Middle Class Needs A Raise

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Middle Class Needs A Raise

2014 Jul 9, 1:56am 2,862 views 10 comments

The main reason the U.S. economy isn't doing better

. As of May, U.S. median income (meaning half of Americans made more and half made less) was $53,385, according to Sentier Research. That was nearly 4 percent less than the $55,446 people earned in June 2009, when the recession officially ended. Backward, march!

Pizza chain owners say raising wages will pay off
The best-paid workers have hardly done any better. Over that same time period, people earning the equivalent of $52.80 an hour (or roughly $110,000 a year, putting them in the 95th percentile of U.S. earners) saw their compensation rise by an average of 1 percent per year, the think-tank found.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-main-reason-the-economy-isnt-doing-better/

Ever since the whole 1% Thing started back in 2009, we've heard all sorts of radical solutions ranging from the "off with their heads" arguments of Picketty to the "replace them with robots" of the power bosses.

I've always thought the solution was simple. We don't need more billions for the Jobs Creators, nor do we need to tax people by raising the minimum wage by itself.

What we need is for the people in the middle to get big raises and bonuses. Reason? Simple. So they can buy more stuff! People don't want to change the system -- they want to be able to live better within it!

Comments 1 - 10 of 10 Search these comments

1 Analyzer 2014 Jul 9, 2:20am

People will no doubt spend if you put more in their pockets. We are not a nation of savers.

2 ForcedTQ 2014 Jul 9, 3:54am

Vote with your wallet, stop purchasing products and services from companies who you feel unfairly compensate the "actual workers" vs. the management / owners of the companies.

Eman 2014 Jul 9, 10:25am

Every time the middle class gets a raise, the lanlord also gets a raise. The bigger the raise, the better for the landlord.

Heraclitusstudent 2014 Jul 9, 10:47am

E-man says

Every time the middle class gets a raise, the lanlord also gets a raise. The bigger the raise, the better for the landlord.

A raise is not meant to allow people to buy more stuff. This is not determined by salary levels. If everyone is paid more, everything is more expensive.

No, the reason why raises are good is to devalue the heavy stock of debts this country has accumulated.

Heraclitusstudent 2014 Jul 9, 10:57am

John Bailo says

What we need is for the people in the middle to get big raises and bonuses. Reason? Simple. So they can buy more stuff! People don't want to change the system -- they want to be able to live better within it!

Many American workers have to contend with international competition and so are penalized if they get a raise.

Countries like Germany are doing well, not by giving raises, but on the opposite, by keeping wages modest and the currency strong.

John Bailo 2014 Jul 9, 11:11am

Heraclitusstudent says

Germany...keeping wages modest and the currency strong.

Houses in Germany are almost all rentals, and managed by the government, keeping payments controlled. They build and allocate more units as needed, and they control the size of their population.

John Bailo 2014 Jul 9, 11:11am

E-man says

Every time the middle class gets a raise, the lanlord also gets a raise. The bigger the raise, the better for the landlord.

That's true of the minimum wage workers, but not as much as with salaries since the middle class has the mobility to move to cheaper housing and commute or telecommute. Also many are already homeowners so no increase there.

John Bailo 2014 Jul 9, 11:12am

APOCALYPSEFUCKisShostikovitch says