Roger,

The average US worker is working longer and harder for the same wage (after indexing) they earned in the 1970's. Why? Because every decision is based on what is profitable to the stock holder of the corporations. Sure, there are a lot of baby boomers who have climbed the corporate ladder but taken on a whole the baby boomers are not as well off as their parents. Bottom line. Things are slipping. Personal debt is at an all time high. Bankruptcies are still common place. The game has been squewed toward the monied class and the rest of us, well, we keep peddling hoping to just get a breather. But, hey, we have collectively beaten back the Japanese threat to our economy. Just that all that "trickle down" stuff didn't quite make it to the working class... Depressing? Danged right it is. But we don't make the rules. We just show up at 7:00 am for another ten hour pounding...