01-03-2017, 11:08 PM
(01-03-2017, 07:10 PM)Eric the Green Wrote: We've been discussing this topic on other threads, but it deserves its own, in light of this column on the PBS Newshour website:
Column: Why we need to say goodbye to work
James Livingston
And don’t tell me that raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour solves the problem. No one can doubt the moral significance of the movement. But at this rate of pay, even at 40 hours a week — an unlikely amount in fast-food franchises — you’re still at that official poverty line. What, exactly, is the point of earning a paycheck that isn’t a living wage, except to prove that you have a work ethic?
Let's see: $15/hour x 40 hours/week x 50 weeks/year = $30,000/year. Federal poverty level for a single individual, 2016: $11,880. You could earn $10/hour and work 25 hours/week and still be above poverty level.
All this column proves is that PBS writers can't do simple arithmetic.