Monday, August 28, 2006

Worker's Wages Are Still Falling

The Republicans keep telling us that our economy is great, and new jobs are being created. They don't tell you though that those new jobs are poorly-paid service jobs, while the good-paying jobs are still being sent overseas. But if you are already rich, then this probably is a good economy for you. After all, the corporate profit share of the Gross Domestic Product is at its highest since the 1960's. The rich have definitely gotten richer since the Republicans came to power.

But if you're a worker, the great economy does not extend to you. Currently, wages make up the lowest portion of our Gross Domestic Product since 1947. In fact, the median hourly wage, after accounting for inflation, has dropped by 2% since 2003. This drop has occurred even though worker productivity has steadily risen over the same period. Making matters even worse, the value of worker benefits is also now falling. Workers have definitely gotten poorer since the Republicans came to power.

The minimum wage is at its lowest point in buying-power since the mid-1950's. Republican's like to point out that most people work for more than minimum wage. What they don't tell you is that most hourly wages are affected by the minimum wage. With wages falling, and the price of nearly everything rising, workers are getting squeezed harder every day.

I can understand the rich voting for Republicans this year. The Republicans have allowed them to make outrageous profits at the expense of the rest of us. But if you're a worker, you should not even be thinking of voting Republican. Republicans showed what they think of workers, when they refused to raise the minimum wage, and then turned around and gave themselves a nice fat raise.

Do something good for yourself and your family this year. Vote for Democrats.

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