Getting Ahead
October 1st 2007 00:23
The Reason We Try
It just seems harder and harder to get ahead, and I'm not sure why.
I can tell you I talked with a woman at the local grocery store, and I told her I couldn't believe the amounts of my grocery bills for two people; they seemed as high as when I was raising kids. And I'm not buying sirloin steak. I was surprised, and relieved, when she said it was the same for her. She was retired but spending as much, it seemed, as when she was raising six boys.
I said the kids wouldn't haven't eaten without Costco. She laughed and said thank goodness they had bought their beef on the hoof (o.k., I'm still trying to learn this – being in farming country for the first time in my life).
But, I do know that more than the price of food is going up. Our family health insurance, years ago, was around $300 per month for four, and when I left California not too long ago it was going on $800 per month for two. Out of reach if you want to pay rent. According to the state it was costing families an average of about $11,500 per year. Not easy.
There's a chart here, if you can understand it. I'm still trying to figure it out.
epi chart
Most folks in the States don't mind other folks getting richer. We all just want the same chance
It's just, I'm wondering if it is still all that likely we'll get it...
I tried explaining to my daughter once that the Boss used to make about 50 times what the employee made; it was higher than your own paycheck, but it gave you a place to shoot for.
Well, according to the Economist Magazine, Jan 1st, 2005, I was off a bit,
“Thirty years ago the average real annual compensation of the top 100 chief executives was $1.3 m: 39 times the pay of the average worker. Today it is $37.5m: over 1,000 times the pay of the average worker. In 2001 the top 1% of households earned 20% of all income and held 33.4% of all net worth.”
Here's a blurb from Bill Moyer's,
Bill Moyers
interviewing an author on this point, Bill Moyers So, it isn't just my imagination....I'm wondering how it is in other countries......
| 31 |
| Vote |
Add Comments
