Bush Legacy - Middle Class Misery Index Climbs

Between 2000 and 2003, according to the "Middle Class Misery Index," compiled with data from government and independent sources, wages dropped 0.2 percent while the cost of tuition at public colleges and universities increased a record 13 percent.

At the same time, health insurance premiums rose by 11 percent and gasoline prices were up 15 percent, according to the Kerry campaign study.

"The middle-class misery index worsened 13 points in the last three years -- the largest three-year fall on record," the study said.

The index combined seven different indicators: median family income, college tuition, health costs, gasoline cost, bankruptcies, the homeownership rate, and private-sector job growth. The study said six of the seven statistics worsened during Bush's term. Only home ownership rates improved.

Bush campaign spokesman Steve Schmidt dismissed the report as "a political stunt."