{"id":631638,"date":"2018-10-04T07:00:16","date_gmt":"2018-10-04T13:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/?p=631638"},"modified":"2018-10-04T08:14:26","modified_gmt":"2018-10-04T14:14:26","slug":"lets-create-an-economy-that-works-for-everyone-right-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2018\/10\/lets-create-an-economy-that-works-for-everyone-right-now\/","title":{"rendered":"Let\u2019s create an economy that works for everyone, right now"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"A

Heath Haussamen \/ NMPolitics.net<\/p>

A statue outside the Roundhouse in Santa Fe.<\/p><\/div>\n

COMMENTARY:<\/strong> Stocks are soaring. Corporate profits are at record highs. Unemployment is low. So everyone should be happy, right? The problem is, many folks aren\u2019t<\/a>, for darn good reasons.<\/p>\n

Last year,\u00a0wages stayed completely flat<\/a>, meaning workers are putting in more and more effort but see no gain from it.<\/p>\n

Jobs are less reliable. Companies have kept wages low and profits high by hiring temporary, part-time workers. This \u201cunderemployment\u201d contributes<\/a> both to low pay and job uncertainty.<\/p>\n

Costs continue to rise, with housing being a critical example. The rent for a single family home in New Mexico averages $1,200. For a family to spend less than 30 percent of their income on housing, considered a good budget target, they have to make $48,000<\/a> a year.<\/p>\n

But the median household income in our state is only $44,000<\/a>, leaving most people living in a substandard house or apartment, or cutting things like food, child care or savings.<\/p>\n

The results are stark and bad:<\/p>\n