Monday, September 04, 2006
Happy Labor Day?
I celebrated Labor Day by sleeping in and arriving at work at about 8 a.m. instead of my usual pre-dawn hour. It was pleasant to make the trip in daylight. That usually is only a treat I get in late June and early July when the sun rises extremely here on the Mid-Shore.
If you are among the majority of people who work for a living, you don’t have much to celebrate this Labor Day despite the rhetoric to the contrary.
Recently released census figures show that between 2001 and 2005 the income of the median household fell by .5 percent even as worker’s productivity grew by 14 percent. The people who drive a used Honda or Toyota can identify with this decline, those with a BMW or a Lexus should be puzzled. The growth in our economy has been for their benefit. Enjoy.
Those who fell into the poverty category also increased from 2001 to 2005. The poverty rate rose from 11.7 percent to 12.6 percent during that time.
It tells me the gap between the classic "haves" and "have-nots" is widening. How long can this trend continue before our economy--our culture--begin to show severe stress?
Sleep well. We'll be back at it tomorrow, the day after Labor Day.
If you are among the majority of people who work for a living, you don’t have much to celebrate this Labor Day despite the rhetoric to the contrary.
Recently released census figures show that between 2001 and 2005 the income of the median household fell by .5 percent even as worker’s productivity grew by 14 percent. The people who drive a used Honda or Toyota can identify with this decline, those with a BMW or a Lexus should be puzzled. The growth in our economy has been for their benefit. Enjoy.
Those who fell into the poverty category also increased from 2001 to 2005. The poverty rate rose from 11.7 percent to 12.6 percent during that time.
It tells me the gap between the classic "haves" and "have-nots" is widening. How long can this trend continue before our economy--our culture--begin to show severe stress?
Sleep well. We'll be back at it tomorrow, the day after Labor Day.
# posted by Richard Polk @ 7:33 AM 
