The Soapbox

Joined: 04/30/2006 Posts: 44693
Likes: 60784

What's this?

Know you're dumber than a tree stump, but you may want to take the time to

read what you posted. Beyond the headline. Here's a few highlights:

Much of the income growth in recent years is from people getting jobs again, but economists across the political spectrum agree that wage growth has been disappointing and that the working class would likely be doing even better if pay and productivity would rise.

“Income growth was dominated by putting people back to work after the Great Recession and not wage growth," said Douglas Holtz-Eakin, head of the right-leaning American Action Forum and a former economic adviser to GOP presidential candidates.

Incomes for full-time male and female workers declined slightly last year, the Census Bureau found, a reminder that wage gains have been sluggish and mostly wiped out by rising prices for gas, rent and other necessities

* * * *

The extra pay from having another person in the home employed again or working additional hours is the largest factor contributing to rising income, the Census Bureau said.

"We’re continuing to see a shift from part-time to full-time work, so some of that could explain an increase in income,” said Trudi Renwick, an assistant division chief at Census Bureau.
* * * *
[B]y other measures, the economy is still not working as well as it could for everyone. Inequality remains near the highest levels in the modern era, according to various metrics the Census Bureau tracks, and the share of Americans without health insurance stalled last year after several years of progress to extend coverage to more people under the Affordable Care Act.

The percentage of Americans without health insurance was essentially unchanged from 2016 to 2017 — staying at about 8.8 percent, or 28.5 million people — despite the overall economic boom. That marks a leveling off in the decline in the number of Americans without insurance — a number that trended steadily downward from 2010 to 2016, in part due to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

What it will take for more Americans to get ahead is higher hourly wages, said Jared Bernstein, former chief economist to vice president Joe Biden and a senior fellow at the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

(In response to this post by TomKazanski)

Posted: 09/12/2018 at 6:36PM

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Current Thread:

Again egg in the face of a few blind lefties, middle class income is up -- TomKazanski 09/12/2018 4:08PM

I'll read the post later, but offer a few thoughts -- Capital City Hoo 09/12/2018 6:01PM

So it was half the rate of the year before, and a third -- 111Balz 09/12/2018 5:46PM

Hate to say it Tom, but this buttresses the case that the economy was -- hoolstoptheheels 09/12/2018 5:45PM

I’m talking about the libs on this board who said just a few days ago -- TomKazanski 09/12/2018 6:00PM

You should stop sniffing so much glue. Or start ** -- 111Balz 09/12/2018 7:33PM

Know you're dumber than a tree stump, but you may want to take the time to -- WahooRQ 09/12/2018 6:36PM

So let’s see if we get your argument.....someone with 0 income now -- TomKazanski 09/12/2018 7:34PM

Clearly you don't get the argument. Let's try examples. -- Beerman 09/12/2018 9:07PM

Average weekly and hourly REAL wages have increased fairly steadily for the -- BocaHoo91 09/13/2018 12:17AM

Real wage growth has been stagnant for the last 30 years or so and has not -- WahooRQ 09/13/2018 08:58AM

Right, real wages are stagnant compared to 40 years ago, but are up -- BocaHoo91 09/13/2018 10:02AM

Yeah, but as stated, somewhere between -1% and 1%. That was my point. -- WahooRQ 09/13/2018 10:12AM

But UP in all but 2 or 3 of the past 60 months -- BocaHoo91 09/13/2018 10:55AM

Mrs bobs has gone up? -- TomKazanski 09/12/2018 9:19PM

Trick question! -- Beerman 09/12/2018 9:29PM

But in the end bob is a winner! -- TomKazanski 09/12/2018 9:38PM

Sometimes Tommy... -- Beerman 09/12/2018 9:43PM

Household income and real wage growth are different concepts .... -- WahooRQ 09/12/2018 8:29PM

It’s your argument not mine. -- TomKazanski 09/12/2018 9:01PM

Did your mom feed you paint chips as a baby? ** -- WahooRQ 09/13/2018 09:23AM

The 2017 increase was the lowest in at least 3 years -- 111Balz 09/12/2018 5:49PM

Lefties like Bill Maher are hoping for a recession...but so far he is hosed ** -- Tuckahokie 09/12/2018 4:44PM

I was hoping for a thoughtful post from you but so far... -- southdenverhoo 09/12/2018 5:12PM

Your lefty pals (and mine) are more reasonable than Bill Maher...thankfully ** -- Tuckahokie 09/12/2018 6:14PM

Maher's point was that if it took bad economic -- 111Balz 09/12/2018 7:37PM

In 2016, most economists were predicting a recession by 2020 ... -- HowieT3 09/12/2018 4:48PM

In Nov. 2016 some predicted a dire worldwide recession in Nov. 2016 ** -- Tuckahokie 09/12/2018 4:55PM

And the winning candidate ran against a 6 year expansion. Somehow I think -- WahooRQ 09/12/2018 5:48PM

How are tips? They up too? ** -- WahooRQ 09/12/2018 4:41PM

Keep tryin' sweetie. You might convince yourself ** -- WaxHoo 09/12/2018 4:34PM

... to the level that it was before the Great Recession. -- HowieT3 09/12/2018 4:27PM

Yes, all those years of 2% growth add up. ** -- JMHoo 09/12/2018 4:37PM

2% here, 2% there, pretty soon you're talking about real money. -- HowieT3 09/12/2018 4:41PM

Few issues with household income. One being: how many people are in the -- THECZAR 09/12/2018 4:33PM

Many more families don't. -- hoothat 09/12/2018 6:43PM

Is that you Ms. Ocasio-Cortez? You might be trying too hard to deflect, -- Hoodafan 09/12/2018 5:35PM

Bummer...out of free articles. I will wait for the Trump tweet ** -- Tuckahokie 09/12/2018 4:11PM

Open in private mode. But maybe Netscape does not have that feature? ** -- THECZAR 09/12/2018 4:18PM

Dial-up here in the Double-Wide ** -- Tuckahokie 09/12/2018 4:19PM

As though you aren’t sitting in a McDonalds nursing a coffee ** -- KCHoo 09/12/2018 4:27PM