Although I applaud the "effort," the participants are sorely missing the point. As many comments point out, food is only one problem faced by those working at minimum wage.
Unexpected illness - colds, flu, toothache - missing one day of work your weekly if not monthly "budget is blown to hell. That is if you still have a job after having to call-off sick.
Car maintenance and fuel - fuel alone is $40 a week. Guess what your now down to $37.
And what about school pictures or other activities that cost money? No mention of childcare either.
Let me put it to you in this way. I make $437 a month (on average), my rent (which includes everything +internet) is $400. I do not have cable or satellite and my cell is pre-paid (no money, no cell). It takes me anywhere from 6-9 moths to save for 1 pair of decent sneakers. I do receive SNAP, so food is not an issue and I do not drive. BUT I have it down to a science (although one slip and I am screwed) and there is only me (and my cat) to worry about.
For me it is part choice, and part necessity. I choose to live very simply, it has been thrust upon me by where I live (lack of job choice) and health limitations (I'm not ready to throw in the towel and go on disability.) I could go back to working 2 jobs and 60+ hrs a week but doing so puts my health in jeopardy, in the end I'm in a worse spot than when I began. But I have that "choice" many do not.
__
And some things have come up that are more dire than skipped beer. He came down with a cold but was lucky enough to find Tylenol and Afrin nasal spray in his cabinet already. “I don’t think I would have been able to buy that Afrin nasal spray” on the challenge, he noted. “I never think about what medicine costs if i need it… But some people have to think constantly about how they spend their money, and their quality of life is quite different than mine.”
Strickland will be joined by some current lawmakers this week, including Democratic Reps. Jan Schakowsky (IL), Tim Ryan (OH), and Keith Ellison (MN), to mark the fact that Thursday will represent five years since the last minimum wage increase, leaving it at $7.25 an hour. And Brad Woodhouse, president of Americans United for Change, the group that is organizing the Live the Wage challenge, said on a press call that they want more to join in, particularly Republicans. “We’re asking you to live the wage John Boehner, Mitch McConnell, and others who insist the minimum wage is adequate or we don’t need a minimum wage at all,” he said.
The hope is that those who take the challenge get a taste of what life is like on a low wage, even if it’s temporary and they can go back to their normal lifestyles after a week. “I think it’s important for those of us in these leadership positions that get elected by our constituents to represent their views from time to time to take a challenge such as this,” Rep. Ryan said on the call, “to make sure we really are not just understanding this in an intellectual way but really understand the deep challenges that people face.” It’s meant to “bring awareness to this issue,” he said.
He and his family will take the challenge for a week and “make decisions that a minimum wage family would make,” he said. “It’s an opportunity for us to put our money where our mouth is.”
Members Of Congress Take 'Minimum Wage Challenge' To Live Off Reduced Budget For A Week | ThinkProgress
No comments:
Post a Comment