NEW RESEARCH
INDICATES THAT SOME INDIVIDUALS
MAKING MINIMUM WAGE IN CERTAIN
STATES HAVE TO WORK 100 HOURS A
WEEK JUST TO MAKE ENOUGH TO
LIVE.
THE FEDERAL MINIMUM WAGE
IS $7.75, AND A LOT OF STATES
ABIDE BY THAT.
AS A RESULT, A
LOT OF AMERICANS ARE SUFFERING.
OVERALL AMERICANS HAVE TO WORK
93.1 HOURS A WEEK AT THE MINIMUM
WAGE TO EARN A LIVING WAGE.
AMERICANS HAVE TO EARN $16.95 ON
AVERAGE TO MAKE IT LIVABLE WAGE.
THE FEDERAL MINIMUM WAGE AT
$7.25 AN HOUR IS WORTH LESS THAN
THE 1968 MINIMUM-WAGE IN TODAY'S
DOLLARS.
I AM GOING TO GO
THROUGH THE STATES TO GIVE YOU A
SENSE OF HOW MUCH YOU ARE GOING
TO HAVE TO WORK IF YOU ARE
MAKING MINIMUM WAGE AND YOU WANT
TO MAKE ENDS MEET.
>> IF YOU FACTOR IN
INFLATION, THE MINIMUM WAGE IS
LOWER TODAY THAN IT WAS AT 1968.
SO ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE
CRYING NONSTOP ABOUT, OH MY GOD,
THE MINIMUM WAGE IS TOO HIGH ñ ñ
REPUBLICANS ARE SAYING WE SHOULD
GET RID OF THE MINIMUM WAGE.
SO
WHEN YOU SAY TEN DOLLARS, OR
FIFTEEN DOLLARS JUST TO KEEP
PACE, THEY SAY OH NO YOU ARE
GOING TO KILL THE ECONOMY.
ITíS A LIE.
IT IS NOT TOO HIGH,
IT IS MORE THAN IN 1968.
YOU CANNOT LIVE OFF IT.
>> IF YOU ARE LIVING IN NEW
JERSEY, THE MINIMUM WAGE
THERE IS EIGHT DOLLARS AND
THIRTY-EIGHT CENTS.
THAT IS HIGHER THAN THE NATIONAL
WAGE, BUT YOU NEED TO MAKE
$19.76 AN HOUR IN ORDER
TO MAKE ENDS MEET.
MEANING THAT IF YOU ARE MAKING
MINIMUM WAGE, YOU HAVE TO WORK
94.3 HOURS A WEEK JUST TO BE
ABLE TO AFFORD THE COST OF
LIVING IN THE STATE.
>> SO IF YOU ARE WONDERING, HOW
IN THE WORLD CAN YOU DO THAT?
NOBODY CAN WORK NINETY HOURS A
WEEK, AT LEAST CONSISTENTLY.
THAT MEANS BOTH PEOPLE IN THE
FAMILY WORK, AND IF THEY
BOTH WORK AT MINIMUM WAGE AND
THEN SOME THEY ARE BARELY
SQUEAKING BY.
WHO IS LOOKING AFTER THE KIDS?
DO YOU HAVE TIME TO DO
HOMEWORK WITH THEM?
ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT THINGS.
AND THEN OF COURSE FOX NEWS WILL
TURN AROUND AND YELL AT YOU
BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T DO A GOOD
ENOUGH JOB AT PARENTING
WHILE YOU ARE WORKING 2 1/2
MINIMUM-WAGE JOBS.
>> IN NEW HAMPSHIRE YOU WOULD
HAVE TO WORK 95.1 HOURS A WEEK, IN
MARYLAND AT 91.3 HOURS, IN
VIRGINIA 103.2 HOURS A WEEK.
THE MOST EXPENSIVE STATE TO LIVE
IN IS HAWAII, BECAUSE OF THE
FACT THAT MINIMUM WAGE IS MUCH
LOWER.
YOU HAVE TO WORK 107
HOURS A WEEK IN ORDER TO MAKE
ENDS MEET.
THE REASON WHY THIS
STORY IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT IS
BECAUSE, OFTEN TIMES WHEN YOU
HEAR ABOUT THE WORKING POOR ñ BY
POLITICIANS OR EVEN THE
MAINSTREAM MEDIA ñ THE NARRATIVE
IS, THESE PEOPLE ARE LAZY.
THEY
ARE LOW SKILLED WORKERS, THEY
WON'T PICK THEMSELVES UP BY THE
BOOTSTRAPS.
THESE ARE THE
HARDEST WORKING PEOPLE IN THE
COUNTRY, THEY ARE JUST GETTING
PAID VERY LITTLE.
AS A RESULT,
FORTY HOURS A WEEK IS NOT ENOUGH
TO EARN A DECENT LIVING.
IT IS
NOT A LIVING WAGE.
BY THE WAY, ALL THE COMPANIES
THAT WON'T PAY THEM A
LIVING WAGE, WE END UP
SUBSIDIZING THOSE EMPLOYEES.
>> THAT'S A GOOD POINT.
THEY
PRETEND THERE IS A FREE MARKET.
WHAT WALMART DOES IS, THEY GO
INTO A COMMUNITY, THEY PAY AN
INCREDIBLY LOW WAGE, AND BECAUSE
THEY GET REALLY CHEAP MATERIAL
FROM CHINA, THEY
DRIVE LOCAL MOM AND POP
COMPANIES OUT OF BUSINESS.
NOW
EVERYBODY IN TOWN IS DEPENDENT
ON THEM FOR JOBS, SO THEY GO,
I AM GOING TO PAY YOU SO LOW THAT
THE GOVERNMENT IS GOING TO HAVE
TO PICK UP THE SLACK.
YOU WILL
HAVE TO HAVE FOOD STAMPS BECAUSE
YOU OBVIOUSLY CANNOT SUPPORT A
FAMILY ON MINIMUM WAGE.
WE KNOW
THAT, SO WE'RE GOING TO MAKE THE
GOVERNMENT PAY FOR YOUR
MEDICAID, YOUR FOOD STAMPS SO
YOUR KIDS CAN EAT, AND YOU HAVE
JUST SUBSIDIZED MY INCREDIBLY
GIANT AND PROFITABLE BUSINESS.
WHAT PART OF THIS IS FREE
MARKET?
THE GUYS YOU ARE
PAYING FOR FOOD STAMPS AND
MEDICAID, THAT IS HELPING THE
WALMARTíS OF THE WORLD.
IF YOU
WANTED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT,
YOU WOULD INCREASE THE MINIMUM
WAGE AND MAKE THE CORPORATIONS
ACTUALLY PAY FOR THEIR WORKERS.
YOU WANT TO RAISE THE MINIMUM
WAGE SO THAT PEOPLE CAN ACTUALLY
FEED A FAMILY THAT THEY ARE
WORKING HARD?
OH, NO, YOU DON'T
WANT TO DO THAT.
YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT
FAMILIES IN AMERICA.
ALL YOU CARE ABOUT IS, HOW
CAN I HELP MULTINATIONAL
CORPORATIONS AND THE
WEALTHY IN AMERICA?
