I thought we were in the best economy ever?

[iluvatar5150]

When Obama got into office unemployment was around 5% when he left in 2016 it was 4.7%.
Since Trump got into office, it’s now down to 3.5%.
Compare Today's Unemployment with the Past

You didn't even read your own web site correctly. That 5% figure was from 2007; Obama took office in 2009. If you use a better source with more granular data, you can see that it was 7.8% in Jan 2009 and falling quickly.

According to “factcheck.org” wages adjusted for inflation are the highest in nearly half a century.
Are Wages Rising or Flat?

And according to that site, real wages have been growing since the late 90's. There is nothing in that data showing a marked change when/after Trump took office.

So we have more jobs than we've had in a long time, with higher wages than we've had in a long time and the only thing Trump did to accomplish this was cut regulations and lower taxes.

Have you even looked at any of these charts?

 

[iluvatar5150]

You did not make that clear.

The way I see it, if you have skills and are valuable to the employer, you will often be able to negotiate a wage,

The way you see it? What do you do for work that this is true?

 

[GodLovesCats]

The way you see it? What do you do for work that this is true?

The way Ken sees it is, "If you have no skills, you don't deserve a living wage and should just be happy if you get any money." The truth is everyone who works full-time needs and deserves a living wage.

 

[DavidPT]

Do you mean the last year of George Bush's presidency? I assume you know the stock market crashed in 2008, while Barack Obama was running for President.

You are correct, so I guess I should adjust what I previously stated. The best economy I recall seeing was from the Reagan years through 7 years of Bush's term.

How many years would that involve? 28 to 30? How can Trump possibly think he already has trumped that?

 

[Ken-1122]

You didn't even read your own web site correctly. That 5% figure was from 2007; Obama took office in 2009. If you use a better source with more granular data, you can see that it was 7.8% in Jan 2009 and falling quickly.

I’m looking at trends. From the mid 90’s through the next 10 years unemployment remained between 4%-5% level. When Obama entered office the recession hit and it doubled to approx 10%. When he left it had gone back to the 4%-5% level, but when Trump entered office it went down to 3.5%.

And according to that site, real wages have been growing since the late 90's. There is nothing in that data showing a marked change when/after Trump took office.

It was not a steady climb, it was going up and down; just more up than down. Between 2015-17 there was a leveling off period then it took off again.

 

[Ken-1122]

The way you see it? What do you do for work that this is true?

I am a mechanic, my friend works in a warehouse, we both negotiated our wages at hire.

 

[Ken-1122]

The way Ken sees it is, "If you have no skills, you don't deserve a living wage and should just be happy if you get any money." The truth is everyone who works full-time needs and deserves a living wage.

Yes! Then once you get some skills and become valuable to an employer, THEN you can start demanding a living wage. BTW how many people do you pay a living wage?

 

[GodLovesCats]

You are correct, so I guess I should adjust what I previously stated. The best economy I recall seeing was from the Reagan years through 7 years of Bush's term.

How many years would that involve? 28 to 30? How can Trump possibly think he already has trumped that?

Depends one which Reagan years you are referring to. I assume it did not get better overnight in January 1981. Maybe 1982?

BTW Jimmy Carter was my first President so I was in elementary school throughout Reagan's presidency.

 

[GodLovesCats]

I am a mechanic. My friend works in a warehouse. We both negotiated our wages at hire.

I worked at a warehouse too and was not allowed to negotiate my hourly pay. Is your friend a packer?

 

[GodLovesCats]

How many people do you pay a living wage?

I am not an employer, so nobody. If I owned a company every employee would earn a living wage.

 

[DavidPT]

Depends one which Reagan years you are referring to. I assume it did not get better overnight in January 1981. Maybe 1982?

BTW Jimmy Carter was my first President so I was in elementary school throughout Reagan's presidency.

I'm basing it on my work history. I initially learned a trade in 1980, which involves the building of new homes. From 1980 through 7 years of Bush's term, this type of work was booming in this country, or at least the areas I was living in at the time, though there were times throughout when things would slow down for a spell, but then eventually pick back up.

 

[GodLovesCats]

So actually the economy was good at the end of Jimmy Carter's term if you are going back that far.

From 1980 to 2007 was 27 years. But the housing bust began earlier, maybe even 2006 because it took a few years for all the ARMs (adjustable rate mortgages) to rear their ugly heads. So let's say the economy was good from Carter through half of Bush's second term.

 

[Ken-1122]

I worked at a warehouse too and was not allowed to negotiate my hourly pay. Is your friend a packer?

I believe Union jobs are more difficult to negotiate because the wages are often negotiated via contract. There is a bit more room for negotiation in non union jobs

 

[Ken-1122]

I am not an employer, so nobody.

So why are you hatin' on those who are at least giving somebody with no skills a chance?

If I owned a company every employee would earn a living wage.

How about if you couldn't afford to pay a living wage? Would you refuse to hire someone and give them a chance to learn a trade? Or would you just assume if you can't pay them well, you won't pay them at all.

 

[DavidPT]

So actually the economy was good at the end of Jimmy Carter's term if you are going back that far.

From 1980 to 2007 was 27 years.

Actually I can go back a few years earlier, now that I think of it. Before I learned that trade in 1980, I used to pour concrete in Illinois, maybe from 76 to 79, if I recall correctly. That type of work was booming as well, except it was seasonal, meaning one usually got laid off during the winter months. But one can't blame that on a bad economy.

 

[GodLovesCats]

Ken, you sure love to make stuff up based on your ignorance of people in poverty. Do I have to explain to you exactly what my life is like that prevents me from getting a living wage job and the consequences of that?

 

[iluvatar5150]

I’m looking at trends. From the mid 90’s through the next 10 years unemployment remained between 4%-5% level. When Obama entered office the recession hit and it doubled to approx 10%. When he left it had gone back to the 4%-5% level, but when Trump entered office it went down to 3.5%.

If you were looking at trends, you'd see that Trump hasn't really made much difference.

Also, the recession started before Obama was elected and he took office when unemployment was about halfway through its fall.

It was not a steady climb, it was going up and down; just more up than down. Between 2015-17 there was a leveling off period then it took off again.

It's closer to 2016-2018, but either way, that fluctuation isn't out of line with the noise in the broader trends.

Yes! Then once you get some skills and become valuable to an employer, THEN you can start demanding a living wage. BTW how many people do you pay a living wage?

There are loads and loads of jobs that don't require much skill - in many cases, the skills have been deliberately engineered out of them so as to reduce cost and risk - and for which there is thus no opportunity for the workers to negotiate their compensation.

 

[Ricky M]

Why should there be a difference?



Whatever you can live on. But on a national scale it would be the minimum necessary to stay alive so whoever does the most with the least defines the living wage. I think we can actually drop wages because people all over the world exist on just a dollar a day and stuff!

1. Housing that's more than a tent
2. Food that's more than Ramen noodles
3. Health care that's more than a go-fund-me account

 

[GodLovesCats]

Actually I can go back a few years earlier, now that I think of it. Before I learned that trade in 1980, I used to pour concrete in Illinois, maybe from 76 to 79, if I recall correctly. That type of work was booming as well, except it was seasonal, meaning one usually got laid off during the winter months. But one can't blame that on a bad economy.

So the economy was good during the Carter Administration and continued through Reagan. What did Reagan do that makes people forget about Carter?

 

[Ricky M]

How in the world did you miss my explanation why this is not true?

People don't miss those. If they don't agree they just don't acknowledge it