it! This FREE service made possible by the advertisers in TV Select Magazine Kindly patronize and thank them. Click on their ads online to access their websites! FREE online subscription to TV Select Magazine Digital edition emailed to you, every Saturday! 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