[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 110 (Wednesday, July 24, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1357-E1358]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   WAGE WOES BENEATH THE ROSY NUMBERS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. NEWT GINGRICH

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 24, 1996

  Mr. GINGRICH. This article by Bruce Bartlett clearly describes the 
true economic worries that American families are facing. Because of 
stagnant wages and a median family income that has remained flat under 
the Clinton administration's leadership, families are feeling the 
Clinton economic crunch. This country would benefit instead from lower 
taxes that raise family income.

               [From the Washington Times, July 8, 1996]

                   Wage Woes Beneath the Rosy Numbers

                          (By Bruce Bartlett)

       For many years, economists and political scientists have 
     studied the relationship between elections and the economy. 
     Their unsurprising conclusion is that when the economy is 
     good, voters tend to reward the incumbent president. On this 
     basis, Bill Clinton would appear to be in good shape. The 
     unemployment rate in May was 5.6 percent, down from 7.5 
     percent in 1992. At the same time, inflation has been stable 
     at about 2.5 percent and real economic growth has been slow 
     but steady at about 2.2 percent per year.
       But beneath these adequate, if unspectacular, numbers lies 
     a potentially serious danger for Mr. Clinton. That is the 
     stagnation in wages and incomes. In short, while the 
     macroeconomy has moved upward, workers and families have been 
     left behind. Real median family income--the single best 
     measure of economic well-being--has been flat during the 
     Clinton years, and down considerably from the Reagan years. 
     Real wages have been flat as well, with increasing numbers of 
     workers forced to work two jobs to make ends meet. And the 
     Clinton administration is not unaware of this problem. 
     Indeed, Labor Secretary Robert Reich has been the most 
     eloquent spokesman for the malaise of the working class. As 
     he put it in a 1995 report:
       ``In the past year, the American economy has caught fire--
     but the gains to most American workers have gone up in smoke. 
     Last year at this time, the median full-time worker in this 
     country was earning $479 per week. This year, factoring in 
     inflation, the median wage is $475 per week--$4 less in 
     average weekly paycheck. Among working families, 11 percent 
     do not earn enough to lift themselves above the poverty line. 
     Compared with last year, this year some 636,000 more 
     Americans are working two jobs.''
       In the year since, all of the concerns expressed by Mr. 
     Reich have gotten worse. The only thing that has changed is 
     the administration line. Recognizing that Mr. Clinton is 
     vulnerable on the issue of wages and incomes, the Council of 
     Economic Advisers issued a report in April totally 
     contradicting Mr. Reich's position. According to the CEA, 
     workers are actually doing great. Since then, Mr. Reich has 
     been noticeably less vocal about the problem of stagnant 
     wages, except for a strained effort to blame the whole thing 
     on a decline in the real minimum wage.
       The vast majority of workers make well above the minimum 
     wage. Their problems are the result of slow growth and higher 
     taxes that have reduced their disposable incomes. What they 
     need is faster growth and lower taxes. If the Republicans can 
     make this case, they will find a receptive audience among 
     many Democratic workers and families.

[[Page E1358]]



             TRIBUTE TO V.F.W. STATE COMMANDER CRAIG SWARTZ

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. PAUL E. GILLMOR

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 24, 1996

  Mr. GILLMOR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Craig 
Swartz, an outstanding individual and a fine soldier, who was recently 
installed as State commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Department 
of Ohio.
  A resident of Fremont for 45 years, Craig is a U.S. Marine Corps 
veteran who was wounded three times in Vietnam. He has been active with 
the V.F.W. since 1983. Over the course of his service, he was elected 
commander of the Fremont Post 2947 in 1986 and served three terms in 
that capacity. In 1989, he was elected commander of Firelands County 
Council and was named all-State and all-American county council 
commander. He has now been honored six times as an all-American, an 
accomplishment that had never been achieved by an Ohio member.
  I firmly believe that we can never thank our veterans enough for 
putting their lives on the line in defense of our Nation. As a veteran 
myself, I am aware of the tremendous service veterans organizations 
give to their communities and the country as a whole.
  Mr. Speaker, Craig Swartz's distinguished military service is a model 
of patriotism and citizenship. His commitment to the V.F.W. continues 
this exemplary service. I ask my colleagues to join me in wishing 
Craig, his wife Cindy, and their children well as the Swartz family 
begins this new chapter in their lives.
  May they fully enjoy the blessings of peace and freedom that Craig 
Swartz has so ably defended as a U.S. Marine.

                          ____________________