To me, what is really, really alarming is this: a typical American male who works full time and still has a job is earning almost exactly the same now as his counterpart was back in 1972, when Richard Nixon was in the White House, O. J. Simpson rushed a thousand yards for the Buffalo Bills, and Don McLean topped the charts with “American Pie.”
The figures, which appear in Table A-5 at the back of the Census Bureau’s report (pdf), are these. Median earnings for full-time, year-round male workers: 2010—$47,715; 1972—$47,550. That’s not a typo. In thirty-eight years, the annual earnings of the typical male worker, adjusted to 2010 dollars, have risen by $165, or $3.17 a week.
If you do the comparison with 1973 it is even worse. The figure for median earnings of full-time male workers in that year (when O. J. rushed two thousand yards and Tony Orlando had a chart-topper with “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree”) was $49,065. Between now and then, Archie Bunker and Willie Loman have suffered a pay cut of more than twenty-five dollars a week.
But at the core of all of this unemployment is something more sinister than just those who are fortunate to have a job are making less (although that is quite disturbing).
When we have alot of unemployment and no hope of any jobs being created – that makes for a whole bunch of cynicism, pessimism and, for most people who want to work – it makes them feel like they are not worthy of a job – that they are somehow lazy and no-good.
There is something that gets into our psyche when we have lost our job and we cannot find another job of similiar pay, benefits and even in the same field.
That is – IMHO – a much more devasting thing to happen to America than to give millionaires yet another tax cut.
When I heard Obama was planning to announc his new millionaires tax – I could have guessed Mitch McConnell would be the first Repub to blow his gasket.
Isn’t it sad that Republicans will fight tooth and nail to keep their millionaires from paying one more penny in taxes but yet the working Amerircans’ payroll tax holiday is set to expire at the end of this years and Republicans are all too happy to see the working class Americans’ taxes go up.
Go to link above for many charts and graphs contained in the Census Bureau’s report.
The republicans and the wealthy want to keep their billions, and they don’t care whether the United States succeeds. The republicans are very concerned about the assets of the most wealthy decreasing in value, and not at all concerned with those people who don’t know where their meal is coming from.
Republican ‘logic’ — My investments are making me $100 million / year, but if I have to pay taxes I’m not going to invest anymore because I would only be making $99 million / year.
What a beautiful day! Tomorrow, I will deal with Troy Davis, debt and deficits, Republican lies, Pompeo and the EPA, Obama-bashing, Republican lies, pipelines, tax rates, Republican lies, Non-Christian Christians, personhood, Republican lies, other bad stuff, Republican lies, Colbert-Fallon, Republican lies, etc.
Tomorrow, I will also deal with an issue that effects those of us that post at IggyDonnelly – if I do not have your current e-mail addy, drop me a note at WSClark52@gmail.com.
Rising food prices have impacts beyond hunger. Increased food prices also force people to eat less fruit, vegetables, dairy and meat in order to afford staple foods; reduce any savings, sell assets or take out loans; and reduce spending on `luxuries’ such as healthcare, education or family planning. Rising prices also have a disproportionate impact on women.
While Republicans seem hellbent on reducing wages in America, I do not see these people on the same path to reducing the cost of living.
All I ever hear from Republicans is how the wealthiest Americans and their corporations should be allowed to pay the lowest wages possible and never pay any taxes.
PrairiePopulistsAndProgressives.net 
Rational Irrationality
To me, what is really, really alarming is this: a typical American male who works full time and still has a job is earning almost exactly the same now as his counterpart was back in 1972, when Richard Nixon was in the White House, O. J. Simpson rushed a thousand yards for the Buffalo Bills, and Don McLean topped the charts with “American Pie.”
The figures, which appear in Table A-5 at the back of the Census Bureau’s report (pdf), are these. Median earnings for full-time, year-round male workers: 2010—$47,715; 1972—$47,550. That’s not a typo. In thirty-eight years, the annual earnings of the typical male worker, adjusted to 2010 dollars, have risen by $165, or $3.17 a week.
If you do the comparison with 1973 it is even worse. The figure for median earnings of full-time male workers in that year (when O. J. rushed two thousand yards and Tony Orlando had a chart-topper with “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree”) was $49,065. Between now and then, Archie Bunker and Willie Loman have suffered a pay cut of more than twenty-five dollars a week.
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/johncassidy/2011/09/poverty-figures.html#ixzz1YJGA7iOW
But at the core of all of this unemployment is something more sinister than just those who are fortunate to have a job are making less (although that is quite disturbing).
When we have alot of unemployment and no hope of any jobs being created – that makes for a whole bunch of cynicism, pessimism and, for most people who want to work – it makes them feel like they are not worthy of a job – that they are somehow lazy and no-good.
There is something that gets into our psyche when we have lost our job and we cannot find another job of similiar pay, benefits and even in the same field.
That is – IMHO – a much more devasting thing to happen to America than to give millionaires yet another tax cut.
When I heard Obama was planning to announc his new millionaires tax – I could have guessed Mitch McConnell would be the first Repub to blow his gasket.
Isn’t it sad that Republicans will fight tooth and nail to keep their millionaires from paying one more penny in taxes but yet the working Amerircans’ payroll tax holiday is set to expire at the end of this years and Republicans are all too happy to see the working class Americans’ taxes go up.
Republicans are keeping millions out of work just to put one man out of his job.
Remember this? I saw this on another blog.
I think this should be branded on each and every Republicans’ forehead.
Too big again.
Go to link above for many charts and graphs contained in the Census Bureau’s report.
The republicans and the wealthy want to keep their billions, and they don’t care whether the United States succeeds. The republicans are very concerned about the assets of the most wealthy decreasing in value, and not at all concerned with those people who don’t know where their meal is coming from.
Republican ‘logic’ — My investments are making me $100 million / year, but if I have to pay taxes I’m not going to invest anymore because I would only be making $99 million / year.
What a beautiful day! Tomorrow, I will deal with Troy Davis, debt and deficits, Republican lies, Pompeo and the EPA, Obama-bashing, Republican lies, pipelines, tax rates, Republican lies, Non-Christian Christians, personhood, Republican lies, other bad stuff, Republican lies, Colbert-Fallon, Republican lies, etc.
Today, I will ENJOY!
(Did I mention Republican lies?)
Tomorrow, I will also deal with an issue that effects those of us that post at IggyDonnelly – if I do not have your current e-mail addy, drop me a note at WSClark52@gmail.com.
Thanks.
Rising food prices have impacts beyond hunger. Increased food prices also force people to eat less fruit, vegetables, dairy and meat in order to afford staple foods; reduce any savings, sell assets or take out loans; and reduce spending on `luxuries’ such as healthcare, education or family planning. Rising prices also have a disproportionate impact on women.
Click to access Broken-markets.pdf
While Republicans seem hellbent on reducing wages in America, I do not see these people on the same path to reducing the cost of living.
All I ever hear from Republicans is how the wealthiest Americans and their corporations should be allowed to pay the lowest wages possible and never pay any taxes.