Following on Tuesday’s post about a decline in real incomes for Americans, The Onion runs an article announcing that Cost of Living Now Outweighs Benefits.

WASHINGTON, DC–A report released Monday by the Federal Consumer Quality-Of-Life Control Board indicates that the cost of living now outstrips life’s benefits for many Americans.“This is sobering news,” said study director Jack Farness. “For the first time, we have statistical evidence of what we’ve suspected for the past 40 years: Life really isn’t worth living.”

To arrive at their conclusions, study directors first identified the average yearly costs and benefits of life. Tangible benefits such as median income ($43,000) were weighed against such tangible costs as home-ownership ($18,000). Next, scientists assigned a financial value to intangibles such as finding inner peace ($15,000), establishing emotional closeness with family members ($3,000), and brief moments of joy ($5 each). Taken together, the study results indicate that “it is unwise to go on living.”

“Since 1965, the cost-benefit ratio of American life has been approaching parity,” Farness said. “While figures prior to that date show that life was worth living, there is some suspicion that the benefits cited were superficial and misreported.” [more]