HOW’S THAT HOPEY-CHANGEY STUFF WORKIN’ OUT FOR YA? (CONT’D): Payroll Tax Hikes Bite Amid Record-Long Wage Slump. “Higher payroll tax rates this year will make a record wage slump feel even worse, as Americans struggle with stagnant pay in addition to a weak job market. Yearly wage growth for production workers and nonsupervisors has been below 2% for 17 straight months, less than the rate of inflation.”

And note the accompanying graphic: