AMERICA IS OFFICIALLY CRUISING ALONG ON THE ROAD TO RUSSIAN SERFDOM!

ARE YOU BETTER OFF TODAY THAN FOUR YEARS AGO!

Here are some topics the Democratic Leadership should be discussing at the DNC Convention in Charlotte if they wish to regain the confidence of the American people.

Axelrod To Wallace: Americans
‘In A Better Position Than We Were Four Years Ago’

While working the polls during early voting for the August 2nd Primary, a member of  a prominent family opened up to me with tears in her eyes concerning the state of their lifestyle as a result of this economy.  

People at every economic level are hurting.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, only 6.03 percent of individual over 18 and only 19.9 percent of households had incomes of $100,000 or more in 2010. In fact, the median annual household income for 2010 was $50,046, just more than half of the six-figure benchmark. The overwhelming majority of Americans still look up to a $100,000 income, but the expectations of what comes with that income are rapidly declining.

Without a doubt, housing, medical and transportation are the biggest things that eats into your income.

According to Labor Department statistics, the average inflation rate for 2011 was the worst since 2008, with consumer prices rising 3.1 percent, compared to an average of 1.6 percent in 2010. Much of this was fueled by energy costs (up 15.2 percent for the year) and food costs (up 3.7 percent for the year). Just to keep up with standard inflation, a $100,000 salary in 1990 would have to be $182,101.49 in 2012.

In low-cost areas, people tend to run into financial problems when their lifestyle outpaces their income. While this is a problem for many Americans in all income levels, top figure earners are not immune from it.  It even seems that people with incomes of up to $300,000 are having trouble covering their expenses.

Medium income has declined an average of 7.3% per year.  In January, 2009, the month the President entered office, median household income was $54,983. By June, 2012, it had spiraled down to $50,964. That’s a loss of $4,019 per family, the equivalent of losing a little less than one month’s income a year, every year. And on our current course that is only going to get worse not better….

According to a friend, “One of the most painful realizations I had when I finally took note of my financial life was, although I was working, the money wasn’t going as far as it used to.  It appeared that wasn't earning as much money from my job as it seemed.

My salary at the time of this realization was about $40,000 a year, so let's use that as a baseline.

After receiving my $40,000 salary, I'd pay out $6,400 in taxes each year. I'd pay out $3,720 in commuting costs. I'd pay out $200 in wardrobe costs. I'd pay out $1,000 in extra meals each year. I'd pay out $300 in extra travel expenses. Suddenly, my $40,000 salary became $28,380."  

It should come as no surprise that the cost of gas was $1.84 just six days after President Obama's inauguration.  The National average gas prices increased 30.8 cents or 8.75 percent a gallon in August, 2012. 

The abrupt food price increases in August turned favorable price prospects for the year upside down. I am learning to leave the grocery store less shocked by the high costs of my purchases than I had been at the beginning of the year.

We are having the worst recovery in the history of our country.  And there is no excuse for it.

Axelrod could not tell Wallace truthfully that Americans  are in a better position than they were four years ago. I'll say it for him,  Americans are not in a better position than they were four years ago.

We are taking our first steps on the road to serfdom. Do you agree?