Jason Calizar, Torrance, Calif.

This is the view from the front porch of my modest home in beautiful North Torrance, California. It is of the American flag I fly proudly every day since I have owned the home. I chose it because there is nothing more American than being part of the middle class. The past five years have clearly shown how much the middle class supports this country from assisting those in poverty to bailing out those on Wall Street. And through it all, members of the middle class refuse to quit. We show up for work everyday and live our lives as best we can in the eternal belief that tomorrow promises to be better. I cannot think of anything more that defines the middle class or what it means to be an American.