An Economy Built on Workers, Not Just Profits

Working people feel the economy every single day — at the grocery store, when the utility bill arrives, and when rent or mortgage payments come due. Right now, too many families are doing everything right and still falling behind. Wages haven’t kept up, prices keep climbing, and too many policies in Washington are written to protect profits instead of people.

For years, we’ve been told that if corporations do well, everyone else will benefit. But what we’ve seen instead is record profits at the top and tighter belts everywhere else. That’s not a failure of workers — it’s a failure of leadership.

An economy that works can’t be built from the penthouse down. It has to be built from the foundation up, and workers are that foundation.

Working Families Are Always Asked to Sacrifice

When tax cuts are debated in Washington, they seem to flow easily to the wealthiest and most powerful. When subsidies are discussed, large corporations are first in line. But when the conversation turns to deficits, debt, or “tough choices,” it’s working families who are asked to give more, wait longer, or accept less.

That double standard is wrong.

Working people shouldn’t be treated as a backup plan or a revenue source. We shouldn’t only be remembered when it’s time to sacrifice. If the economy depends on our labor — and it does — then economic policy should reflect that reality.

Fair wages, predictable costs, and real economic security aren’t radical ideas. They’re the basics of a functioning economy.

A Fair Economy Starts With Respect for Work

I believe the economy should reward work, not exploit it. That means policies that strengthen wages, protect workers from being priced out of basic necessities, and stop rewarding companies that ship jobs overseas while expecting American workers to pick up the slack.

It also means recognizing that cost-of-living pressures don’t fall evenly. A rising grocery bill or healthcare premium hits a working family a lot harder than it hits a CEO or a politician insulated from those costs.

My focus is simple: if you work hard, you should be able to afford to live with dignity, support your family, and plan for the future. That’s not asking for special treatment — it’s asking for a fair deal.