ManusJustus on 13 September 2009
Concerning Poor Getting Poorer:
The business class was developing wealth (just as you claim they do now) in 1960 America too, but minimum wage and worker's income were a lot higher.
Concerning Scientific Achievement:
What will our descendants look back on and say that we have accomplished in the last 40 years? They will say in 1973 they invented the internet, in 1969 they put a man on the moon, in 1961 they put a man in space, in 1951 they developed nuclear power sources, in 1945 they developed nuclear fission, in the 1940's they invented the computer, before that the Big Bang Theory, Theory of General and Special Relativity, Quantum Mechanics, television, and so forth.
...
Graphs and Tables:
| Value of the minimum wage | Value of the minimum wage |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Current dollars | Constant (1996) dollars1 | Year | Current dollars | Constant (1996) dollars1 |
| 1955 | $0.75 | $4.39 | 1983 | 3.35 | 5.28 |
| 1956 | 1.00 | 5.77 | 1984 | 3.35 | 5.06 |
| 1957 | 1.00 | 5.58 | 1985 | 3.35 | 4.88 |
| 1958 | 1.00 | 5.43 | 1986 | 3.35 | 4.80 |
| 1959 | 1.00 | 5.39 | 1987 | 3.35 | 4.63 |
| 1960 | 1.00 | 5.30 | 1988 | 3.35 | 4.44 |
| 1961 | 1.15 | 6.03 | 1989 | 3.35 | 4.24 |
| 1962 | 1.15 | 5.97 | 1990 | 3.80 | 4.56 |
| 1963 | 1.25 | 6.41 | 1991 | 4.25 | 4.90 |
| 1964 | 1.25 | 6.33 | 1992 | 4.25 | 4.75 |
| 1965 | 1.25 | 6.23 | 1993 | 4.25 | 4.61 |
| 1966 | 1.25 | 6.05 | 1994 | $4.25 | $4.50 |
| 1967 | 1.40 | 6.58 | 1995 | 4.25 | 4.38 |
| 1968 | $1.60 | $7.21 | 1996 | 4.75 | 4.75 |
| 1969 | 1.60 | 6.84 | 1997 | 5.15 | 5.03 |
| 1970 | 1.60 | 6.47 | 1998 | 5.15 | 4.96 |
| 1971 | 1.60 | 6.20 | 1999 | 5.15 | 4.85 |
| 1972 | 1.60 | 6.01 | 2000 | 5.15 | 4.69 |
| 1973 | 1.60 | 5.65 | 2001 | 5.15 | 4.56 |
| 1974 | 2.00 | 6.37 | 2002 | 5.15 | 4.49 |
| 1975 | 2.10 | 6.12 | 2003 | 5.15 | 4.39 |
| 1976 | 2.30 | 6.34 | 2004 | 5.15 | 4.28 |
| 1977 | 2.30 | 5.95 | 2005 | 5.15 | 4.14 |
| 1978 | 2.65 | 6.38 | 2006 | 5.15 | 4.04 |
| 1979 | 2.90 | 6.27 | 2007 | 5.85 | 4.41 |
| 1980 | 3.10 | 5.90 | 2008 | 6.55 | |
| 1981 | $3.35 | $5.78 | 2009 | 7.25 | |
| 1982 | $3.35 | $5.78 |
