The economy is growing, but very little of that growth is trickling down to average Americans. (Photo: Gage Skidmore/flickr/cc)
Oct 31, 2018
I keep hearing that although Trump may be a scoundrel or worse, he's done a great job for the economy.
Baloney. Yes, the stock market is great, but 84 percent of it is owned by the richest 10 percent of Americans.
The economy is growing, but very little of that growth is trickling down to average Americans. Jobs may be back but they pay squat, especially compared to the rising costs of housing, healthcare, and education.
Trump slashed taxes on the wealthy and corporations, and he promised everyone else a wage boost of $4,000 but it never happened.
Meanwhile, employers continue to cut pension and healthcare benefits. Jobs are less secure than ever. One in 5 jobs is now held by a worker under contract, without any unemployment insurance, sick leave, or retirement savings.
Housing costs are skyrocketing, with a large portion of Americans now paying a third of their paychecks in rent or mortgages.
Trump's budget proposes drastic cuts in low-income housing. Trump's undermining of the Affordable Care Act is also making life harder. Over the past two years, some 4 million people have lost healthcare coverage, according to the Commonwealth Fund.
The costs of college education continue to soar. All Trump has done is make it easier for for-profit colleges to defraud students.
And as the climate changes, more Americans are being hit with floods, mudslides, droughts, and wildfires.
And what's Trump's response? Allow more carbon pollution into the atmosphere and make climate change even worse.
So don't be fooled. Don't judge this economy by the stock market or economic growth, or even the level of unemployment.
Look at actual living standards of average working Americans, and you see an economy that's getting worse, not better.
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.
Robert Reich
Robert Reich, is the Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and a senior fellow at the Blum Center for Developing Economies. He served as secretary of labor in the Clinton administration, for which Time magazine named him one of the 10 most effective cabinet secretaries of the twentieth century. His book include: "Aftershock" (2011), "The Work of Nations" (1992), "Beyond Outrage" (2012) and, "Saving Capitalism" (2016). He is also a founding editor of The American Prospect magazine, former chairman of Common Cause, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and co-creator of the award-winning documentary, "Inequality For All." Reich's newest book is "The Common Good" (2019). He's co-creator of the Netflix original documentary "Saving Capitalism," which is streaming now.
I keep hearing that although Trump may be a scoundrel or worse, he's done a great job for the economy.
Baloney. Yes, the stock market is great, but 84 percent of it is owned by the richest 10 percent of Americans.
The economy is growing, but very little of that growth is trickling down to average Americans. Jobs may be back but they pay squat, especially compared to the rising costs of housing, healthcare, and education.
Trump slashed taxes on the wealthy and corporations, and he promised everyone else a wage boost of $4,000 but it never happened.
Meanwhile, employers continue to cut pension and healthcare benefits. Jobs are less secure than ever. One in 5 jobs is now held by a worker under contract, without any unemployment insurance, sick leave, or retirement savings.
Housing costs are skyrocketing, with a large portion of Americans now paying a third of their paychecks in rent or mortgages.
Trump's budget proposes drastic cuts in low-income housing. Trump's undermining of the Affordable Care Act is also making life harder. Over the past two years, some 4 million people have lost healthcare coverage, according to the Commonwealth Fund.
The costs of college education continue to soar. All Trump has done is make it easier for for-profit colleges to defraud students.
And as the climate changes, more Americans are being hit with floods, mudslides, droughts, and wildfires.
And what's Trump's response? Allow more carbon pollution into the atmosphere and make climate change even worse.
So don't be fooled. Don't judge this economy by the stock market or economic growth, or even the level of unemployment.
Look at actual living standards of average working Americans, and you see an economy that's getting worse, not better.
Robert Reich
Robert Reich, is the Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and a senior fellow at the Blum Center for Developing Economies. He served as secretary of labor in the Clinton administration, for which Time magazine named him one of the 10 most effective cabinet secretaries of the twentieth century. His book include: "Aftershock" (2011), "The Work of Nations" (1992), "Beyond Outrage" (2012) and, "Saving Capitalism" (2016). He is also a founding editor of The American Prospect magazine, former chairman of Common Cause, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and co-creator of the award-winning documentary, "Inequality For All." Reich's newest book is "The Common Good" (2019). He's co-creator of the Netflix original documentary "Saving Capitalism," which is streaming now.
I keep hearing that although Trump may be a scoundrel or worse, he's done a great job for the economy.
Baloney. Yes, the stock market is great, but 84 percent of it is owned by the richest 10 percent of Americans.
The economy is growing, but very little of that growth is trickling down to average Americans. Jobs may be back but they pay squat, especially compared to the rising costs of housing, healthcare, and education.
Trump slashed taxes on the wealthy and corporations, and he promised everyone else a wage boost of $4,000 but it never happened.
Meanwhile, employers continue to cut pension and healthcare benefits. Jobs are less secure than ever. One in 5 jobs is now held by a worker under contract, without any unemployment insurance, sick leave, or retirement savings.
Housing costs are skyrocketing, with a large portion of Americans now paying a third of their paychecks in rent or mortgages.
Trump's budget proposes drastic cuts in low-income housing. Trump's undermining of the Affordable Care Act is also making life harder. Over the past two years, some 4 million people have lost healthcare coverage, according to the Commonwealth Fund.
The costs of college education continue to soar. All Trump has done is make it easier for for-profit colleges to defraud students.
And as the climate changes, more Americans are being hit with floods, mudslides, droughts, and wildfires.
And what's Trump's response? Allow more carbon pollution into the atmosphere and make climate change even worse.
So don't be fooled. Don't judge this economy by the stock market or economic growth, or even the level of unemployment.
Look at actual living standards of average working Americans, and you see an economy that's getting worse, not better.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.