With skyrocketing rents, Gas that costs $3.50/gal. and rising food costs, how do people make it on $6.50/hour?

Question

I mean, going on welfare would make more sense for someone who has children to stay home and raise their children rather than only make $6.50 an hour at these rates. This is cruel and unusual punishment. Geesuz what a trap.

jimbad05... you obviously don't have children to feed. And, in places where I live, there are no Walmarts down town L.A or even South central. And, there certainly are no Aldi's.

rmaggeden.... this isn't propaganda. This is the reality of people's lives. And, Single mothers in particular. It's not my life but it is the life of many inner city and rural families. Jobs in the inner city are not very good if they exist at all. The same goes for rural communities too. To you this is propaganda, to others who live this life it's called reality. And, for some people going to college is too expensive and way too far away to commute. Costs have not kept up with wages for the working poor. Gas in the 1990's was below a dollar a gal. Now it is $3.50. If it takes 15 gallons to fill up your car that's around $55 dollars. If you have to fill it up once or twice a week, that's a huge amount of money for someone who works 40 hrs a wk @ 6.50 hr. which is only $260 a wk. I'm saying welfare is much more liveable plus you can raise your kids by being there for them.

Answer 1

They don't make it - it's a downward spiral with a very hard floor at the bottom. The cons think "bootstraps" when they should think dignity. They'd be the first to complain in the same situation.

Answer 2

Do you know that only 5% of all those at minimum wage are heads of households. Usually the people at min wage are teenagers or someone in the family getting a job to earn a little extra on the side. (Like I will likely be doing this summer)

And I suspect the few heads of households who work a min wage are losers who have gotten fired so many times & burned so many bridges they have no choice but to work at min wage. But that is a corner they've painted themselves into. But these are also the same people who never accept responsiblity for their own mistakes. So you can be guarenteed they are screaming about how unfair it is.

And it IS unfair - to the children who have parents like this!

I know a parent like this. Nice guy, but can't hold down a job & it's never his fault (yeah, right!)

As far as raising minimum wage? Why not raise it to 20$ an hour. Better yet, let's raise it to 60$ an hour. Then we can all be rich!!!

Because most businesses would go under because they couldn't afford it. THen there would be MORE unemployment. Don't the same things happen, just on a less dramatic scale whenever you raise min wage?

Answer 3

Well if you look at costs, they have pretty much paced wages, some win and loss each year, but over time, 30 years say.

Okay first, people do not make it on $6.5 unless they live at home with their parents or have some other means of support, to think otherwise is rediculous.

Secondly, if that is all you can earn then you have some serious shortcomings in your life that are a greater detriment to you than just how much you earn. You need to educate yourself, and I mean you do it and so many others before you have, you gain experience by working, then you learn more skills by working. If you do not make more than that in six months you are just not trying.

It really is that simple.

So whats up with the propaganda? You are smarter than that.

Answer 4

First of all, you need to get out of the mindset that you are stuck at JUST an hourly wage working for someone else. For years I felt like I was owned by my employers, that every penny I had hinged on my job.

After much frustration and tired of being broke or nearly broke all the time, I got myself down in the saddle and rode the wild stallion through the brainstorm.

My main problem was spending my money, and what I was spending my money ON. You've no doubt heard the "need it" and "want it" designations when it comes to purchases. Food especially is a HUGE downfall for so many people. Ask yourself this, and BE HONEST!!!! "Do I have chips, cookies, snacks, sodas, cereals, and other unnecessary junk in my pantry?" If you do, and if they have price stickers on them, go through your pantry and make a list then add up the cost. Surprise surprise huh?

Got credit cards? STOP USING THEM. Nothing makes me sicker than seeing that commercial with the theme "I'm freeee to do what I want!" Uh, no, actually you're NOT free to do what you want. They only tell you that so you'll spend spend spend and carry a balance constantly. Credit cards are quick fixes that end up costing you 3X as much. If you don't have the $10 to begin with, what makes you think it's going to be easier to repay $30????

I remember making $6.50 an hour, and that was after 4 1/2 years at the same job! My generous, albeit alcoholic, employer could squeeze out an extra nickel and tack it onto my wage once a year. Oh, but he was too busy building his million dollar log cabins and guzzling Canadian Mist by the quart.

After feeling more and more worthless and trapped in a dead end job, my mind began to wander enough that I started to think about how I could make extra money while working full time, but without killing myself in the process. I began with small things like making my own lip balms. Then I met someone who had an online business and he graciously offered his services to get my 'stuff' out there.

Several years later, I no longer work for the guzzler. I still work full time, only now making a little over $10 an hour. I spent years paying off debt and making sure I didn't incur anymore. In that time, I learned how to run my own homebased business which in turn has helped me tremendously, not only financially but mentally and emotionally as well.

Making yourself feel trapped is only going to bring you down more. Do you have a special skill, like painting, maybe knitting? How about a green thumb? I sell homegrown veggie plants like tomatoes, peppers, herbs and such to folks in my local area for extra summer cash. Housecleaning is also a good money maker, start with people you know so you can build references and go from there.

Get creative but don't overload yourself. And keep your independence. Independence = sanity!!!

Answer 5

Bung & Jimbad05 have already provided the BEST answers. The rest appear to be ignorant of what really drives the economy and business. As already stated, the minimum wage is not meant to be a "living wage", but a "starter" wage. You don't jump into the work force in a middle income wage, you work for it... that may mean going to school or spending a few more years working at lower wages while you work your way up the ladder.

Most of those that are making minimum wage are school aged kids, from high school to college kids. The rest that fall into that arena are those that won't do more than they have to in order to get ahead in life. You get out of it, what you put into it. Instead, they complain! Our government already provides for the low income wage earners to receive grants (free money) to get the education they need to get a better job. Most colleges offer day care for those that need it and if they are in the lower income category, they get that free, too.

To those that want to blame Bush (get a life), he is the one that was pushing for higher minimum wages. If the minimum wage goes up, then there will be other repercussions to, not only small business (which employs 80% of the work force), but it will also increase the cost of goods that you buy. Of course, then you'll complain about that also. Bush is wanting to increase the minimum wage, with tax deductions for Small Businesses. However, even with the tax deductions, it will still cost Small Businesses a lot more than the savings they would see from the tax deductions, therefore causing them to look for ways to cut costs to stay in business. Guess what they will cut first... it's usually labor. Then all those that lose their jobs will cry that it's not fair. I suppose they should keep all their employees at the higher pay... at least until they close the doors because they are going bankrupt. Then you're still in the same boat!

Go take a course in economics and learn how the wheel turns and you may find that if you're not part of the solution, then you're only part of the problem. Quit blaming the rich... they are paying for most of what you get from our government, now. If you hope to have the money that they have, then start working towards that goal and quit expecting them to just give you what you want. The US government is not your mommy & daddy. Grow up!

Answer 6

There are lots of options like churches pitching in, family helping out. Not everyone is isolated, alone, and completely dependent on the govt for a handout.

My wifes cousin is a master at milking the system. She gets a job long enough to get unemployment, then make sure she gets fired. She sold her car and sobs to them that she has no way to work so they increased and extended her payments. She milks thousands of dollars per year off her grandmother doing dumb things like mopping her floor.

Not saying all people are like that but sometimes its hard to have universal sympathy for people that choose their paths in life.

Answer 7

A good place to start is to get an education and wait until you have established yourself before having children. Then you could earn more than $6.50 an hour...seeing as you already have children then apply for one of the many educational grants offered and go get yourself a degree so you can drag yourself up out of the so called trap your in....lots of luck.

Answer 8

You don't make it. That's exactly why welfare appeals to some people and they are reluctant to get off of it. We don't necessarily need "welfare reform", we need "society reform".

I live with my dad, no kids, recent college grad and I work 2 jobs and barely scrape by. I can't even imagine what some people go through!!!

Answer 9

Who says you're entitled to a living wage?

I say you're worth what you're worth in the free market. Some homeless people have been successful in getting loans and graduating college. If you can't take advantage of this country's vast opportunities thats you're problem. I shouldn't have to pay high taxes to support another person's laziness.

BTW: Rising food costs? What about ALDI, WAL-MART and other discount stores? Cheap, bulk foods like oatmeal?
Gas costs too much? Ride a bike for a week. I tried it once and it sucked. It made me appreciate driving a lot more. I'd gladly pay $8/gal. for gas to get out of biking everywhere.

Answer 10

Bingo. And they do indeed make that choice, to stay home on welfare rather than work.

But this is an old chicken & egg debate.

BEST work Clinton ever did was reducing the welfare rolls.

I think those Clinton's are much more conservative than people understand.

Answer 11

They don't and that's why Americans are over a billion dollars in debt. They put what they need on their credit cards and make the minimum payments. Instead of a thriving middle class we have a permanent underclass. Right now America is nothing but a racket for the rich.