There seems to be a misconception that Americans do better financially when there is a Republican administration than during a Democratic administration.

Perhaps we need to rethink that one. According to the following graph, Americans have had a greater income growth rate under a Democratic administration from 1948 until 2005.

income graph

Link to the Washington Post article.

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There isn’t much to be said. You either accept it or you don’t.

10 Thoughts to “Income Growth Rates 1948-2005”

  1. BS in VA

    What this graph shows is that a Democratic high tide raises all boats equally and a Republican high tide lifts yachts higher than canoes.

  2. As a canoe owner, I am all in favor of the boats rising equally. I don’t like being left in someone else’s wake.

  3. marinm

    As a canoe owner I’d like the govt to not be in charge of raising or lowering the tide and allow it to rise and fall naturally.

  4. What that graph shows….is exactly what the graph shows.

    The author of the graph says that he doesn’t know what it means or why it happens this way, except that the GOP is usually more worried about inflation.

    Which, to me, makes sense. If your salary is inflated during Democrat years, you see it going up. But, does that increase in salary work out to a larger buying power? Did you REALLy get an increase?

    My take from that series is that economists actually have NO CLUE as to why things happen and the every single one of them is “right.”

  5. Kinda like politicians and political junkies…….;)

  6. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    Moon-howler :
    As a canoe owner, I am all in favor of the boats rising equally. I don’t like being left in someone else’s wake.

    A very wise man once said: Equality is stagnation…it doesn’t let anything grow.

  7. Rising equally? See, that’s the problem. As long as my boat is afloat, do I care if someone’s else’s is rising faster? And if it is, how do I attach my boat to that one or catch THAT current. That’s not to say that those afloat shouldn’t help those on the rocks, though.

  8. It depends on what kind of equality we are talking about. Some people are smarter than others. I just did some reading on Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of facebook, today. What a cute, smart guy he is. He has to be brilliant. He is also well educated. I don’t mind being in his wake for the reasons stated above. However, I do mind being in someone’s wake because I am female, or older, or because of those types of barriers.

    Zuckerberg also is donating $100 million dollars to Newark Schools, to help level the playing field for kids less fortunate. He grew up in White Plains, NY and went to great schools and then to private academy his junior and senior year, before moving on to Harvard.

  9. I honestly don’t think white men have any idea what it is like to have doors closed to you simply because of your gender. I do remember those days. It just gives you a different perspective on how the world operates.

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