since trickle down economics (Voodoo Economics as George Bush Sr. once called it) worker productivity (hours of work put in) in the U.S. has climbed consistently while worker compensation (pay) has not reflected productivity. in other words since the 1980s, the Reagan years, employees have worked harder and harder for relatively less pay while the top 2% have pocketed the money. 

The first thought that come to mind for me is, so what? Since when do Americans demonize success and wealth? I thought those were a part of the American Dream?

@firetyger - i don't think anyone is demonizing success, or even that we should all be billionaires.  i think the general point is that if salaries for the super wealthy have increased by that much, something must be wrong if that type of prosperity is not the same across the board.  considering how large the gap is, i think it's reasonable to believe that the super wealthy who ARE in charge of wages for the rest of us would prefer to keep their labor force as cheap as possible, regardless of how the cost of living is rising.  our current wealth gap is starting to resemble the type of gap between the serfs and lords in the medieval period.  

as for starting a business, not everyone is interested in/can afford such an endeavor.  i have many dreams for my career, and none of them involve being a CEO.  i'm also not interested in risking what little money i DO have in a business that could fail.  and there are different definitions for success.  being dirt poor, i consider it a success when i can manage to put money into savings.  i don't mind not being a millionaire... i honestly don't want to be, because i don't believe in having more money than you need to be happy and i can be quite happy with $30k a year.  but my economic status should reflect modern-day living expenses and other necessities.  yachts and private jets are luxuries... not health care and education.  
nor is every rich guy a business owner.  my grandmother's millions come from penny-pinching.  and the only jobs she's ever had were a sales girl and a SAHM.  her prosperity doesn't have a direct benefit on the economy, especially since she doesn't actually spend any of her money.  

@firetyger - though i understand your sentiment there is often more than meets the eye behind "success". it is first off importantto separate the success of small and mid-sized business from corporate success, something President Obama does btw. he's cut taxes to small and mid-sized businesses but wants the wealthy who earn...bring home a paycheck of over a million dollars a year, not earn from nest egg investments...to pay an equal percentage in taxes. you have to see the hijinks of Wall Street executives who ran our economy into a ditch and nearly off a cliff. what happened when the economy crashed? Bernie Madoff who was once the chairman of NASDAQ was exposed. Dick Fuld, the CEO of Lehman Brothers was exposed. we became aware of the fact that United Healthcare CEO made $225 million not including perks in 2005 while his company made a practice of denying paying customers medical procedures whenever they could. we found out about the careless practices that ran rampant throughout the banking industry. i find it odd that the same people who claim that was the government's fault are still against regulation of the industry when it was after serious deregulation of the industry by 2001 that Wall Street execs used the deregulation as an opportunity to pocket tons of money at the expense of business integrity. imagine Local, State and Federal government deregulating crime. does anyone think that's going to make crime go down? John Gotti would have loved it. 

since the 1980s when "trickle down" economics was put into play the income of the wealthiest 2% in the country has skyrocketed while the income of the middle class has almost flat lined. that is where class warfare is found and it doesn't favor most Americans. if that works for you then fine. it doesn't for parents hoping for a better future for their kids. 

@soccerdadforlife - i have no doubt your wife does that but you are talking about something completely different which makes me expect the rest of your claims are bogus. i'm talking about what happens before people in need of medical attention ever reach your wife, denial of coverage and payment for people with "preexisting conditions". that means a person either never makes it to medical care which of course your wife would not be aware of or they get to a hospital and are told later their insurance will not cover something they need. my mom worked for an insurance company for 36 years. 

@TheSutraDude - suckerdoucheforlife is a stinking and mindless bag of shit. His reputation precedes him here. I wouldn't bother trying to talk to him. You're better off...well, doing just about anything else. 

@TheSutraDude - Maybe you need to learn to communicate better--like saying that you're talking about pre-existing conditions.  Denying pre-existing conditions is standard practice.  I don't know why you think that is somehow crooked.

Has the standard of living increased for Americans since the '80s?

Comparing the wealth of the top 2% with everyone else is standard liberal Politics of Envy.  Shame on you.

Funny how you aren't bothered by Obama's denial of bondholder rights regarding General Motors.  He stole the assets of GM and gave them to the UAW instead of letting the bondholders keep them.

I hate populism.

@TheSutraDude - "he's cut taxes to small and mid-sized businesses but wants the wealthy who earn...bring home a paycheck of over a million dollars a year, not earn from nest egg investments...to pay an equal percentage in taxes."

Codswallop!  He wants to raise taxes on investments and on paychecks.  Funny how small businessmen are having to close their businesses because they can't make money because of taxes.  Obama wants to raise taxes on household income of 250k a year; this is what a teacher/police officer couple might make in NYC.

Startup businesses are way down.  http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/02/us-usa-economy-businesses-idUSBRE84113G20120502

@soccerdadforlife - "what a teacher and police officer *might* make in NYC". your talking to someone who lived in NYC for 35 years. police officers and teachers do not make half of $250k/year. funny how small businesses have shown growth in this economy. it's the public sector that has had it's biggest decline in decades because of Congress, not Obama. the approval rating of Congress has been at a historic low since only months after the 2010 election. on the other hand Obama's approval rating is on the upswing since more and more people have become aware of Congress' "block anything good for the economy so we can win the election" tactics of the right wing. 

codswallop! he wants to raise taxes on the ultra rich, something the republicans keep blocking. wealthy people from Bill Gates to author Stephen King agree with Obama. Mitt Romney with his offshore bankroll endorsed the Paul Ryan plan which cuts more taxes to the rich and puts that added burden on the middle class and working poor. 

@TheSutraDude - "With annual increases plus increases for additional coursework, teachers’ salaries will rise to the current maximum of

$100,049 per year over time."  http://schools.nyc.gov/nr/rdonlyres/eddb658c-be7f-4314-85c0-03f5a00b8a0b/0/salary.pdf

"The 50 highest-earning Clarkstown employees were all members of the 173-member Police Department, with those 50 earning roughly $10 million, or about $200,000 each on average."  http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/03/nyregion/03clarkstown.html?pagewanted=all

Sorry, that was Clarkstown, not NYC.

"By comparison, the New York City police commissioner, Raymond W. Kelly, makes $189,700, and average annual pay for city police officers ranges from $43,062 for a cadet entering the academy to $90,829 for an officer with five and a half years on the job, including overtime and other earnings, according to Paul J. Browne, the department’s chief spokesman. In New York City, salaries for captains start at $108,342, and grow after four years to $135,524. "  http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/03/nyregion/03clarkstown.html?pagewanted=all

Just because you lived in NYC doesn't mean that you knew what was going on there.  These couples might have other sources of income besides their jobs from rentals, so their income levels might be above $250K.  Hardly wealthy.  Cost of living in NYC is out the roof.

"funny how small businesses have shown growth in this economy."  Yeah, negative growth.  Did you bother to look at the link I provided?

GM is alive and the thief is in the White House.

"it is largely States that have raised taxes on tobacco and liquor."

Obama and the dems raised the Federal Excise Tax on tobacco 156%.  http://www.atr.org/comprehensive-list-obama-tax-hikes-a6433

"more and more people have become aware of Congress' "block anything good for the economy so we can win the election" tactics of the right wing."  Yeah I guess all those right wingers are democrats since they aren't supporting reid and pelosi's agenda anymore.  Opposition to reid and pelosi is bi-partisan now, lol.

"codswallop! he wants to raise taxes on the ultra rich,"  Yeah, like that ultra rich cop/teacher couple.  Good point.   (If you are talking about the Buffet tax, that's been shown to be insignificant.)

"Mitt Romney with his offshore bankroll endorsed the Paul Ryan plan which cuts more taxes to the rich and puts that added burden on the middle class and working poor."

What added burden is being put on the working poor?  Do they even pay income taxes?  As I understand it, upwards of 40% of Americans file income tax to get money from the feds.  They pay no net federal income tax.  It's the upper middle class and wealthy who pay most of the income tax already, along with corporations.

And what taxes are being cut in the Ryan plan?

@soccerdadforlife - you do understand you are quoting salaries of teachers and police who have risen to their top pay grade. do you know what the salaries are for Wall Street associates and analysts just out of school? you get hired at 70 to 100k fresh out of school. if you do the standard shit you make well over $100k after a year. kids go into the wall street industry that ruined our economy in the hope of retiring in their mid 30s which many are able to do in high fashion. they don't have to commute from the Bronx or Staten Island Jersey or Long Island  to afford to live off their starting incomes. they live in Manhattan where they can party on weekends in clubs where a bottle of wine costs $100 plus. i know because i worked for 8 years on Wall Street. not all of them do that but it's well known many take prospective clients to expensive "gentleman's clubs" to close deals. unlike teachers, police and firefighters if they stick it out they make millions a year. last i heard it was not teachers, police or firefighters who drove our economy off the cliff.  

@soccerdadforlife - [What added burden is being put on the
working poor?  Do they even pay income taxes?  As I understand it,
upwards of 40% of Americans file income tax to get money from the feds.  They pay no net federal income tax.  It's the upper middle class and wealthy who pay most of the income tax already, along with corporations.

And what taxes are being cut in the Ryan plan?]

How much would the lower class contribute to our taxes? Oh right, we have data on that.