AMERICA'S WAGES

THE MINIMUM WAGE IN AMERICA WON'T PUT A ROOF OVER ANYONE'S HEAD WHO WORKS JUST ONE JOB.

FEW WILL BELIEVE THAT, BUT I FOUND AN INTERACTIVE MAP THAT SHOWS PRECISELY WHAT A MINIMUM WAGE WORKER MUST EARN TO HAVE A LOW-INCOME ONE-BEDROOM HOME IN EVERY COUNTY IN THE USA.

IT'S AN EYE-OPENER.
IT'S ALSO FACTUAL.

FOR ANYONE, AS IN ANYONE, ANYWHERE, WHO DOESN'T GIVE A RIP ABOUT THOSE MAKING MINIMUM WAGE, PLEASE DON'T BOTHER READING HERE AGAIN.

YOU CAN FIND THE MAP BY CLICKING <HERE> AND USE IT TO SEE FOR YOURSELVES THE DATA COLLECTED AND THE TRUTH ABOUT AMERICAN WAGES AND WHAT THEY BUY.

One-bedroom American housing wages, by county.

SOURCE: National Low Income Housing Coalition. Published April 22, 2014.

"No single county in America has a one-bedroom housing wage below the federal minimum wage of $7.25 (several counties in Arkansas come in at $7.98).

Coastal and urban counties are among the most expensive.

The entire Boston-New York-Washington corridor includes little respite from high housing wages. Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo counties in California rank as the least affordable in the country (scroll over each county in the interactive version for rankings; click to zoom).
In each of those counties, a one-bedroom hourly housing wage is $29.83, or the equivalent of 3.7 full-time jobs at the actual minimum wage (or an annual salary of about $62,000). Move inland in California, and housing grows less expensive."

IF YOU, FOR EVEN A SECOND, THINK THAT THOSE MAKING MINIMUM WAGE ARE CONTENT TO DO SO, THAT THEY ARE MERELY NOT PROPERLY MOTIVATED TO BETTER THEMSELVES, MAY I SUGGEST YOU MAY BE A BIGOT?

I HAVE NEVER MET ANYONE WHO DIDN'T WANT TO HAVE A BETTER LIFE.
I HAVE MET THOUSANDS WHO, FOR WHATEVER REASON, FIND THAT IMPOSSIBLE.

THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF REASONS WHY NOT EVERYONE CAN GO TO COLLEGE, GET A WELL-PAYING JOB, EAT THREE MEALS A DAY AND LIVE IN A "NICE" NEIGHBORHOOD.

IF YOU AREN'T ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE TRYING TO MAKE IT ON MINIMUM WAGE, I SUGGEST YOU SHOULD FEEL EXTREMELY BLESSED AND BE DAILY GRATEFUL.

BTW, "According to the College Board, the average cost of tuition and fees for the 2014–2015 school year (FOR ONE YEAR'S TUITION, NOT COUNTING OTHER COLLEGE EXPENSES LIKE BOOKS, FOOD, TRANSPORTATION, CLOTHING AND HOUSING) was $31,231 at private colleges, $9,139 for state residents at public colleges, and $22,958 for out-of-state residents attending public universities."

SO, INSTEAD OF LOOKING DOWN YOUR NOSE AT THOSE NOT AS WELL-OFF, MAYBE YOU SHOULD SHARE WITH THEM JUST HOW YOU MANAGED TO BECOME SO FORTUNATE?
WHAT A CONCEPT, YES?
TO OFFER HELP AND HOPE INSTEAD OF SEEING HALF OF AMERICA AS "USELESS EATERS", "MOOCHERS" OR "VERMIN"?

TELL THEM HOW TO AFFORD COLLEGE WHILE TAKING CARE OF A FAMILY AND WORKING TWO OR THREE JOBS.

WHEN GEORGE BUSH #2 PRAISED THE SINGLE MOM WORKING THREE JOBS AND ALMOST NEVER BEING ABLE TO SPEND TIME WITH HER CHILDREN, I WANTED TO PUNCH HIM!
HE WAS DELIGHTED THAT SHE WAS "GETTING BY"!
HE OFFERED HER NO SOLUTION TO HAVING TO WORK AND SELDOM REST, OR BE AT HOME WITH HER CHILDREN.
THAT'S COMMON IN AMERICA!

WHAT A DAMNED SHAME!

YOU CAN SEE WHAT HOUSING COSTS BY USING THE MAP.

WHAT ABOUT FOOD IN AMERICA?
WE ALL SEE PRICES GOING UP EACH DAY.
MAYBE A JUMP OF A DOLLAR FOR A DOZEN EGGS DOESN'T AFFECT YOU OR YOUR FAMILY, BUT THAT DOLLAR IS A HUGE HIKE FOR HALF OF AMERICA!

WOULD YOU LIKE TO "EAT CHEAP" OR HAVE MEAT EVERY DAY?
FOR SOME, THERE'S NO CHOICE.

FOR SINGLE PARENTS AND FOR THOSE ON FIXED INCOMES, ACTUALLY FOR 47% OF ALL AMERICANS, THE PRICE OF FOOD IS VERY, VERY PROHIBITIVE.

WHEN A PIECE OF BEEF IS THREE TIMES WHAT A PIECE OF CHICKEN IS, GUESS WHAT PEOPLE WITH LIMITED FUNDS BUY?
SOMETIMES, NEITHER!

REALITY SUCKS, RIGHT?
REALITY IS ALMOST ALWAYS SOMETHING WE DON'T EXPECT, DON'T WANT TO SEE, OR JUST TRY TO DENY BECAUSE IT SCARES US.
REALITY CAN HURT.

THE REALITY IS THAT 90% OF THAT 47% OF OUR FELLOW CITIZENS STRUGGLING TO LIVE IN AMERICA WORK LIKE DOGS TO SURVIVE.

THEY CERTAINLY DIDN'T PLAN TO DO SO.
THEY ASSUREDLY DON'T LIKE HAVING TO FIGHT THEIR WAY THROUGH EACH DAY TO MAKE IT UNTIL THE NEXT PAYCHECK.

IF THE 53% OF AMERICANS WHO DON'T HAVE TO CONTEND WITH THESE "ECONOMIC DIFFICULTIES" SIMPLY WENT TO THOSE WHO DO AND SAT DOWN AND HAD A CHAT WITH THEM, MAYBE ATTITUDES WOULD CHANGE IN AMERICA.

MAYBE WE COULD GET BACK TO HELPING ONE ANOTHER AND STOP THE NAME-CALLING AND THE PUT-DOWNS.

WE FEAR, AND OFTEN LOATHE, WHAT WE DO NOT UNDERSTAND.
THERE'S A CURE FOR THAT.

ALL AMERICANS NEED A DECENT WAGE.
PROFITS HAVE SOARED FOR THE BIG AMERICAN COMPANIES SINCE THEY BEGAN SENDING AMERICAN JOBS OVERSEAS WHERE EVEN POORER PEOPLE WORK FOR A DOLLAR A DAY.

IT ISN'T THAT AN INCREASE IN MINIMUM WAGE WOULD BANKRUPT LARGE COMPANIES, OR EVEN SMALLER ONES.

IT'S THAT AMERICA "NEEDS" A SERFDOM, A GROUP OF IMPOVERISHED PEOPLE WHO WILL DO WHATEVER "DIRTY WORK" IS TO BE DONE FOR THE LEAST AMOUNT OF MONEY.

AND THE 'ELITE' MUST HAVE A GROUP TO BLAME FOR THE FINANCIAL WOES THAT THEY, THEMSELVES, ARE KNOWINGLY CREATING!
MUST HAVE SCAPEGOATS!

PUT YOURSELVES IN THE PLACE OF THAT SINGLE MOTHER WORKING THREE JOBS JUST TO FEED HER KIDS.

TRY IT.