The Patriot Post® · Wage Disparity Grows in DC

Lawmakers congregated in our nation’s capital regularly bemoan “income inequality” as one of the country’s most pressing issues. The irony is that nothing would close the wealth gap faster than if Congress simply moved out of the way. Passing undue regulations, raising the minimum wage and otherwise proclaiming, “There, I fixed it,” might make for good public relations, but it isn’t lucrative policy. If you need evidence, just look at the U.S. economy. The most illustrative impact of having the elite call all the shots, however, is found in none other than DC. The Washington Post writes, “Wage disparities in the District are at their widest point in 35 years, and the city’s flourishing economy has masked a grim reality for residents who lack a college degree: Many are worse off now than before or during the recession, according a new report from a liberal policy group [emphasis added].” And we know just the fix: “Free” college education. Lest you think DC is just like any other city in America, consider this: “Hourly incomes for low-wage workers have fallen to an average of $12.62 over the past seven years, and in the event that those workers lose their jobs, they are more than twice as likely to spend more than six months looking for replacement work, according to a study by the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute. At the same time, rental costs have skyrocketed and the hourly incomes of high-wage workers in the city have risen to an average of $45.30.” That’s the price you pay when too much power in concentrated into the hands of Beltway corruptacrats. More…