WP editorial: On Labor Day, Bush should rethink rhetoric, adjust policies

[DeepModem Mom]

Mr. Bush and Labor Day
Workers aren't benefiting from growth.
Monday, September 4, 2006; Page A18

Emerging from a meeting with his economic team at Camp David on Aug. 18, President Bush declared that "solid economic growth is creating real benefits for American workers and families." This assertion was false. Mr. Bush should use this Labor Day to rethink his rhetoric and adjust his policies.

The latest evidence on what the economy is doing for workers comes from last week's Census Bureau report. This showed that the growth cycle that began at the end of 2001 has in fact created remarkably few benefits for most Americans. Between 2001 and 2005 the income of the typical, or median, household actually fell by 0.5 percent after accounting for inflation, even as workers' productivity grew by 14 percent....

***

Since 1980 the wages of the typical worker have tended to decline during bad times and recoup the losses during good ones, with the overall result that they've been stagnant. That stagnation, which contrasted with rapid gains for workers at the top, was bad enough. But the recent phenomenon of wages falling even during good times is disturbing and exceptional. In the first four years of the last expansion, from 1991 to 1995, median income rose 2.9 percent; in the two upswings before that, the first four years delivered gains of more than 8 percent. So whereas past presidents could declare that a rising tide lifted all boats, Mr. Bush cannot honestly do so....

***

In a speech at Columbia University on Aug. 1, Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. rightly acknowledged that "amid this country's strong economic expansion, many Americans simply aren't feeling the benefits." Mr. Paulson needs to explain this point to Mr. Bush, who appears to see things differently. But beyond a change of language, the president needs to understand that his tax and spending policies must do more than target growth. If policies do not take inequality into account, the majority of Americans won't benefit from economic expansion -- and popular support for free trade and other pro-growth ideas will continue to deteriorate.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/03/AR2006090300754.html?nav=most_emailed

[tanyev]

1. Ah, yes. If the president just understood the issues better,

he would do the right thing.


Cough...(bullshit)..cough.

[Art_from_Ark]

14. The "pResident"

hasn't got a friggin' clue about anything except how to do the bidding of his handlers, which is almost always contrary to the best interests of the public at large.

[knowbody0]

2. It's really been this way since 2000

Like he's from another universe or something. Up is down, good is bad, war is freedom, poverty is good fortune.

[rfranklin]

4. He's from the Lucky Sperm Club....

Born into riches and power, legacy admissions and good ol' boy ties, he's never had to work hard in his like while worrying about whether he'll be able to pay the mortgage or having to kiss the boss's butt to keep a crappy job for the sake of his family.

[driver8]

11. Ha -- ain't that the truth!!

He has never had to worry about wages, or earning a living, or feeding his family. He has had everything handed to him in life.

He is a man of the corporations. If he had his way, unions would be a thing of the past and everyone would be earning minimum wage with no benefits, no 401K, and no overtime.

Shrub talks a good game but his actions speak louder than his words.

[Patchuli]

16. Shrub can't even speak good English

let alone talk a good game! You'll notice if he's not reading from a card, he's in bad shape!

[TahitiNut]

3. His 'policies' enrich the owners of labor and disenfranchise workers.

Not since before the Great Depression have corporations profited more on labor's backs.




The federal minimum wage is at the lowest in over fifty years.




He's driven ten million workers out of the labor force - the worst in over fifty years.






He's put the federal government deeper into debt than since the Korean War.




He's destroyed the middle class ... worse than Communist China.

[DeepModem Mom]

6. Thanks for this informative post, TahitiNut! nt

[redqueen]

18. That would have made a great thread...

wish I could recommend posts here.

:hi:

[TahitiNut]

19. I've shared these graphs quite often over the years ...

... but I get the VERY clear impression that the majority of DUers are not graph-literate. It's something that has me shaking my head, since (as a Math major and former HS Math teacher) I know of no better way to portray the data as clearly. Endless prose parsing the rhetoric and identifying the deceptive and misleading claims just doesn't hack it. Sound bites don't hack it. There's a GOOD reason that graphs are used - they're more difficult to falsify beyond the inaccuracies in the underlying data.

For whatever interest there might be, many/most of the graphs I've irregularly maintained over the years can be seen at http://members.aol.com/tahitinut/MyCharts.htm

Thanks! :hi:

[bonzotex]

5. Typical MSM piece

If only Dubya would just modify his policies a little, y'know just tweak it some, everybody could benefit from the "Bush boom". Wouldn't that be swell!!

These timid media whores will never get it. It's the Conservatism stupid! Bush will not modify his policies, ever. Bushco doesn't care who suffers or how much as long as his corporatist base and rich pals make a killing.

"amid this country's strong economic expansion, many Americans simply aren't feeling the benefits."

Geezus. Any economic growth is in spite of the ridiculous supply-side fantasy economic theories.

The money quote, "Between 2001 and 2005 the income of the typical, or median, household actually fell by 0.5 percent after accounting for inflation, even as workers' productivity grew by 14 percent...."

The majority works harder to take home less, yet we produce more so the top 2% can swell already swollen investment accounts. The Repugs keep screaming about fags, meskins and islamofascists so the people won't feel the hand in their pockets.

Maybe people are feeling enough pain to run these crooks out on rails.

[Diane R]

7. Recommended.....

We're middle class and, unfortunately, the little boy prince was annoited president just as our three children were beginning college. The stock market tanked, no summer jobs were available for the kids, he is cutting school loans and tuition is rising exponentially. Now they are graduating and their well educated friends are all working at Starbucks.

There will be a special place in hell for some of these decision makers.

[longship]

8. Thanks for trying WaPo, but do you actually think ChimpCo will do that?

I don't.

Stay the Course!!
Stay the Course!!
Stay the Course!!
Stay the Course!!
Stay the Course!!
Stay the Course!!
Stay the Course!!
Stay the Course!!
Stay the Course!!

[DuckBurp]

9. A leopard cannot change its spots

(I love to use that phrase.)

Bush will not, cannot, change his policies. It is beyond his reasoning capacity to either critically analyze his policies, or to admit that his policies need to change.

[filer]

10. Just be patient.

The real benefits from Dubya's solid economic growth should start trickling down any day now.

[Art_from_Ark]

15. Yeah, it's going to start trickling down

in the form of gold(en showers).

[Lindacooks]

12. "This assertion was false."

GD it, just call it what it is - a LIE. A bald-faced, over-the-top, Repuke LIE. Yes, chimpy LIED.

[madrchsod]

13. bush has never worked a day in his life,

he`s fails at everything he does,
and he could care less for the great unwashed.

[Patchuli]

17. Or vice versa...nt