The New American Dream

Median income flat for almost 35 years, the average man in his 30s making $5000 less in constant dollars than his dad, economic mobility better in Canada and several European nations, sounds like a great nation with even better days before it, right? Yeah, there are the usual right-wing, airhead apologists (“things aren’t so bad, married couples make $4000 more, you used the wrong inflation measure because mine makes it look a little better, yada, yada, yada”), but the facts are that this nation is becoming the Old Europe against which our new nation was supposed to provide a remedy for common people. And we did, for a while. It’s why the Fourth is worth celebrating. I’m just glad Abe’s not around to see all this.