Someone said something in class a few days ago and I've been stewing over it since then. She said, "A person can actually survive on minimum wage just without any luxuries." I have a few problems with this statement. I haven't looked at the facts and figures so this is mostly speculation. I am sure that a single person with no kids could survive on minimum wage and if they budget right then they may even be able to afford some small luxuries. But many minimum wage jobs are not full time. Which means even less money so they would have to do without luxury. But I think it's a shame to expect someone to just spend their life surviving. Surviving is not living. Everyone should have the chance to enjoy things. Just because a person is in a less than ideal situation, doesn't mean they should have to live everyday to work.
Now, a lot of people working for minimum wage have children. If it's a family with two parents and both are working then surviving is a little bit easier but if one of those parents aren't working or if it's a single parent family then that one income is not enough. Because where are the children while the parent is working? If they're lucky then they may have friends or family that can babysit for little to no money. But many people are not that lucky and have to resort to childcare. Day care centers are expensive. Some will work with your income and there are vouchers available from the government but this isn't always enough. Day care far exceeds the income of a minimum wage worker whether or not they are working a full 40 hours. Usually in this income bracket, the family is able to get food stamps but I know from experience that is takes a lot of budgeting and planning to make those food stamps last. And some people will not ask for food stamps because these days there's a negative view on anyone who gets them. They are perceived as lazy even if they work their butts off just to get by. Some people are at a low point in their lives and are just trying to work their way out. Some people don't see food stamps has a permanent things, just a temporary means of survival until they can work their way to a better situation. Some people don't have parents that could help put them through college right out of high school. Some people have to work and fight for it for themselves.
I am going to assume that the young lady who made the statement about minimum wage has never had to struggle on her own. It's not as easy as one would think. And working a low paying job should mean a person is less human and doesn't need "luxuries". What about a car to get to that job? Does she even know how much a car costs? Even a used one might be out of the price range of a minimum wage worker. Is a car a luxury? Is a phone a luxury? Power? Running water? Rent? These are things that a minimum wage worker struggles to pay. Even in a crappy neighborhood where rent is cheap, it's still difficult to afford on minimum wage. I'm sure minimum wage is set the way it is to encourage people to work towards a better life. But for some, it is their only way of life for a long period of time. The best way to make more money is to get a degree (sometimes even that doesn't help) but to get a degree one must go to college. College is expensive. Financial aid doesn't always cover all of it. An if a person is struggling to pay rent, how can you expect them to pay for college to get out of their situation?
As you can tell, my little rant here is very stream of conscious. I would love to have a more organized formal writing with actual researched figures but this was on my mind and I felt like I needed to just let it all out. Feel free to argue or agree with me.
