This is very true Sue.
When you start looking at the real wages people earn you see a steady decline over the past 35 years, even with minimum wage bumps.
We have been playing a game of catch up with inflation and losing.
I started to type a lot more, but then realized I would be getting to political and wordy.

I will just add this and leave it.

An economy is like a pyramid.
So long as you have a stable structure on a solid foundation you have a sound economy.
If it gets too top heavy, or if the foundation is weak, it will collapse.

Right now our economies in North America resemble a bowling ball sitting on an upright chopstick which is glued to a sheet of paper with a wad of bubblegum.