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AlterNet reports
When Republicans in Congress passed a big, fat tax break bill in December, they insisted it meant American workers would be singing "Happy Days Are Here Again" all the way to the bank. The payoff from the tax cut would be raises totaling $4,000 to $9,000, the President's Council of Economic Advisers assured workers. But something bad happened to workers on their way to the repository. They never got that money.
In fact, their real wages declined because of higher inflation. At the same time, the amount workers had to pay in interest on loans for cars and credit cards increased. And, to top it off, Republicans threatened to make workers pay for the tax break with cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. So now, workers across America are wondering, "Where's that raise?". It's nowhere to be found.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported this week that wages for production and nonsupervisory workers decreased by 0.1 percent from May 2017 to May 2018 when inflation is factored in. The compensation for all workers together, including supervisors, rose an underwhelming 0.1 percent from April 2018 to May 2018.
That's not what congressional Republicans promised workers. They said corporations, which got the biggest, fattest tax cuts of all, would use that extra money to increase wages. Some workers got one-time bonuses and an even smaller number received raises. But not many. The group Americans for Tax Fairness estimates it's 4.3 percent of all U.S. workers.
The New York Times story about this record breaker describes the phenomena this way: "Companies buy back their shares when they believe they have nothing better to do with their money than to return capital to shareholders." So despite promises from the GOP and the President's Council of Economic Advisers, corporations believed further enriching their own executives and shareholders was a much better way to use the money than increasing workers' wages--wages that have been stagnant for decades.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Sulla on Thursday June 21 2018, @10:40PM (4 children)
The response to a guy pissing in a punch bowl is not yourself pissing in the punch bowl like CNN is trying to do. Being a shithead does not warrant being a shithead.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 21 2018, @11:02PM
Whatabout CNN? Whatabout EMAILS??
Take yer own advice eh?
(Score: 2) by julian on Friday June 22 2018, @01:58AM
Physician, heal thyself
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 22 2018, @07:00PM (1 child)
CNN pissing in the punch bowl? How so? Do you always get irritated with the messenger when he brings bad news? Why?
(Score: 1) by Sulla on Saturday June 23 2018, @12:25AM
Bad news is fine, making up bad news is not.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam