Molly Ivins: It’s Good to Be the Richest of the Rich

[Bluebear]

AUSTIN, Texas—Oh, goody. According to the White House press office, President Bush will spend much of the next two weeks discussing what a swell economy we have. Did you know that the Dow Jones industrial average is at its highest point EVER? And the NASDAQ, ditto. Wow, breathtaking, huh? But the Dow is not a good indicator of how thing are really going for the majority of Americans.

I just love listening to the Bushies play with numbers. When Bush took over in 2001, he predicted a surplus of $516 billion for fiscal year 2006. Last week, the administration announced a 2006 deficit of $248 billion, missing its projection for this year by $764 billion. Bush said the numbers are “proof that pro-growth economic policies work” and are “an example of sound fiscal policies here in Washington.”

This is highly reminiscent of Dick Cheney’s recent observation about the Iraqi government, “If you look at the general, overall situation, they’re doing remarkably well.” ...

Bush’s remarkably good economy is good only for the richest; for the rest of us, incomes are stagnant and education and healthcare costs are skyrocketing. The Republican Congress blindly rubber-stamps policies designed to help only a few. Are you better off than you were six years ago?

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/200601023_molly_ivins_richest_of_the_rich/

[JanMichael]

1. Ok...My salary has gone up by 30% in the last 4 years.

However I am still a committed Socialist and it (more money) only has to do with moving to a larger entity.

The fact is I am at the natioanal median and certainly not "rich" or "wealthy". However I know that I live too much better than many other hard working folks.

I've got decent healthcare (which has gotten more expensive yearly and less universal plus might screw us in a crunch ie. bankruptcy) and a pension (which will likely be robbed in the future but then that's another story) which is denied too much of our population.


But everything's cool...riiiiight.

[ThomCat]

3. My salary has been stagnant for a few years

and bonuses have gone down. I'm a corporate consultant and the general belt-tightening has hit the consulting industry pretty hard.

[FredStembottom]

8. You're just beginning what we blue-collar types have

been enduring for about 20 years now.

My hourly pay rate stopped increasing in the late 80's. During the 90's "boom", no one like me went anywhere.

And I couldn't just switch companies - because the stagnation was industry-wide. Soon, the rest of the blue-collar world became even worse than my industry - having never reached my hourly rate - and my hourly wage (stagnant as it is) soon seemed to be a "blessing" by allowing me a longer "fall time" versus inflation.

Fortunately, my wife was healthy enough to train to be an RN (in her 40's).
Also, in the late 80's, my reading convinced me that the Right really was offering "voodoo economics" and that the future was actually quite bleak for families like mine. I convinced my wife that we MUST remain in the little starter house we bought in 1986 and that my retirement would be safely stashed in Treasuries only. This let us, at least, have paper house-value and let my retirement sail through the .com crash untouched.

These 3 moves saved us from 20 years of stagnation. But it sure isn't the "land of opportunity" I learned of as a child. I would call my experience "land of desperation" perhaps.

MY America is simply ahead of yours (you and Reply #1) . But you guys are goin' down, too. The Republicans AND the NAFTA/GATT Democrats have both made certain of that.

Welcome!

[exlrrp]

11. Switch over to military consulting

Buzz a few books, learn some cool buzzwords and youre in the game making hunbdreds of 1000s of dollars. And the best thing is you don't have to be right! Remember all the talking heads that said what a walk on the beach an invasion of Iran would be?? THEYRE STILL THERE!!
A definite can't-fail job

[TahitiNut]

5. The median wage for 2005 was $23,962.20 - and not much more this year.

The average (mean) wage last year was $35,448.93, and 65.8% of working people earned less. Actually these wage figures are the total wages earned by each worker, many of whom worked two or more jobs to earn enough. Interestingly (tragically) enough, all those 65.8% workers who earned average wages or below only received 27.2% of all wages paid last year. That's what the "War On The Middle Class" is all about - fucking the many to enrich the few.





Like my new chart(s)?? :dunce:

[StellaBlue]

2. NO!

I am still struggling, with two part-time jobs with no benefits, unable to repay my student loans, no healthcare - at 27, six years out of college. Can't afford to buy this massively overinflated property around here, or have kids. And I have a masters. I cringe to think what it's like for someone with a diploma and a kid.

FUCK EM!

[burning]

4. Tony Snow says the job market is great

Interviewed on our local right wing morning talk show Tuesday, Tony Snow said the job market was just great. If you lose your job or choose to leave it you'll find a better job with better pay and benefits in short order. That's comforting to know. What great jobs do you suppose those former auto workers in the midwest or the laid off paper makers here in Maine have found?

[lostnfound]

10. Economy is great for rightwing flacks who no longer have a soul to sell

You can make money in a myriad of unethical ways. Ask Tony.

[exlrrp]

12. Maybe if you like flipping burgers

Snow should get a job as a Walmart greeter, he has the same level of sincerity

[burrowowl]

6. K&R

I love Molly and I hope she wins her battle against cancer. It doesn't look good, but I pray she will be with us for years to come.

[Bluebear]

7. a.m. kick

[The Backlash Cometh]

9. He'll fool the rich people. My observation of rich people:

They own their entire million dollar house, have a vast portfolio in Wall Street and or/own commercial buildings, but still don't consider themselves rich. Most of that money was earned back when Democrats controlled government and pensions and retirement bonuses still existed. That means, of course, that their income from their stock portfolio relies on you continuing to work your ass off in the companies they invested in, and of course, to continue plugging your money into the Wall Street pyramid group that seems to only care about protecting their top 1%ers. And, most of all, they depend on you buying the Republican bullshit that a one month change in Wall Street's numbers is going to make a difference in your life.

Bush, you had six years. One month of manipulated numbers on Wall Street just isn't going to cut it.