I agree that inflation is probably a lesser demon here.

I also agree that wage stagnation is a very real concern.

If you have time, there is a very interesting book... I've only read excerpts from it, my father is going to loan it to me the next time he's in town. Its called cheap, and it talks about America's fascination with buying things as cheaply as possible, and how this is destroying our culture and economy.

Its here...

Of course, this is just one strand of the spiderweb. But it does talk about something that Martin mentioned, which I think is worth repeating. Martin said:
Originally Posted By: martinfocazio
However, as we grow more an more efficient, squeezing more and more productivity out of each worker, the gains are not being shared with employees.

The author makes a case about photo developing, and how this has gone from being a job that a person did, to being done by a machine, and now you can even get it done using an automated kiosk in a store that you stick your own memory card into. The author makes the point that while the savings of the machine is passed on to the consumer (you can have a photo printed in 60 minutes for a quarter). This situation, and situations like it, have removed thousands of jobs from the economy, which are not being replaced. The number of middle-class jobs is shrinking (this is explained in greater detail, of course). Leaving you with the choice of a lower paid job or being a highly paid "professional".

Obviously, this destroys your middle class culture where people can have a second home on a middle class job, and reshapes your national culture.

I thought it was interesting... check the book out if you have the chance...
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You can't teach experience.