Sherrod Brown: “historians who take a clear-eyed look at the last 30 years will tell you, and in particular economists will tell you…”

“historians who take a clear-eyed look at the last 30 years will tell you, and in particular economists will tell you, productivity has been rising, our economy has been expanding, and the workers responsible for our Nation's prosperity have not reaped anywhere near their share of the benefits which they have earned. In 2005, the real median household income in America was down almost 3 percent from the median income in 2000. That is understanding that productivity has sharply increased among American workers. In Ohio, median income was down almost 10 percent. Meanwhile, the average CEO makes 411 times more than the average worker. As recently as 1990, the average CEO made 107 times more; so from 107 times more than the average worker in 1990 to now, 411 times more than the average worker. Let me explain it another way. In the Agriculture Committee a couple of months ago, a young woman in her mid-thirties, with a 9-year-old son, came and testified about food stamps. The average food stamp beneficiary in our country gets about $1 per meal per person. She and her son got about $6 a day for food stamps. She works full time at a $9-an-hour job. She has no health care benefits. She gets a food stamp benefit. She is president of the local PTA at her son's school. She volunteers to teach Sunday school. And she is active in the Cub Scouts for her son. She works, as I said, full time, making $9 an hour, and gets a small food stamp benefit.”