[olddog]

I remember when gasoline was $0.20 - $0.25 a gallon and minimum wage was $1.50 an hour. Good manufacturing jobs paid 2 - 3 times minimum wage.

I'll use 25 cents and do the math. Gasoline has been running $3 - $4 a gallon, which is 12 to 16 times as much as it was. So minimum wage should be $18 - $24 an hour and good manufacturing jobs would be $36 - $72 an hour. Looks like wages have not kept up.

To be fair taxes on gasoline are higher today than back then, so not all the change is energy cost, but it could be argued that cost after tax is what everyone pays.