More than six years since the Great Recession began in December 2007 and more than four-and-a-half years since it officially ended in June 2009, vast numbers of Americans are still afflicted by a tepid recovery. Many laid-off workers lucky enough to get a job are being paid less and accorded reduced benefits. And those used to getting paid crap wages have seen them become even crappier.
Doug Hall at the Economic Policy Institute points out that Low-Wage Workers Have Experienced Wage Erosion in Nearly Every State:
The figure below shows that low-wage earners— wage-earners at the 20th percentile— have experienced wage erosion in nearly every state. Between 2009 and 2013, low-wage earners’ wages declined in every state except three (West Virginia, Mississippi and North Dakota). Real (i.e. inflation-adjusted) wage erosion was greatest in Maryland (-$1.24), Massachusetts (-$1.18), and New Jersey (-$1.16) during this period. The national average decline over this period was $0.68 or 6.4 percent. Further, wage erosion was not confined to this portion of the wage spectrum. Wages at both the 10th percentile (“very low wages”), and the median wage saw erosion in forty-five states and the District of Columbia over this period.
This ongoing erosion of lower-income wages is one of the prime reasons that policymakers need to take swift action to support wage growth, such as increasing the federal minimum wage to $10.10, renewing extended Unemployment Insurance, and implementing policies aimed at moving us towards full employment.
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Blast from the Past. At Daily Kos on this date in 2004—Edwards vs. Kerry:
Enough about Dean.
Kerry vs. Edwards. The "liberal" Northern candidate versus the "moderate" Southern candidate. It was the regional matchup everyone expected, even if the route and the names of the candidates didn't gibe with expectations.
The bottom line? It's a new contest. Kerry is about to find out what Dean realized was a difficult task—running a 50-state race, running against Bush, facing attacks from Democrats, Republicans, and rumor mongers, and maintaining the "aura of inevitability" all at the same time. while Kerry has the clear upperhand at the moment, nothing is inevitable at the moment.
Edwards, on the other hand, can cherry pick his battles. He was able to move into Wisconsin and campaign hard for his well-earned strong second-place showing. Kerry was wasting time in Nevada and its beauty contest caucus. Yet the demands of that "50-state" race dictated Kerry spend time every place that votes. Or maybe that was just a really dumb decision (like Dean's Georgia visit on Iowa's eve).
But ultimately, Kerry's biggest weakness is that no one likes him, unlike the well-liked, charismatic Edwards. The exit polls have been clear -- people vote for Kerry not because they are inspired, agree with his policies, or otherwise find him an attractive candidate.
They vote for him because they think he is "most electable." And that aura is fading. The attacks are taking a toll on him and that perceived "electability". And since his support is not deep, it's artificial and thin at best, he has nothing to fall back on.
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On
today's Kagro in the Morning show, Arkansas open carry advocates feel sure a new law endorses their position, but law enforcement disagrees, which is clearly tyranny.
Armando takes the wheel for a bit on Hillary Clinton and 2016. And President Obama's being attacked over expansion of executive power. How fair is it?
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