Downside to the Surge in the U.S. Economy

Regarding “U.S. Economic Growth Surges in 1st Quarter,” April 29:

Unfortunately, what seemingly gets lost in the celebration of the surge in U.S. economic growth is that, as reported, “the specter of worker pay lagging behind inflation has been a recurrent theme of the current recovery.”

Those who are being paid at or below poverty-level incomes are disproportionately affected. While the oil companies are experiencing record profits, there is an increasing number of people who can’t afford to look for work or to commute to their low-paying jobs.

I can’t help but wonder whether President Bush has any sense of this when he states that “our economy is on the fast track.”

Karl Strandberg

Long Beach