Time was, only progressives made outlandish claims such as that hourly wages have been stagnant for more than half a century. But with the rise of populism on the right, “doomerism” now transcends ideology. It’s the national-conservative group American Compass that is now saying that the typical worker makes only 1 percent more today than he did 50 years ago. This doomerist Right is as wrong as the old declensionist Left.

As I show in a new paper, the truth is that the typical worker aged 25 to 54 makes 32 percent more than the typical worker did in 1973. The increase has been at least that large for whites, blacks, Hispanics, and other workers. Moreover, the typical worker’s pay has risen as much as economic fundamentals would predict, with one important historical exception. Populist demonization of employers and the rich may feel good, but the best way to increase wages is still strong economic growth.

Read the entire piece here.