The average inflation adjusted hourly wage is below what it was thirty-five years ago, according to the government's Bureau of Labor Statistics. In other words, people made more per hour 35 years ago then today. This isn't a short-term trend, this has been a long-term, 35 year trend.
Republicans find it very hard to deal with these figures and spin them, especially after they start talking about how great things are. One thing they do is attack the inflation part of it, saying inflation is overstated. But the BLS figures reflect the Boskin commission's recommendations for inflation. In other words, the numbers already reflect their point of view, that the inflation rate is overtstated. Another attack is that things have improved since 35 year ago in terms of things like portable computers and such. The bottom line is though that the average worker does not have a portable computer or some of the electronics they might name. In fact, relative to inflation, rent has skyrocketed - with rent, food and basic staples being the primary purchases before electronic gadgets. So while a 21" TV might be slightly cheaper than 35 years ago, the rent for the apartment (or cost of the house) it is in has skyrocketed - relative to inflation.
See for yourself (and don't forget step 2!)
1) Go to
http://www.bls.gov/webapps/legacy/cesbtab4.htm2) Click constant dollars to adjust for inflation
3) Click retrieve data
4) Change from tab to 1968
5) Click go
And don't forget step 2...99% of the people who say my numbers are wrong winf up skipping step 2 for some reason.