Workers shouldn't exist soley as numbers to feed an ever more voracious Wall Street. That is the overall American reality today. It's nice that you chose to work harder, but some people are ... many people are working as hard as they can (and their kids/families are suffering for it) at one or multiple jobs and they are drowning. But the DOW is over 14000. American can't live for Wall Street or our society will go down the toilet, it's already circling the bowl in many ways.
In 1960, the CEO-to-worker compensation ratio was about 20-to-1.
In 1980, that number had risen to about 30-to-1.
As recently as 1990, the number was under 60-to-1.
In 2011, the ratio stands at 231-to-1.
Would you rather have today's economy or the 1960s economy?
I know what CEOs' answers would be.
Minimum wage has little to do with inflation/real world standards much like Disney prices don't reflect that (if they did, I think a one day ticket would be about $60 now ... I recall someone here did a breakdown a while back!)
Disney started offering hopper tickets that included all attractions with the opening of Epcot in 1982. Disney-MGM Studios opened in 1989, followed by DAK in 1998. The following 10-year spans compare median household
income with ticket prices, assuming a WDW vacation in 1982 was 3 days (2 days for MK, 1 day for Epcot) and grew by one day as each park was added.
1982
Median Household Income: $19,004
3-Day WDW ticket ($35) price-per-day: $11.67
Ticket/income percentage:
0.0614%
1992
Median Household Income: $29,448
4-Day WDW ticket ($130.46) price-per-day: $32.62
Ticket/income percentage:
0.11076%
2002
Median Household Income: $41,620
5-Day WDW ticket ($243.89) price-per-day: $48.78
Ticket/income percentage:
0.11720%
2012
Median Household Income: $50,054 (estimated)
5-Day WDW ticket ($484.58) price-per-day: $96.92
Ticket/income percentage:
0.19362%
What's obvious is that even the ticket price-per-day has grown tremendously since 1982. In addition, WDW has grown (which is good), meaning that the length of a "full" WDW vacation has grown as well, making it even more difficult for families to afford WDW. Of course, families can simply buy three-day tickets today but, as we all know, today's WDW tickets are
heavily front-loaded. Today's WDW comes out significantly less favorable (in terms of cost) when comparing a 3-day ticket in 1982 to a 3-day ticket in 2012.
A 2012 3-day base ticket (i.e.
no hopping and
no water parks) costs $257.73. Even as recently as 10 years ago, a 3-day Ultimate Hopper (which included hopping & water parks) cost $164.01, or $209.89 adjusted for inflation. Of course, as noted above, a 1982 3-day World Passport (included hopping) cost $35.00, or $83.50 adjusted for inflation.
That's less than a one-day base ticket in 2012.
If you don't like those examples, then consider a more recent one:
In 2005, a 10-day Magic Your Way ticket with park hopping, water parks, and "No Expiration" cost $377.00.
In 2012, the same ticket cost $672.00.
That's a compound price increase of 8.6% annually.
That's a price difference of $295.00
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, $377.00 in 2005 is equivalent to $444.41 in 2012.
That's a compound price increase of 2.4% annually.
That's a price difference of $67.41.
Even in the last 7 years, with no new theme parks and few park additions, WDW prices have skyrocketed out of control.
