RE: The Centralized Tree: This Is What We Are Up Against
It would be nice if the rising tide of corporate profits was raising all boats, but the data, at least in the US, doesn't support this. Wages are largely flat recently and have lagged behind inflation--more so depending on how far back you go in years. In most states the minimum wage is far below the living wage (see the MIT living wage calculator) and the minimum living wage is barely squeaking by and assumes full time employment with healthcare--something many Americans don't have. The middle class is hollowing out here with most of the wealth being sucked to the top 1%. I could include links to any number of articles and reports on this, but credible reports and analyses are so easy to find that there is little point. So, no, everyone is not getting richer--a very small number are getting richer at the expense of most others. The reason for this has a lot to do with legislative capture, rent seeking, monopsony power, weakening of labor laws (more legislative capture), and shared business practices that further harm labor and consumers (such as arbitration and do-not-compete contracts). The market is skewed against most of us. Unless we change the rules, income and, subsequently, wealth distribution will just get worse, especially as more and more automation replaces jobs. At least until the masses revolt. The start of that revolution is already happening with Trump being elected and Brexit being approved. The masses just haven't yet figured out what the real cause of their troubles are.
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