But, as NPR's Pam Fessler notes, "the median household income was still lower than it was in 2007."

That's my problem. Are things really better? I mean, I'm doing better since '08 but it was a very hard climb and I'm still nowhere near where I'd hoped to be. Twenty years ago I'd have a house and the income to support a family of three. Today I'm just happy having 1k in my savings account, and I work 60 hours a week, AND I THINK OF MYSELF AS ONE OF THE LUCKY ONES.

I had a conversation with my lab tech friend about this the other night. He's 100k in college debt and lives with his parents and he's fucking brilliant. Anyways, our conclusion was that no matter how bad off we are right now we're probably better off than kids being born today. Call me a cynic but things don't seem to be getting any better so much as slapping on bandages to staunch the blood. We've lost so much in the last decade and now we're happy enough just to say "It could be worse." There is a subtle chipping away going on here that I despise.