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US economy going strong under Biden – Americans don’t believe it
(www.theguardian.com)
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this post was submitted on 15 Sep 2023
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politics
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I'm just below the median income for my area. Before the pandemic, I was comfortable. I largely didn't have to worry about expenses, I could dine out a few times a month, cook meat more than once a week, buy a few hobby luxuries every few months. Could air travel for vacation once a year.
I drive a newish economy sedan, live in a decent area with one roommate, didn't have all that much but the 401(k) looked good and I had all I wanted.
Now things are tight. Just the other week, went to a bar that sold a damn good burger for $9 with fries. Could have a beer with it and get out under $20. The damn hamburger is $18 now and the beer doubled in price. I try to buy meat twice a month to eat, but my diet is far more bean and lentil based now. Eggs, while doubly more, are still cheap enough to be a frequent protein. My vacations are all at home now. I've taken to enjoying fishing, which is admittedly great, but I used to fly to Europe or other parts of the US once a year.
I do not know how folks on minimum wage get by here. Without forming a support network of other minimum wage workers to pool for rent and groceries, it has to be an insane struggle.
If this is the "improving economy", I don't want any of it.
I eat out often for work and my company picks up the tab. Part of why I didn’t notice for awhile.
I went to buy eggs and they were like 12 dollars. I could have swore eggs were a lot cheaper in the past.
I eat more hamburgers than I should and that’s where I’ve started to notice the crazy pricing. Like you said you could get a burger and beer for under 20. I use to pay 20 with tip and the tip was over 20%.
I can’t do that anymore.
Man some things have really hit the "I mean, it's one banana, Michael. What could it cost? $10?" levels of ridiculousness price wise.
Since I buy almost the same thing. I don’t pay attention to the cost per item. I just watch the total at the end.
My groceries went from about 80 a week to about 150-180 a week.
I have no clue how the average family is handling this. It’s become so insane even I’ve noticed.
I’m a republican but we need to seriously raise the minimum wage. There is no way anyone can survive on it.
It’s almost 14 here and you can’t survive on that.
Uh, you might wanna consider if being a Republican is more important to you than not living in a country full of homeless starving people is before you cast your next vote.
Most of your fellow Republicans believe deep down in the abolishment of the minimum wage, and are adamantly against ever raising it again.
That’s more of a myth. You do not see that in the party platform. Historically they’re been concerned about the inflation risk with raising minimum wage.
Inflation is so bad now, someone needs to do something. Neither party is addressing the issue.
Every single Senate Republican voted against raising the minimum wage to $15, all but 3 House Republicans did the same. It wasn't really a surprise political result to anyone, nor will it be surprising when they all vote against it again.
So inflation is bad already. They blame rising wages for inflation, and you think they're going to raise the minimum wage? Why? Is there something in the party platform about raising the minimum wage?
I highly doubt there is, and I highly doubt that if they got more power that that's what they'd do.
https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-announces-legislation-require-15-minimum-wage-billion-dollar-corporations#:~:text=Today%20U.S.%20Senator%20Josh%20Hawley,their%20employees%20%2415%20per%20hour.
https://www.hawley.senate.gov/senator-hawley-announces-blue-collar-bonus-pay-raise-american-workers
Guess you don’t actually read what republicans are trying to get done. You just want to say republicans bad.
I’m not a fan of Hawley for other reasons but he’s been pushing a lot of good ideas when it comes to the middle class.
Yeah and how far did that get? I see it was "announced" in 2021. He pass it? He even really do anything besides a press conference?
I'll expect it to pass at exactly the same time as Trump's replacement for Obamacare. 😉
I pay attention to what Republicans are "trying to get done". That's the problem is that I pay attention to it. They always find a way to speak big on things for working people and then get in office and pass tax cuts for their millionaire donors.
He can’t pass it. He can only propose it and submit it for vote. It’s a process.
He also just submitted limiting interest rates on credit cards.
Ah yes the myth that the people who pay most in taxes don’t deserve any relief. The wealthy pay more than their fair share in taxes.
Under Trump my taxes went up. I’m not going to complain about it. It’s life.
He can do more than a single press conference about it, but that would be you know, doing the thing instead of trying to just get brownie points for mentioning it when it has absolutely zero chance of passage.
They do not. You know how I know? Billionaires exist and continually get richer (even those that do nothing but sit around and collect checks) while others become increasingly destitute, starve, or die because they cannot afford medical treatment.
Most people's taxes went up. But if you had set yourself up as a passthrough corporation you might've faired better. I guess you're too poor to afford one of the better tax evasive accountants. Oh well, be less poor next time.
The bill was proposed by Hawley and sanders.
Ah the whole billionaire myth again. It’s hard to take someone seriously when they don’t understand wealth vs income.
It’s exactly why I vote republican. I understand the difference between wealth and income.
You vote Republican because you likely have as little understanding of politics as demonstrated by this thread in which you drummed up a publicity stunt bill proposal to defend a ivy league blue collar cosplay wanker who in office has done nothing but stand up for industry and rich people.
You're acting as you always do: as an unpaid advocate for people who if you were on fire wouldn't piss on you to put it out.
I understand the difference between wealth and income. I also understand that one yields the other with no sweat from the wealth holder.
That's a large part of why they're able to get away with paying so little tax, and they can even just use their wealth to borrow sums of money from banks at lower than thou interest rates and look like paupers, income wise, on paper.
Then thanks to you and others like you they eliminate things like the estate tax (oh no I'm sorry, the death tax is what you know it as) so they can pass that wealth onwards to create generation after generation of people who never have to do an honest days work in their life.
PS: you keep using the word myth, it doesn't mean what you think it means
Can you cite where I said anything about inheritance ? I just have missed that.
Your strawman arguments are silly.
I understand politics well. Thank you for the needless ad hominem while you babble about billionaires and clearly don’t understand wealth.
You don’t realize for most of them, it’s ownership in a company they created. So it is their hard work paying off.
The end of the estate tax is brought to us by voters like you. I didn't say you mentioned it. You just voted for it. Something you likely do a lot of: voting for shit you don't understand.
Yep, that's why you pulled out a publicity stunt bill announcement to defend an insurrectionist supporter. Because your understanding of politics is oh so keen.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/buy-borrow-die-rich-avoid-140004536.html
Income taxes have also fallen over time for the top earners...and that's the people that are being honest about how much money they're making yearly.
In addition, as far as the wealth category, long-term capital gains have the lowest federal tax rates of any type of income.
Lol
I'll just start with a counter example of the richest blabber bullshit boy as of late: Elon Musk. Dude's companies are basically two government subsidies stacked on top of each other in a trench coat. Yep. He totally earned his wealth. 👍