You're looking at the wrong issue. Or at least you're confused about the cause of the issue you're mad about.
Yes, inflation has outpaced the shit out of wage growth. People used to be able to be a janitor all their life, and if they were a good hard worker and responsible, chances are these people could own a home, car, raise a family, and not need a dime of government assistance.
That isn't even remotely possible any longer. Most people now go to their employer and ask for more money and are laughed out if they aren't a skilled worker. After all why would they pay you more when they can hire someone to do it for less? And you get the bullshit about how it's the recession and there's no money. Meanwhile corporate profits are higher than ever. Wealth has been growing - it's just all gone to a very small percentage of our society. That portion of our society is very skilled at duping the "proles". You can see that every day in this forum, as they promote political policies that are counter to their own interests. "Yes, please keep passing policies that make it more difficult for us to live". They're too stupid to see they've been duped, and consistently vote against their own interests. It's a conservative epidemic.