Check out the chart below, which was compiled by the Labor Department and posted this week by conservative writer David Frum, a former speechwriter for President George W. Bush.
As you can see from the chart, over the past thirty years, the share of U.S. national income taken home by workers has plummeted to a record low. With the exception of a period from the mid-1990’s until the year 2000, the share of U.S. national income taken home by workers has been on a steady downward track, begging the question, “why?”
Is this sharp downward decline in the share of U.S. national income taken home by workers a result of the decline in the bargaining power of organized labor?
Is increased competition from foreign workers and the advent of “free trade” agreements to blame?
Is it a coincidence that the downward trend was interrupted and actually reversed during the years of Democratic President Bill Clinton?
Discuss.
Quick, someone map on the “tax cut to billionaires” graph onto that.
Overlay that one on this:
http://take21.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/income_top_0_1_marginal_tax.gif
Pretty sad. They’ve distracted and divided us peons pretty well…hands in our pockets the entire time.
Or viewed alone, the correlation’s even more stark:
http://www.voteview.com/images/Top_Marginal_Income_Tax_Rate_1913-2003.jpg
So, what are we going to do about this?
Well, we need some elected officials who are going to start fighting for the middle class.
You already have them. They just voted on a budget that doesn’t raise property taxes (or any taxes for that matter) on the middle class. Sounds like a win to me.
They also passed in the same bill that gets rid of property rights. Funny thing, that.
“gets rid of” — Exaggerate much?! What are you referring to?
changes to eminent domain that pretty much eliminate property owners being able to negotiate the price of their land when the government wants it for highways or electric transmission lines.
P.S. I don’t need elected officials “fighting” for me or any class. I just want them to leave me alone!