Poverty chokes the life out of the Delta


Oh my. Looks like a fight is a brewing. Well, maybe a couple. But today let's talk about our esteemed Congressional activity. Go ahead and grab a cup of tea, I'll wait.



In the Senate today , the minimum wage increase has been waylayed by Rebublicans who want to attach business tax breaks. Democrats from the House want this $2.10 raise to the back-breaking un-livable wage to go through with no attachments from the Senate. But it looks like a minumum wage increase just won't make it through the Senate without a tax break for business attached. The 54-43 vote fell short of the 60 it needed to advance without changes. Democratic leaders in the Senate are moving to pin those tax breaks on, for the sake of passing the wage hike.
...raise the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour over 26 months and provide $8.3 billion in tax benefits to businesses over 10 years. CNN

I am thinking that we in this country are struggling, and just really need this. It's been 10 years since the minimum wage has changed, and in that time inflation has decreased the purchasing power of those low wages even more. The real value of today’s minimum wage is 44% below its peak in 1968 due to inflation. Hey, I remember 1968. There was such a thing as nickle candy back then, like 3 for a nickle.

Oh it's a tangle.

Just remember this: Nearly 75% of all minimum wage earners are adults (20 years and older). It is a popular misconception that teens are the predominate minimum wage workers.

The people who need this the most are trying to support families: 40% of minimum wage earners are the sole breadwinners in their families.

And boy is it hard to meet your bills living below the poverty level: A full-time worker on minimum wage earns approximately $10,712 a year, $1,778 below the 2004 poverty line for a family of two, $4,958 below the poverty line for a family of three, and $8,138 below the poverty line for a family of four.

People are living desperate lives. Let your senator and representative know that you support the increase in the minimum wage.

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