Two alarming reports recently out point to long-term trends in the U.S. economy that don’t bode well for maintaining a strong middle class in this nation.

Last week, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) spent a great deal of effort touting an economic report from the Republican staff of the Joint Economic Committee. That should be your first warning to step back, take a deep breath and adjust your skepticism meter.

Opponents of working families and their unions have tried to pit public workers against those in the private sector, by fomenting an internal class warfare centered on disparate wages and benefits.

Wages have fallen lower and stayed low longer in this recession than in any time since the Depression. With unemployment at 9 percent or better for 20 months and likely to stay that way for a while, wages will continue to drop.