Page 2 - aruba-today-20221005

A2 UP FRONT
Wednesday 5 OctOber 2022
Poll: Many pessimistic about improving standard of living

Continued from Front $33,570, and those aged 35
to 49 owe an average fed-
He mentioned inflation, eral debt of $43,208.
high housing costs, and the Mark Claffey, 52, who is
recent baby formula short- disabled, white, and lives
age as examples. in Logan, Ohio, said that
“Things have doubled and “everything costs more”
tripled in price, “ he said. now than it did for his par-
“We’re not talking about ents’ generation.
gym shoes or concert tick- “Back then you could
ets. We’re talking about make something on a lim-
essentials. Six months ago, ited budget,” he said. “You
you couldn’t find PediaS- could do more with less.
ure. And if you could find it, Bread cost less than a dol-
it would be $20. It used to lar.”
be $11 at Target.” Now, Claffey says he and
Cano also pointed to the his wife find themselves
fact that the real purchas- squeezed at the end of
ing power of the minimum the month on their fixed
wage was higher for previ- income budgets. He also
ous generations and that thinks the country is more
rents and the cost of edu- divided and polarized
cation were more reason- along partisan lines than in
able. previous eras.
According to the Econom- A young man reads on the Howard University campus July 6, 2021, in Washington. Compared with younger
ic Policy Institute, the fed- Associated Press people, Americans aged
eral minimum wage in 2021 social mobility. employee services coordi- debt, which she and her 60 or older are more likely
was worth 34% less than in Democrats were more nator, said she was more husband both have, has to believe it’s easier for
1968, when its purchasing likely than Republicans to optimistic about social mo- made raising a family and them to achieve a good
power peaked. say that factors such as bility for Hispanic Ameri- working towards buying a standard of living com-
“Many people perceive parents’ wealth, the com- cans before the election house more difficult. pared with their parents,
their options are less than munity one lives in, college of former President Donald According to Department the poll found.
what they had in the past,” education, race and eth- Trump. Barraza is Hispanic of Education data, aver- Only 35% of adults over 60
said University of Chicago nicity, and gender greatly and Native American. age student loan debt said it is “much or some-
professor Steven Durlauf, affect one’s social mobility. “Before, I would have has increased for all gen- what harder” to achieve
who studies inequality and Black and Hispanic adults thought we had made erations, reaching record a good standard of living,
helped construct the study. were also more likely than progress,” she said. “That highs. Of adults under 30 compared with 54% of
“A lot of sense of well-being white adults to say a col- we’d be able to have more who have a bachelor’s de- adults aged 18-29.
has to do with relative sta- lege education, race and and be more. But we’re gree or higher, 49% have The poll also found that
tus, not absolute status.” ethnicity, and gender are battling the same bat- student loan debt. Federal Black Americans have a
The study also showed very important factors. tles our parents did. Trump borrowers 24 and young- more positive outlook on
marked partisan disagree- Acacia Barraza, 35, who brought it back to the fore- er owe an average of upward mobility for future
ments over whether struc- lives in Las Lunas, New front.” $14,434, those aged 25 to generations than white
tural factors contribute to Mexico and works as an Barraza said that student 34 owe an average debt of Americans.q

U.S. to require more rest between shifts

for flight attendants

tra hour of rest would con- up to 14 hours in a day in incidents involving unruly
tribute to safety. and get nine hours of rest passengers as demonstrat-
The rule goes into effect in between shifts. ing the need to give cabin
30 days, and airlines have The Association of Flight crews more rest between
up to 90 days to comply. Attendants has fought for shifts.
Congress directed the FAA years for a longer break Airlines have reported few-
in 2018 to increase the rest between shifts. The union er incidents since the fed-
requirement for flight at- thought it had prevailed eral requirement to wear
tendants and eliminate four years ago, when Con- face masks on flights end-
a provision that let crews gress voted by large mar- ed in April.
A passenger wears a face mask to help prevent the spread
of the new coronavirus as he waits for a Delta Airlines flight at work with less rest under gins to require more rest. "This is a small handful of
Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta on Feb. 18, some circumstances. The union's president, Sara people making it hell for
2021. "It took us way too long, but Nelson, appeared with flight attendants on the
Associated Press we are finally here," Nolen Nolen at the news confer- front lines," Nelson said.
said at a news conference ence and accused the The FAA took public com-
By DAVID KOENIG AP Air- hour than currently, under at Reagan Washington Trump administration of at- ments on the extra rest re-
lines Writer a rule announced Tuesday National Airport, where he tempting to kill the expan- quirement in both 2019 and
Airlines will be required by the Federal Aviation was flanked by more than sion through regulatory 2021 and received more
to give flight attendants Administration. a dozen flight attendants. foot-dragging. than 1,000 comments from
at least 10 hours off duty Acting FAA Administrator Current federal rules allow Union officials have point- airlines, flight attendants
between shifts, one more Billy Nolen said that the ex- flight attendants to work ed to a 2020-2021 increase and the public.q