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by closeparen 1838 days ago
“Adjusted for economic growth” is doing a lot of work here. Economic growth is happening for reasons like the growing addressable market for smartphones and the development of clever algorithms that make cheap sensors take good photos. The line cooks at my favorite roadside diner in Des Moines may well feel that this means they deserve a raise, but nothing has happened to the passing motorists’ willingness to pay for the cheeseburgers they can make each hour. Unless one of the few thousand people involved in those projects happens to be among them.

Especially after adjusting to life without restaurants, bars, hotels etc. I don’t see consumers suddenly paying the prices that would support significantly nicer lifestyles for all the workers involved in these things.