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Many who earn $7.25 an hour work long days, cobbling multiple jobs together to get by. Others scramble to amass enough hours to keep up with basic household bills, surviving only with a patchwork of help from family or government subsidies.
Lissette Rowe, 30, a psychology student from East Point, Ga., who earns $7.25 an hour making subs at a gourmet sandwich chain, relies on her father in Florida to send money for bills. Her sister shares food stamps. Her mother, who is struggling to afford repairs for her own car, lent her $400 so her electricity would not be cut off.
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It pays for gas and movies while living with mommy and daddy. Less than 1.1% of the population of the US work min wage jobs (not counting tipped positions, that generally bring in far more). And most that do are just entering the work force. Guess what? College students like the one in the article never have had it easy. That's why we had roommates and ate top ramen. And btw didn't live off handouts (foodstamps). Given that she's a psychology student, I suspect she will remain at the lower end of the income scale for quite some time...
It pays for gas and movies while living with mommy and daddy. Less than 1.1% of the population of the US work min wage jobs (not counting tipped positions, that generally bring in far more). And most that do are just entering the work force. Guess what? College students like the one in the article never have had it easy. That's why we had roommates and ate top ramen. And btw didn't live off handouts (foodstamps). Given that she's a psychology student, I suspect she will remain at the lower end of the income scale for quite some time...
What's the percentage of Americans working $15/hr or less?
I have a couple friends, married, they both make near that (A LOT of people make a tiny bit over it). They just got told their rent was going up by another couple hundred a month.
They've gone through a series of room mates, who flaked and they kicked them out until they finally got 2 who were a couple, one is working I think, the other in college. combined they could make the rent. Now......not so much.
So they're going to move...again. Probably to somewhere with high crime. They want kids...but they recognize they can't afford them. If they have a serious accident, or financial problem they will borrow money from me or someone else, and recover....given time.
But their life is full of work, and fear. It sucks.
Around here no min wage mandate is needed. Nothing less than $10/hr. Now, who said you should be able to own a house and send kids to college on min wage? $10 and hour was a godsend for my kids. They were making $300 week. They didn't see that much allowance in a year. They were ecstatic.
Minimum wage is only not enough in a meger, struggling economy, with too few options, which is what we have now. MW is a training wage, entry level, for movies and gas when one is just starting out and gathering some experience and references.
When MW is $15, adults will be hired to fill jobs, not students. Sorry! So, the 'good news' is that when we realize this, there will be a 'training' wage or 'youth wage', to address the huge youth unemployment circumstance. And, hopefully the economy will be better by then too.
So, in the meantime, talk to your Econ student friends, and they'll give you a clue.
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