Time You Enjoy Wasting Is Not Wasted Time

This post is for Blog Action Day, this years topic is Poverty.

Poverty is defined by some as a lack of money and/or a lack of material goods. A living wage is what a familt needs to earn in order to pay to make ends meet.

According to the US Department of Health and Human Services the poverty threshold for a family of 5 is $24,800/annually in the 48 contiguous states. Assuming 40 hours a week and 52 weeks a year that works out to be $11.92 an hour. Right now the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act sets the Federal Minimum Wage to be $6.55 an hour or $13,624 annually, again assuming 40 hours a week for 52 weeks. The only way to earn minimum wage and stay above the poverty line is to be a family of one.

According to the Living Wage Calculator for the town of Pomfret in Chautauqua County, the living wage for a family of four (they don’t go higher than that unfortunately) is $40,738 compared to the $21,200 poverty line for a family of four. So to earn a living wage in Chautauqua County for a family of four one must earn $19.56 an hour compared to the New York State Minimum Wage of $7.15 an hour.

Clearly something must be done about wages in the US. Right now there is too much disparity in the wages of the haves and the have-nots. Executives are making far too much compared to everyone else. The minimum wage must be raised to accommodate at the very least a poverty wage, but should actually be high enough for a living wage. How can a minimum not afford people a minimum standard of living? The fact that CEOs and entertainers make astronomical salaries is shameful. I won’t go so far as to say no one should be wealthy, but there should be a cap on wealth. Is 10 times a living wage enough? Who knows, but certainly thousands of times is too much.

Until wages and compensation are more equitably distributed poverty will exist in the United States of America.