Earlier this week we ran a post highlighting the extent to which middle class America has been gutted by big government and Washington D.C.’s anti-competitive economic policies.
Missed that entry? Click HERE.
Now we’ve got fresh data highlighting just how bad things have gotten for those on the lower end of the economic totem pole. According to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the money spent by American households earning less than $30,000 has remained flat since 2008. Meanwhile income for this group has actually dropped by one percent from 2004 to 2012.
And in case you’re wondering whether the phenomenon is ongoing, Walmart’s sales have been down in each of the last five quarters.
It’s not just the middle class getting drained, in other words … it’s the “upper lower” class, or the working poor.
Good jobs are scarce to nonexistent and part-time work with lousy benefits is all they’ve got to fall back on … and that’s hardly an appetizing prospect considering government will apparently pay you in perpetuity to sit on your ass.
Perhaps if some of the $1 trillion spent incentivizing that dependency – or the hundreds of billions spent on corporate welfare for the super rich – weren’t being sucked out of the economy each year?
Maybe then things would be better?
Look … the economy got good marks for the second quarter of 2014. For now, anyway. But as we noted, until that economic growth starts taking hold in the broader marketplace – which is driven by the purchases made by lower and middle class consumers – we should expect the weakest post-World War II recovery to remain just that, weak.
81 comments
So let’s reward them with EBT cards that can be used at fast food restaurant and convenience stores, subsidized housing, subsidized child care, subsidized health care, subsidized utility bills, education grants and handouts; free meals in school for their litter of kids, and the list goes on and on. If I received the tax-free payments those on welfare do I could probably earn half what I do now and live the same lifestyle.
If you have money for booze and cigarettes, you don’t need food stamps. You want food stamps, here’s a broom, there’s a sidewalk/street, you’re money is at the other end.
Sorry, but my Give-A-Shit meter for 99% of these people is broken.
I disagree that there’s good paying jobs out there if you want to work, but do think if you’re on welfare you should be doing some type of work Great Depression style.
What welfare? You mean the welfare you get for kids? (TANF). OK. What will we do with the kids while The parent is working the WPA project?
Oh I don’t know, maybe create more WPA jobs that are daycare facilities employed with welfare recipients? How did people go to work in the days before mass welfare.
You’re rights you don’t know.mass welfare? Ever hear of the bipartisan welfare reform under Clinton? Find somebody else to hate or offer up something seriously constructive
bipartisan welfare, is that where if you voted for Clinton you received 30% more each month?
Ever heard of head start, pre-K, elementary schools, or daycare?
So elementary schools are now welfare? Daycare is welfare? Why are so many people I know paying for daycare if the government is providing it for free? Who ends up paying for it, taxpayers.
The government is already paying for it. They should be working during the times their kids are at school.
So if the government is paying for it already, why is the bulk of my property taxes a charge for the local school system? Why aren’t those collecting welfare working when their kids are at school? Because their pride is better served sitting on a porch than behind a cash register at McDonalds?
You’re arguing with nobody. I’m agreeing with you.
Pride don’t pay the bills beeoch
Oh boo hoo, you might have to travel more than 3 miles from home to find good work. If you’re an able bodied person, why not go work in the oilfields or surrounding areas where they’re begging for employees and including things like per diem or housing allowances. If you have any ambition you can make $80k-100k working for the oil companies, truck drivers are making $60k minimum. Fast food restaurants in Williston, ND are paying $15/hr. North Dakota too cold, go to Texas, Louisiana, or Oklahoma. But it’s easier to sit on the front porch and bitch because the mailman is late.
I agree, even though I’m an extreme case working outside the U.S. My fellow Americans…southerners in particular…can’t be bothered to go where good work is abundant because cold weather/no sweet tea/gotta live close to mama/mean ol’ northerners/”disability”/any other bullshit excuse. Or they have a liberal arts degree and are basically unemployable. And all the while they’ll be telling you there are no opportunities, by which they mean no $20+/hr jobs where they can sit on their ass and bullshit about Gamecock football all day, every day.
If they want to live stupidly and die destitute, then let ’em. They always have the choice to better themselves but refuse to do so. Personally, I’m making bank, living and working around “scary brown people” who happily travel halfway around the world to earn whatever they can in order to better themselves and their families.
The oil field magical job curing everything is a myth. What, you think you’re the only person out there who’s ever heard of these oil field jobs and millions of Americans would rather be poor than make $100k a year?
See, you’re living in a fantasy land where living in a boom town= living in Squishy123 town in South Carolina. You know why McDonalds has to pay their employees $20 an hour? Because the average rent in these boom towns is higher than it is in NYC. So yeah, just do go to Williston, ND, get a job at McDonalds making that sweet $20 an hour. Then, you can return to your 700 square foot apartment that costs $2,400 a month in rent and wonder where all your money went. http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/real-estate/average-rent-williston-n-tops-costs-nyc-article-1.1617187
So what’s your excuse for the many companies that are providing housing as part of their hiring package? Sure it’s in a man-camp but it’s a dorm room that’s provided at no cost to the employee and includes meals.
Like I said, I guess it’s much easier to just sit on your ass in Columbia, SC and complain that the government isn’t doing enough to provide for you than it is to find a job. There was a time when I’d give bums on the street money, now if they’re holding iPhones and look like they are healthy enough to work I don’t even bother acknowledging their existence.
Squishy—just like your comment. But most part, the poor don’t receive most of those payments either. They may qualify, but the funding isn’t allocated. Alternatives? Let kids go hungry? Come on. Yes or no? Is this what you want Lester?
Farm subsidies. If the farmers can afford booze and cigarettes, they don’t need welfare, right? My Give-a-shit meter for corporations, zig F arm and Big Pharma is broken. But, excuse me sir, your hate is showing–and your smallness
At least farmers produce something for their welfare… besides another kid. Most of the kids I see who are the “poor welfare kids” could stand to miss a few meals. Being 6 years old and 100 pounds. I’m old enough to remember when poor people were skinny and rich people were fat.
So Rakkasan, you going to get my Slurpee or do I have to take my EBT card elsewhere?
Some produce, some get paid not to produce. So back to the reality channel. So what are you recommending? Stop TANF? End SNAP? Gimme something other than hate bombs.
Yes some get paid not to produce, it’s to control the commodity markets, and the land is not worked and goes back to CRP (Google it) which is good for the land. To bad people you’re defending get paid to reproduce.
How about we get rid of disability payments for every “learning disability” these same kids get diagnosed with. ADD and ADHD type diagnosis are nothing more than bad parenting.
Every program has costs and benefits. It’s still welfare. And you didn’t answer my question. Nothing but throwing stones and hate bombs. You got nothin and do nothing except stand in the way
Oh, so now you’re going to change your tune and defend farmers because of costs and benefits? What benefits do we receive from those who do nothing but drain the programs? What benefits does the country get from TANF or from SNAP?
I’d rather stand in the way than stand by and watch the Free Shit Army standing in welfare lines waiting for their free shit.
Circulating money in the economy dumbass. You know, like demand, sales, activity, purchases, the multiplier effect of a purchase.
Where does that money start? Taxpayers.
Who’s first in line? The Free Shit Army bitching that they should be getting more.
Skip the middle man and things will work a lot smoother.
Well, we have to help those tattoo wearers and lottery tickets buyers.
“And in case you’re wondering whether the
phenomenon is ongoing, Walmart’s sales have been down in each of the
last five quarters.”
Well, just six Walmart heirs have more wealth than the bottom 42 percent of Americans combined (up from 30 percent in 2007).
How about raising the income tax on the rich to stimulate the economy. The the lot of the lower class could rise.
You mean take money from the rich people and give it to government so they can fight more wars, hire more bureaucrats, fund more monkey sex studies, fund EX-IM loans for Boeing/GE, fund more Solyndra’s and then sprinkle what’s left over to generational welfare masses?
Yea….that sounds like a great plan…push the accelerator down on more of the same.
No. Upgrade our roads and infrastructure. Put people to work.
Ah yes, the enrichment of pols and their crony friends…I’m sure that will save the country if you are able to get them to spend the money on such things(which has a chance of approximately zero %).
You mean like “shovel ready” projects? Didn’t we try that once?
Thank You for your concern.
Raising taxes does NOT stimulate a free market economy. All that does is take money OUT of the economy and put it in the hands of the government in order to waste it in the myriad of ways in which they waste it.
Lowering the corporate tax rate might stimulate the economy, it’d sure keep our corporate headquarters from fleeing overseas.
I am in that lower class but Obama has succeeded in dividing and destroying America but seperating us and playing to the very rich. You can’t stop the rich by raising their taxes they just pass the cost of goods onto us. They,like Congress make their wealth from insider trading. I really believe the only thing that can save America now is for the working class to revolt
Taxing income won’t hurt the Walmart heirs, brah.
JUST AS OBAMA PLANNED IT!
Being poor is expensive
Everybody’s getting poorer, Dumb@$$. Didn’t I tell your Stupid @$$ that before the 2012 election. And you were to F*#king dense to get it.
Why is it you ignorant F*#king liberals only S#!* on yourselves when you can claim the poor are getting poorer.
What is disgusting, you STUPID son of a B!*ches have been screaming EQUALITY for years, but you don’t give a S#!* about the middle class who actually BUILD this country. You only care about your Special Interest groups. So STFU. It’s your fault.
Emily you’re such a classy broad.
Dear GT:
It really is difficult to try and extrapolate any meaning out of what you say when you type like this.
Seriously, cut out about 80% of the swearing and alternate numerals. It really is childish. No one takes anyone seriously when they constantly sound that angry and uneducated.
I feel like I’m watching youtube and just saw “Ain’t nobody got time for that.”
All the best!
Pearls before swine.
You’re stupid F*#king Liberal. Do you think I give a F*#k what you think? Your the reason we’re in this F*#king mess. Dumb@$$…
Congratulations. You have embodied and enshrined everything we need to know about why SC is is the bottom quintile of most everything and on the wrong side of history, reason, and science
And you exemplify the brilliance, and the robust economies, of NY, California and Massachusetts as well as Hillary, Jerry Brown and Elizabeth Warren. The Best and Brightest, for sure….LMAO…..Hahahaha
Oh, you mean the people who will be leading the country after 2016? Thanks.
BWAHAHAHAHAHA
Shut your hole before I punch you in your dot.
Come on, everyone knows you want to punch my hole.
And you’d probably like it if I did.
I’m glad you like my name. Red dot? Nice. Goes with the Slurpee comment above. Your buddies thought it was cute too.
Any vets out there wanna explain Rakkasan to Squishy Missy and the Bunghole Brothers? Colonel?
I’ll cut to the chase for your Squishybitch. Rakkasan is the nickname of a highly decorated Infantry regiment in the 101st Airborne. And you had me getting your Slurpee for you? tie your dick back up between your legs and STFU.
Were you a member? If not what gives you right to use their name?
Preach it Bro.
Thx. Scooter. A little positive reinforcement in a world owned by the evil forces, is encouraging. Bless you.
I think he was being sarcastic… but I realize you’re looking for all the positive reinforcement you can get, sarcastic or not.
Let me guess….the rich people are getting richer because they are stealing all of the poor people’s money.
and now those dummies at Boeing are screwing up again. “Boeing Co. will build the 787-10 Dreamliner exclusively at its
non-unionized plant in North Charleston, the Chicago-based aerospace
giant announced Wednesday” They will probably hire some more of those dumb government-run school educated morons to do the work and pay them good wages to boot.
I know…maybe if we post enough pictures of Boeing security at the gate, we can stop this abomination.
Sic Willie baited us with hints that he had the inside info on Boeing Charleston. I wonder if this is it. Well of course he said he was publishing a book on his “relationship” with Haley also.
Good wages @ Boeing? HAHAHAAHA .. don’t make me laugh!!
And what are the wages as compared to comparable locality wages?
The rich are getting richer. We should eliminate the middle man, and just turn it all over to the rich, and spare us the charade.
Many wages in blue collar jobs have dropped to what they were 11 years ago. Illegal alien workers – cost of gasoline – higher food prices – greedy housing cost, etc …. America is over. Its doomed now. And Obama is pushing it off the cliff.
You work for me now, Cracker.
Lions and tigers and bears, oh my. And all put there by Obama.he is one busy guy.
Six years of Obama and nothing to show for it … And Grahamnesty is just as fucked up as ever.
We owe 40 trillion to China, get used to it !
BREAKING STORY —- SC PRISON … DRONE FOUND CRASHED RIGHT OUTSIDE FENCE …. Drone was carrying cellphones, cigarettes, drugs, semi automatic pistol.
Obamaphone???
Anybody else remember when “drones” were nothing more than remote control helicopters?
Saw this one earlier today. Can you provide a link to the entire story?
“American households earning less than $30,000 has remained flat since 2008. Meanwhile income for this group has actually dropped by one percent from 2004 to 2012.”
———————————————————
Will, the economic news is bad for lower income Americans , but not for the reason stated above. I was not able to find the source of the above data release, but there is a logical error in your reasoning. You would expect in a healthy economy that poor people would be better off and spending more eight years later. But the above statistic could never indicate that. Some of the households who earn less than $30,000 may be earning more than $30,000 now and are not included in the statistic. Spending is tied closely to income so a family earning $30,000 in any year would usually spend about the same unless they expected a significant change in their future outlook.
Because the size of the income groups are constantly changing, it is better to divide the households into groups of equal sizes and the look at their spending or income. The BLS does it in equal quintiles ( that’s 5 GrandTango ). In the link below data is given for 2008-2012 or 2004-2012. Page 3 of the link really indicates that things are bad for the for the bottom three quintiles. Click on “View Chart Data” of page three and you see change in income for each quintile. NOT GOOD!
2008-2012
Lowest __________-$275.00
Second__________$143.00
Third_____________$69.00
Fourth__________$1,862.00
Highest_________$8,358.00
http://www.bls.gov/spotlight/2014/high-income-spending-economic-recovery/home.htm
TL; DR
2008-2012 Household Income changes by quintile
Lowest __________-$275.00
Second__________$143.00
Third_____________$69.00
Fourth__________$1,862.00
Highest_________$8,358.00
Is that better?
The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting fucked. Mininum wage increase now.
Minimum wage goes up, prices go up. Prices go up, people buy less. People buy less, employees get laid off. See how this works?
You mean people won’t pay $10 for a Big Mac to support high wages?
What about Walmart, I know people will pay more there to support higher wages, right?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLr5oWfoWRY
The minimum wage is designed for entry-level jobs. Entry-level jobs are not designed to be family-supporting careers. You work up from an entry-level job via a combination of promotions, training, and/or education to build a more lucrative career. But NO, let’s pay a french fry cook that wonderful “living wage” because dropping those ‘taters in hot oil is his life’s calling.
By the way, the rich are getting richer because every level of our democratically-elected two-party government is 100% committed to that goal, regardless of affiliation. Are you going to address the real problem, or are you going to continue to spout meaningless slogans?
The Koch brothers are bathing in the blood of the poor as we speak while laughing madly.
Yeah, if it wasn’t for those Koch brothers we would all be fabulously wealthy. Dog gone those TWO men! The Liberals have managed to gut the very people they claimed to represent, The Middle Class. Just wait for what happens when all the crap being covered up until Obama can get out of the White House explodes on the next guy. It will take a wheelbarrow of dollars to buy a loaf of bread.
I say, buy AR’s and ammo, get ready for the KOCH WARS. Voting will not bring America back to the people. Civil war will, lock and load !
People just need to get used to the fact, we owe China Trillions for the Iraq war. Is this new news ? Same in SC, we owe millions for actions – decisions in SC. The taxpayer always pays this money back. When did the ” Endless Checkbook ” come around ? People act stupid about the actions of the people that lead us. My take, hold them accountable. Treason, death by firing squad. This kind of shit would cease in 2 months.
this is some super dumb shit. stop trying to understand complicated stuff and go out and collect rumors. nobody reads you for your thoughts.