Powerful Wake-Up Call: Missouri Economy Rigged Against Working Families

By Ricky Dana, Candidate for U.S. House – Missouri’s 4th District

🔥 Missouri Economy Reality Check: It’s Not “All Fine”

Turn on cable news and you’ll hear that the economy is “strong.” But if you’re a working family in Missouri’s 4th District, you know the truth: the Missouri economy doesn’t feel strong when your paycheck is gone before the month is half over.

Prices have climbed, housing is harder to afford, and basic bills keep eating up more of every dollar. Real wages for many workers have barely kept up with inflation, and in some years they’ve actually lost ground once rising prices are factored in.

Meanwhile, the people at the very top are doing just fine. In fact, they’re doing better than fine. The top 1% now holds around 31% of all wealth in America—about as much as the entire bottom 90% combined. That’s not an accident. That’s a system working exactly how they designed it.

💰 The Top 1% Is Hoarding Wealth While We Feel the Crunch

Over the last few years, the richest Americans and big corporations have added hundreds of billions of dollars in new wealth—even while regular families struggled with higher grocery, gas, and housing costs. One recent report found the 10 richest U.S. billionaires gained about $700 billion in wealth in 2025 alone.

At the same time, corporate profits have stayed sky-high. Researchers found that corporate profits drove more than a third of price increases since the pandemic, and in 2023 they accounted for over half of inflation. That’s not “the free market.” That’s greedflation—companies using chaos and crisis as an excuse to jack up prices and lock in bigger markups.

While the working class tightens our belts, the top 1% is effectively holding our nation’s money hostage—piling up cash, stocks, and real estate so fast that it pushes everyone else down. The goal is clear: weaken the middle class, push people back into being wage slaves just to survive, and make sure workers never have enough power or savings to push back.

🏡 Missouri’s Middle Class Is Stuck in Neutral

In Missouri, median household income has ticked up on paper—but once you factor in inflation, most families feel like they’re standing still or sliding backwards. In 2023, Missouri’s median household income was about $68,920, below the national median, and many families are still just one medical bill, car repair, or rent hike away from real trouble.

For families in our small towns and rural counties, the picture is even tougher: fewer good-paying jobs, longer drives to work, higher transportation costs, and less access to affordable child care and health care. That’s the reality in much of rural Missouri, including right here in the 4th District.

⚙️ How We Boost the Economy from the Bottom Up

Here’s the bottom line: an economy built on low wages and high profits for a tiny elite is not healthy. A strong Missouri economy means a strong working class and a strong middle class. That’s what I’m fighting for.

1️⃣ Raise Wages and Protect Workers

We need to raise the wage floor and protect workers’ rights to organize, bargain, and strike for better pay and conditions. When workers win fair contracts, they spend that money locally—at grocery stores, farm supply shops, diners, and hardware stores. That boosts wage growth and keeps our small-town economies alive.

2️⃣ Crack Down on Corporate Greed and Price Gouging

We should give watchdog agencies real teeth to investigate and punish price gouging and anti-competitive behavior. That means going after giant corporations that quietly raise prices far beyond their costs while blaming “inflation.” If a company is posting record profits while families are skipping meals, something is broken.

3️⃣ Tax Fairly and Invest in Our Communities

We don’t need to punish success—but we do need a tax code that stops rewarding hoarding and encourages investment in real communities, not just stock buybacks. The ultra-rich and big corporations should pay their fair share so we can:

• Rebuild roads, bridges, and broadband in rural Missouri
• Support small businesses and family farms, not just mega-corporations
• Expand access to affordable housing, child care, and health care

4️⃣ Protect the Middle Class, Not Just the Stock Market

Too many decisions in Washington are made based on what will make the stock market happy for the next 24 hours, not what will make working families secure over the next 24 years. When I’m elected as your congressman, my focus will be on middle class stability—good jobs, fair wages, and predictable costs—not the daily mood swings of Wall Street.

✅ Bottom Line: We Deserve an Economy That Works for Us

The truth is, our economy is not suffering because working people are lazy. It’s suffering because the rules have been tilted toward the wealthy for decades. The top 1% is hoarding more and more of our nation’s wealth, and they’re hoping we’ll get used to barely scraping by.

I refuse to accept that. We can build an economy where hard work actually pays off, where wealth inequality shrinks instead of grows, and where every person in Missouri’s 4th District has a real shot at a stable, dignified life.

If you’re ready to move away from wage slavery and toward a fair shot for every worker, not just the boardroom, then you’re exactly who I’m fighting for.

💙 Want to help fix this rigged system?

💙 Chip in now to fuel this fight for Missouri’s working class.
💪 Join our team and help us talk to voters across Missouri’s 4th District.
📖 Stay updated: rickydana.org/news-you-should-know

Sources:

Wealth Inequality in the United States – Inequality.org

U.S. Wages vs. Inflation (2021–2025) – Visual Capitalist

How Outsized Corporate Profits Drive Rising Costs – Groundwork Collaborative

Missouri: Household Income and Economic Profile – Data USA

Inflation quashed household income gains in 2024, Census finds – Washington Post