A series of actions by Washington and Wall Street over decades have systematically dismantled the economic foundation of America's middle class. In The Betrayal, two of the country's finest investigative reporters reveal the extent of the ruination and the people and agencies most culpable. Barlett and Steele's 1992 bestseller about Washington's assault on the middle class-- America: What Went Wrong--was controversial in its day. But when the authors reexamined it, their conclusions then seemed quaint in the light of today's realities. For this new book they document a fundamental betrayal of the American promise, through peerless reportorial investigation and through the perspectives of workers and businessmen across the country. One former factory manager said: "If we keep up as we are now, within twenty to thirty years will there even be a middle class?" Barlett and Steele show why Americans are rightfully fearful about the future, and warn that greater economic pain lies ahead unless we make fundamental changes now.