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The hourly average wage increase over a decade, in your chart, after deducting the CPI, is a paltry 60 cents/hr? And for that sum, that pocketful of coins, you have sacrificed the livelihoods of millions of your fellow Americans on the altar of your economic dogmatism?

I thought you said wages were dropping? And which millions have been sacrificed? The 20,000,000 who have jobs who didn't before NAFTA? Be specific.

That asserted 60-cent wage increase is easily overwhelmed by the drop in the dollar against the major currencies of the last 4 years.

Yeah, if we lived in Europe and had dollars to spend you'd be right. Otherwise, it's irrelevant.

Wake up and small the coffee Todd. You have lost the argument on the trade deficit.

So the deficit destroys jobs? How many jobs does each $1 billion increase in the deficit destroy?

Purchasing power parity means that the domestic currencies in different nations have the same ability to obtain goods in the different nations' markets.

Finally, an answer. So, if the hourly wage in China is 20 cents and a Big Mac in China is 10 cents and the hourly wage in the US is $9.00 and a Big Mac is $4.50 PPP would say our economies are equal?

Yeah, if we lived in Europe and had dollars to spend you'd be right. Otherwise, it's irrelevant

Untrue. E.g., Traveling in "EUrope", recreationally or for business. Buying things from EUrope. And buying things from countries that denominate or tie their currencies to EUrope, etc.

Suddenly, you, who are so enamored of the view that it is "onerous" and "unfair" and "oppression" of the taxpayers to have to pay an import tariff to protect our trade balance and industry...now deny that the dollar's collapse against ANYONE is serious busines. Yup, it's only Europe after all! LOL!

Euro v. U.S. Dollar

Or "It's only Japan."

U.S. Dollar v. Japanese Yen.

Or, It's only.... the Dollar v. Switzerland's Franc

Or Great Britain's Pound v. Dollar

Or any of the other majors listed here.

T'sk, t'sk, t'sk. So now you try to wriggle off the hook like a worm.

Sorry Todd, you aren't getting off this one so easily. It is curtains for your side. The evidence is in. You lose. If you were an honest debater you would rethink your whole position vis-a-vis trade.

BTW: The over-simplified PPP hypothetical you posit holds if both economies entire production is the posited "one Big Mac" (PPP properly calculated, would, as with the CPI, strive for a much broader, more complete basket of representative goods), and the average "wage" represent the nation's entire purchasing power and trading activity... In point of fact it's broader than just employee wages.