If wages were falling for everyone, you might be able to claim it's a strawman argument. But when CEO's and CFO's are getting bonuses for CUTTING those wages, when stockholders are getting increased dividends BECAUSE of those cuts, you are looking at a mechanism for inequality. Why are food costs rising? Because our out of control government is paying rich farmers to NOT grow crops! Why are energy costs rising? Because those involved in production are preventing the development of new, lower cost, renewable energy generation.

The inequality is real, and growing. The causes of it are as old as history: greed and corruption. The solutions? Way out of my league.