Your subtitle says it all - "counting on fingers and toes, while paying an arm and a leg"! We've been redoing our budget as we pivot toward some incredible positive change, but it's still math'd from a place of asking exactly how much we need, as a family of four in Indiana with a mortage, to simply break even every year, not including fuel or groceries. That number? $30,000. With the minimum wage in Indiana being $7.25/hour, we know we're fortunate to be making almost three times the minimum...for body-breaking work that recently landed my husband in the hospital with zero PTO for it (happy thirty-first birthday to him, right?). And none of that allows for savings or anything "extra." What part of today's economy allows for any average American to dream anymore? It's akin to a nightmare when that "incredible positive change" means *maybe* being without food insecurity finally.
You got that right Mr Fike! The economy should be measured by minimum wage earners affording a decent place to live. A little less million dollar bonuses and 25 million dollar exit packages for CEOs could go a long way in increasing minimum wage to balance out that problem.
Your subtitle says it all - "counting on fingers and toes, while paying an arm and a leg"! We've been redoing our budget as we pivot toward some incredible positive change, but it's still math'd from a place of asking exactly how much we need, as a family of four in Indiana with a mortage, to simply break even every year, not including fuel or groceries. That number? $30,000. With the minimum wage in Indiana being $7.25/hour, we know we're fortunate to be making almost three times the minimum...for body-breaking work that recently landed my husband in the hospital with zero PTO for it (happy thirty-first birthday to him, right?). And none of that allows for savings or anything "extra." What part of today's economy allows for any average American to dream anymore? It's akin to a nightmare when that "incredible positive change" means *maybe* being without food insecurity finally.
You got that right Mr Fike! The economy should be measured by minimum wage earners affording a decent place to live. A little less million dollar bonuses and 25 million dollar exit packages for CEOs could go a long way in increasing minimum wage to balance out that problem.
I couldn’t agree more, Pat. Livable wages are NEEDED and the excess needs to stop!