US Wages and Salaries

rose at their lowest levels in 27 years, but of course our congress won't do anything to reverse the trend.

Since the recession began in December 2007, 7.6 million jobs have been eliminated from the economy, and 3 million since Obama’s stimulus program was approved. Even if one were to accept the government’s estimates, a stimulus program that would address the unemployment crisis would need to be at least ten times the size of the one that has been passed. Instead, the Obama administration has rejected any further stimulus measures.

In fact, mass unemployment has been part of a deliberate policy, allowing for corporations to exploit workers’ fears over the poor labor market. The financial and corporate elite has used the economic crisis it created to carry out a massive redistribution of wealth. The bank bailouts will be paid for through attacks on the working class—including austerity measures, cuts in social programs and a continual attack on wages and benefits.

In short, we're screwed.

Political Commentary

Bob Herbert states the obvious that our economy will NEVER be right again unless or until there is a solid middle class in this country, working for middle class wages and salaries.

Since

the Rogue Valley's (Oregon) wage base consists mainly of seasonal or real estate or health care jobs, adults, especially those with children, and especially those who don't know English, can't make it.

This is one of the reasons I moved from there nearly 24 years ago:

Up to 85 percent of jobs in the Rogue Valley are not paying a living wage, and for Latino workers, the situation's even worse, according to "The Race for Wages: Living Wage Jobs in the Current Economy."

The report, released this week, highlights the role that race plays in the employment system. Released by Oregon Action, the report is the latest in a series of studies from the Northwest Federation of Community Organizations that studies the job gap.

"There are still levels of discrimination," said Rich Rohde, Rogue Valley organizer for Oregon Action.

A living wage allows families to meet basic needs without public assistance, and provides them some ability to deal with emergencies and plan ahead. It is not a poverty wage.

The Middle Class

isn't pulling down as much money as one would think:

The real "middle" among American wage earners, after deductions for child support and, if you're lucky, payments into a 401(k), is $30,881 a year. That's the median wage - not the misleading average wage - meaning, half of employees make more than $30,881, and half make less. Not very impressive, is it? A family of four with one wage earner making $20,000 is officially in poverty in the United States, which is not very far away from the median wage of a little over $30,000. And we haven't even talked about health care costs and the ever-rising price of housing.

The median is the true figure (half above, half below), not some phony "average" which, as the writer notes, includes people like Bill Gates. A handful of the Forbes 400 and even those pulling down more than 200k a year can distort the figures.

"Household" income is also a big distorter, as multiple incomes for one family can mask the real decline in wages and salaries of individual jobs. It's obvious two incomes have about the same purchasing power as one from thirty or forty years ago.

Both cooked figures are very similar to reading Labor Department statistics about the "fastest-growing" jobs over the next decade. Those percentages mean absolutely NOTHING when it is the NUMBER of jobs being projected that should be the concern.

The Booming Economy Casualty List for 8/23-8/31.

Our booming economy is busting right along.

Earthlink--900 jobs lost