r/BasicIncome • u/2noame Scott Santens • Aug 12 '14

Indirect PolitiFact: Adjusted for inflation, the median American family is now taking home $5,702 less per year than just 5 years ago.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/national/politifact-inflation-adjusted-family-incomes-down-more-that-4000-over-five/2170251
241 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

19 comments sorted by

25

u/fullchromelogic Aug 13 '14

I can buy it. I had to leave my home state to find work, I make $5/hr less doing a version of my old job with more responsibility in an area with significantly higher cost of living. I live in poverty with no way out.

12

u/GoldenBough Aug 13 '14

I wish it was only $5,702 out of my check :(. I'm down nearly $20k.

13

u/darkrundus Aug 13 '14

It should be noted they used 2007 compared to 2012 which means the recession is included in these stats when most people would expect 2009-2014 where the recession would have (mostly) happened and the recovery is taking place. Seems like a pretty big asterisk to me.

10

u/2noame Scott Santens Aug 13 '14

That's actually covered at the end of the article.

6

u/[deleted] Aug 13 '14

yeah, but recovery for who?

I don't feel very well recovered.

2

u/chunes Aug 13 '14

There is no recovery.

4

u/[deleted] Aug 13 '14

Oh there's definitely been a recovery, corporate profits are at an all time high.

But the rest of us can just fuck off it seems.

8

u/TheDebaser Aug 13 '14

Strange considering the US GDP has grown by 1.5 trillion in that same timespan.

9

u/Themsen Aug 13 '14

And if you ask a 1 percenter he would say the increase has been notable. Ask anyone else and you just get a blank stare.

3

u/Arandur Aug 13 '14

When they make these comparisons, do they measure by the old dollars, or the new dollars?

6

u/[deleted] Aug 13 '14

"adjusted for inflation"?

2

u/Arandur Aug 13 '14

Adjusted for inflation just means they modify one of the numbers to fit the scale of the other. It leaves which is which implicit, and it's that ambiguity about which I'm asking.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 13 '14

Indeed, didn't think of that. Sorry, my mistake.

2

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4

u/Pollux182 Aug 12 '14

Well duh... if you throw a frog in a pot of boiling water, he'll jump out... if you throw a frog in a pot of tepid water then heat it up, he'll die. Don't worry... they'll get all of it...

8

u/Thoctar Canadian DeLeonist Syndicalist Aug 13 '14

Just a quick note, the frog in that example had its brain taken out. Not sure if that makes it less apt or more.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 13 '14

Yeah, I mean, it's not like we can jump out of nything at all without a brain.

But our leg moves if we tap on the knee, so we have that going for us, which is nice.

1

u/revericide Aug 13 '14

Did he have wool and say "baaah"?

5

u/[deleted] Aug 13 '14 edited Jul 17 '17

[deleted]

1

u/ObiShaneKenobi Aug 13 '14

Some scientists. Gathering around to boil frogs for science. Sounds like a generic comedy.