The shame of the nation is revealed in this week’s NewsFlash from the Economic Policy Institute. "Without a wage hike," EPI reports, "this year will usher in the greatest inequality between minimum-wage and average-wage workers since the end of World War II."
The minimum wage hasn’t increased since 1997, and its real value has fallen drastically–with workers earning only 32 percent of the average hourly wage in 2005.
The United States is the richest nation. It is also the most unequal society in the industrialized world. How we change that immoral condition, and ensure shared prosperity for all citizens, may be our most important task in the years ahead.
