Isn’t this world too messed up with the cost of living and employers don’t want to pay out raises? That brings me to another question… I do not hate President Obama, for I am a Democrat as well. I like the fact we, as a country, have our first interracially mixed president. Lots of people want to label him as black only, not recognizing that he also has white in him as well. After all, his mother is German. Not to get off point here…. I think people who make the laws should live like the “common man/woman” in America.
I am not saying all of the following DEALS with me directly, but I believe most of Americans, middle class Americans are similar to the following:
Have them live in conditions where they have children or a dog to take care of. Have them live in an apartment where they have to take a day off, non-paid, just for the landlord to complete a task in that apartment. Have them have to ask for or take public transportation because their vehicle is in need of repair, and better yet; have them rely on public transportation or cabs. Have them pay for hefty electric bills due to the air conditioning running in hot summer days. Have them pay for a hefty gas bill from cooking or drying clothes. Some Americans have to go to a laundromat, so factor that in as well. Factor in the cost of fuel or gasoline, with the distance of going back and forth to work on a daily basis. Have them account for food, and if you are a diabetic or have other health issues for you to eat specific foods, account for that too. Have them account for paying into a fund for health insurance because companies are not paying for health care, rather it is taken out of your check. Account for being paid every other week, and in some instances, being paid only twice a month. Have them account for clothes that has to be bought to work in. ALL of these factors, and more, law makers don’t account for when they are trying to do “minimum wage.”
Let’s take my state for example and we can figure out what it would cost to live and rather the wage is justified. Minimum wage is $8.25 per hour, however, the governor is pushing for $10.00 per hour. The average cost of fuel to fill up would be between $35-$40 if you have a four-cylinder vehicle. You work between 30-45 minutes away and it is hot outside and you run your air. So, you must fill up twice in two-weeks. So, that is between $70-$80 for gasoline every pay period. If you don’t have a car, most public transportation passes are about $40 per week for unlimited rides, so it is still the same cost. Next, food. Food runs around $250 every two weeks if you live by yourself, if you have children or a dog/cat, that could about double, but for argument sake, I will keep it as if you are single and no kids. Now our total is $325 per pay period. Electric bill would run about $50-$60 per month. If we divide that in half, it can be $25-$30 per pay period. Now our total is $355 per pay period. Let’s add the rent for an okay area which can be anywhere between $455-$655 per month for a studio apartment. If you have kids it will have to be adjudged to a one or two bedroom apartment. If you have a dog, it may have to be adjusted for additional costs of having the dog live there too. Divide $500 by two and we get $250. Now our total is $605. Let’s not forget a phone line in case of emergencies. A basic cellular service can be the same as a land-line… about $30 per month. Divide that by two and our total is coming up to $620 per pay period. Gas for cooking and heat runs around $50-$60 monthly. We divide that by two and it bumps our total to $650 per pay period. Most companies, if they offer healthcare coverage, requires a certain amount to be deducted from your pay, which can run around $20 or more per period and our total is $670 per pay period. According to the information on the wage…$8.25 times 40, for 40 hours per week and multiply it by two for every other week pay, comes to $660 per week. With health insurance being deducted per pay period… our pay drops to $640 per pay period. Now, we have to subtract taxes for being in a higher bracket due to pay every two weeks instead of every week. As we see, the basic things already are higher than the minimum wage. Now, if you have children, which most people in my age group do, it will be more expensive for you in the food category, dropping children off at the baby sitter, paying a baby sitter, fuel, and insurance for them as well. Let’s not forget the additional costs of automobile insurance and vehicle payments, which were not factored into this information.
If a law-maker live in our shoes for a month, they will think about increasing the minimum wage a lot faster and more often. As my mother says…”Keep Living!” As we do keep age in life, our finances will also increase. Instead of making things in the United States, we import and most things, especially from China, are not good for you. We don’t know what is in their water, or what type of water they are using for their fruits and veggies. The recalls from toys and other products, as well as certain foods and drugs from China, have been bad for our health. Could it be that China is trying to destroy us? I only buy food items from the United States. A company, such as Dish Network, would hire Americans who drives their own vehicles to a site. These workers may also be called contractors. They install the service and when you call for assistance, you get outsource personnel who cannot speak good English. Most companies that outsource pay for cheap labor on the phones overseas and they upscale their profits. They don’t care about what happens to American workers or helping America. They only care about themselves.
Matthew 19:23-24 – Then said Jesus unto his disciples, “Very I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
This is the same for feed the children in Africa or other areas. Should we focus on feeding Americans first since we live here and worry about other nations after we get ourselves taken care of first? It is a shame when you can research the web about hiring people that are not American citizens, yet you would not give the same job to an American, someone that loves this country and needs to support his/her family or themselves due to a company that don’t want to pay a hire wage.
Don’t get me started, as I can talk on and on and on about these types of topics.
cfbostonbrian 