Session 7: Poverty and Wages

In this weeks session, we were asked to read many different articles and view different videos having to do with minimum wage and living wage. I found it quite shocking the amount of money that tipped workers are paid. $2.13 an hour is not enough for anyone, even if they are being paid tips and such. And to think that those tips have to be shared with the host, bussers, and other parties is absolutely ridiculous. Now that the federal minimum wage has been risen to $7.25 an hour, there seems to be some hope for those working for minimum wage, but the fact that some states have their own minimum wage does not ensure that everyone's pay rate will increase. What I think is being done about poverty in the U.S. on a federal level is great, because it seems that the federal level realizes that increased standards and costs of living should mean an increase in pay for those earning minimum wage. On the other hand, many states don't seem to get the picture and is another reason of Why I believe people are poor in the U.S. In one of the videos that I viewed, a young woman went around asking "What can you buy for $2.13"? Many couldn't even respond, because there is practically nothing that a person can buy for that amount of money, let alone live off of it. When one thinks about the costs of an apartment/house, transportation, food, clothing, health insurance, and other essentials needed to survive, it is hard to imagine how anyone could think that its okay to pay people such low amounts of money. I say that all states should set their minimum wage to $7.25 at least, in order to in some way combat poverty.