I’m converting dollars. (In order to save the rustbelt)

With all the discussion about our plight money wise I thought it would be interesting to see just how distorted our view can become depending on what factor we choose as a comparison. Also, I find this site fun.

So, just how do we compare today to the fondly remembered yesterday? I am very grateful to you for asking. Let’s see, we need a base. Let us use Social Security (OASDI to be complete) as a base dollar source. There have been suggestions that we need to raise the wage cap. OK, maybe, but what should it be? Using this OK, but what should it be? Using this pdf chart I picked 3 different years as starting points. 1937, because “In the Beginning” there was poverty. 1966, because the beginning went so well, we added more. And 1983 because we became enlightened .

Using the Measuring Worth site I produced this chart:

The 6 factors are explained at the Measuring Worth site. My short hand is: C Bundled = Consumer Bundle, Unskilled = Unskilled Wage. The N in NGDP stands for nominal.

So, what number do we pick? The one that shows the current cap is set way to high, so we obviously are covering too much in OASDI as compared to the past. Or the one that shows the current cap is too low, so we obviously are not covering as much in OASDI as in the past.

I vote for the one which shows that the $94,200 cap is about the proper income to be earned by the Unskilled Labor force allowing such a person to have maintained their standard of living based on the Consumer Bundle. Yet even at that, their share of GDP would be historically rather low.

Anyone recall me presenting an argument that we have pushed the cost of the American Dream up to the point that one has to be in the top 10% of income earners to have it? It also takes 2 people working to do it.

In fact how uncanny that the median household income in which the wife is not working, for 1967 (couldn’t find a number for 1937) converts to an Unskilled Labor income of $48,353 and the Consumer Bundle is $51,019.

Maybe we shouldn’t feel to bad. Based on Measuring Worth’s President George Washington example, the current President George is getting screwed by about $100K. But, this does not include the benefits received by the present George. Guess we are getting the short end compared to being president.

Saving the rustbelt goes beyond a geographic area. Saving the rustbelt is referring to a demographic group.

Update: Link American Dream

Update: fixed the chart link paragraph missing before the chart.