This is why so many Americans are angry at and frustrated with those with wealth and power

[hfojvt]

32. maybe that explains why I am not

My own hourly wages

1993 - $5.10
1995 - $5.4 (until I was laid off on my March birthday, happy 33rd to me)
1996 - $5.5
1998 - $7.15
1999 - $7.25
2000 - $8.5
2002 - $10.69
2016 - $14.96

Adjusted for inflation (and throw in benefits)

1993 - $8.37 (one week of vacation, paid holidays)
1995 - $8.40 (same)
1996 - $8.31 (none)
1998 - $10.40 (still none)
1999 - $10.32 (none)
2000 - $11.70 (one week paid vacation, paid holidays - both of which I lost when company switched temp services)
2002 - $14.09 (paid holidays, 2 weeks vacation, sick leave, pension)
2016 - $14.96 (all of the above plus health insurance)

granted not much growth since 2002, but not losing ground either. Getting the moderately good job I did in 2002 (although it paid a little less than the job I was fired from) made for an instant 7% growth rate from 1993 to 2002

There are other factors too, From 1993-95 I was full time (plus self employed full time (but making almost NO money at my bookstore). In 1995 until March 1996 my only paid job was shoveling snow, so I made almost nothing (but the store continued to cover my residence expenses). For most of 1998-2001 I was full time temp. From 2002-May 2004 I was part time. 2004-Oct 2006 was full time, and getting health insurance free. 2006-Oct 2011 part time, 2011-Aug 2014 full time (and slightly higher wage).

The periods of full time work allowed me to put away some money, paid off my house in October 2005, so living expenses went down about $9,000 a year at that time (they could have been lower, but I paid that much to pay off the house.) That helps too.

Things could have been better. That factory where I was a temp could (should) have hired me in 2000 or 2001 and I would not have moved (and lost a bunch of money in real estate and had to buy a new house) but they could have been worse too.