Is it slow for everyone

A term created by politicians to convince potential voters that if they don't make "X" amount per hour, they are a victim. It's typical class warfare that is very effective, particularly on the west coast where a high percentage of the population is a member of (or sympathetic to by proxy) one or more oppressed classes.

 

A living wage is an income that a person can house, feed, and clothe a family of four without any other income.

 

is it slow for everyone?

no. i run linehaul (LTL). i can’t buy a day off.

 

Again, pick your favorite multi millionaire, do you think they think they can live off what you know you can? A "living wage" means very different things to some people.

 

If you read the whole articles (admittedly the ad structure is wacked and makes reading hard) what you'll find is multiple surveys over multiple years have almost 50% of millennials (current age 23-38) report working 2 jobs. When the income from a side hustle is used to 1) meet basic needs or 2) create savings for a safety net and/or retirement then it's not a hobby, it's a job.

I'm not asking for people to start out being able to vacation in Cabo San Luca every year. I do think that anyone working 40 hours a week should be able to house, clothe and feed themselves without governmental assistance.

I remember having a "spirited discussion" with my Dad back in the early 2000s over my fiances. I was 1 year out of college and making $28,000ish with no benefits. It was my dream job, I was happy but living pay check to pay check. He thought with my income I should be able to pay for a plane ticket from Chicago to Lake Tahoe and 3 nights of hotel stay for my cousin's wedding. My Dad thought $28,000 was plenty and I was being caviler with my money until we sat down and ran the numbers. He then realized I was paying more in rent for a 3 person, 2 bedroom apartment in (at the time) a sketchy neighborhood than his monthly mortgage payment on a 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath house on 1/3 acre.

It falls into the "in my day we walked 30 miles to school - one way - in our bare feet, up hill both ways" category.

Is the parking lot full of parent's cars or teacher's? How many of the 40% get dropped of verses take the bus/walk?

Take a look at Illinois District 205. 3 middle schools, 2 have less than 10% reduced/free lunches 1 has 36%. The teachers get paid the same and the parking lots look much the same. Number of kids on the bus? Not anywhere near the same.

All of that is besides the point - poverty rates have been dropping in this country since 1967. If you compare the data (again see the bls website) you will see a pretty good correlation between the poverty rate and the employment rate. That is until the 2008 Recession. As employment picked up, the poverty rate did drop but not in line with employment. Over the last 5 years the poverty rate has held almost stable while the unemployment rate has hit "historic" lows.

 

No, a "living wage" has a definition.

As for my favorite multi millionaire I will choose Mary Duchossois, who besides being filthy rich also holds the distinction of being the first breasts I ever touched. She can and did live off of her own earning between the age off 22 (college graduation) and 30. At which point her grandfather gave her a truly staggering amount of money. Her brother has yet to get a dime.

 

I agree. I’m a millennial and we get a bad rep. I’m sure every younger generation does until they get older but there is a lot of us out here working hard and doing great. As we get older we’ll have to make sure and not do the same thing and talk crap on the younger generations of the future.

 

Yes it does, and a definition is generally what is shown in a publication such as a dictionary.

Definition of living wage
1 : a subsistence wage
2 : a wage sufficient to provide the necessities and comforts essential to an acceptable standard of living

Notice there is no mention of the wage necessary to sustain a family of 4? Of course, definitions today seem to be more about what is PC, such as the number of genders, or what a fascist is.

 

And whoever said wages are not outpacing inflation is just wrong. Wages are finally going up after decades of stagnation.
I hire lots of people and I agree younger people tend to call in a lot more then older people and don’t have as good of a work ethic. But, ask any of the older guys that work for me and every single one said they were the same way when they were young. It’s just the way it is. There are always going to be outliers in any group. Young guys early in the morning when the ol lady says baby don’t go, stay under the covers with me are going to call in with a stomach being sick. lol. Older guys are going to be told by the ol lady, get going your late! haha.

 

Aren't there some folks pushing a guaranteed "living wage"?

I seem to remember some politician pushing a guaranteed $1,000 a month for every person in the country of a certain age.

That seems kind of nuts to me.