The Decline of the American Worker

From Slate magazine:

While cyclical factors like the spiking price of gasoline and the slumping job market have something to do with this, the real culprits are long-standing trends that have altered the structure of our economy. As a result, with each passing year, more Americans view something that used to be an entitlement—paid time off—as an increasingly unaffordable or unavailable luxury. If John McCain and Barack Obama are serious about wooing working-class voters, they would be smart to pay attention to the lack of paid time off and the huge stresses this has placed on many workers and their families.

After living in Canada for awhile, the striking difference between lifestyles of middle class workers has become so apparant to me. Back in Florida, nearly all my friends are doing slightly (or not-so-slightly) worse financially then they were last year. I read in the local paper today that companies are tightening benefits for working parents, like paid leave. I like that this Slate article addresses the long-term reasons why this is happening. It is not about recent gas price hikes or regular economic cycles. It's about privatized medicine, the lack of tax breaks for the middle class and the consumer culture.

Honestly, Monster and I are not looking to be rich. We just want to be comfortable. As a reasonably educated, childless couple, we were surprised how difficult it was for us to get ahead here. We always worried about health care and wages that did not go up with inflation. At least in Canada, with social benefits firmly in place, we can be assured we won't sink into poverty through the regular mishaps of life. Monster is joining a union in Canada and I, as a student, have free health care.

The solution for Americans, if I may opine, is taking more responsibility for their government. As it now stands, the U.S. government is much more attune to the needs of corporations than the needs of its citizens. And that's a normal reaction. If the people you represent don't keep you in check, what is to stop you from profiting from the system.