Andrea Batista Schlesinger
DMI on the SOTU: “Our economy is healthy and vigorous and growing faster than other major industrialized nations”
The middle class has seen few of the benefits of economic growth, instead experiencing stagnation and decline in wages, sluggish job creation, and the rising cost of education and health care. Tax cuts had little to do with the pace of economic recovery.
" The president's rosy economic picture does not reflect the economic reality of middle-class Americans. These days, corporate profits are growing and CEOs are picking up bigger paychecks. But ordinary Americans aren't celebrating. Battling inflation and stagnant wages, the same middle-class paychecks bring home fewer daily necessities than they used to. As the national deficit continues to grow, more and more Americans are filing for bankruptcy. The costs of health care and of putting a kid through college continue to go up. And with the housing bubble threatening to burst, middle-class Americans who only managed to buy a house or find a job because of this industry's growth will be hit hard. For the 7.5 million Americans unemployed and 45 million Americans uninsured, it's hard to see much cause for celebration at all.
" The President's economic policies have done little to address these issues. This middle-class squeeze reflects harsher constraints on accessing the American Dream: While middle-class Americans aspire to build up equity in their homes, send their children to college and save for a secure retirement, even hardworking families with good jobs are finding it harder to meet these goals and get ahead.
" Job creation has been slow compared to previous economic recoveries, and employers like Ford and General Motors that offered well-paying middle-class jobs have just announced tens of thousands of lay-offs
" Economic growth has been slower than the President's own predictions
Andrea Batista Schlesinger: Author Bio | Other Posts
Posted at 9:18 PM, Jan 31, 2006 in
Progressive Agenda
Permalink | Email to Friend
