MOST AMERICANS AREN’’T DOING SO WELL—BUT PERHAPS YOU HAVE DISCOVERED THAT PERSONALLY
ONE REASON FOR THE TRAUMATIZATION OF THE AMERICAN VOTER—AND FAR FROM THE ONLY ONE
The following is an extract from TOO MUCH, an online weekly on excess and inequality edited by SAM PIZZIGATI.
Researchers at Social Security have just released their annual scorecard on America’s paychecks. Most Americans, the new data show, aren’t doing so well.
The Social Security Administration divides American income-earners into 60 pay brackets, from under $5,000 all the way up to over $50 million. In only one of these brackets, analyst David Cay Johnston points out, did average pay in 2013 increase over 2012. Guess which one. A hint: the highest.
The median pay for Americans, the Social Security numbers also reveal, stood at $28,031 last year, $320 less than the typical American worker paycheck total in the year 2000. Average Americans, in other words, are going backwards.
Time to go forward. This week’s elections, unfortunately, don’t figure to move us much in that direction. But last week did see a new development that offers a good deal more hope for a more equal future. One of the world’s most visible charities is now speaking remarkably bold and brassy truth to power.
We have that story in this week’s Too Much.
IN VIEW OF THE ABOVE GLOOMY NEWS, I THOUGHT I’D CHEER YOU UP WITH ANOTHER STUNNING PHOTO BY MY SISTER LUCY AYETTEY LYONS.
VOR words c.50
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