By popular demand, one last map to examine the absurdity of the American economy.

If you saw my map from yesterday that was up most of the day, please see the corrected version below. I done goofed hard on copying a column of state names. The original post has been corrected, but I will also post my previous two maps on this post for easy comparison.

Edit: the red map, for anyone unaware, is based on current individual state minimum wages and not the current federal minimum wage

  • ToastedRavioli@midwest.socialOPEnglish
    72·
    2 days ago

    I feel like youre missing the fact that even if the federal minimum wage were $35 per hour, absolutely no one working for that wage in the US would be able to afford to live comfortably at 50/30/20 (the thing you primarily take issue with) without working a second job.

    Meanwhile, real actual minimum wages in nearly 10 states are still at $7.25 an hour. Let that sink in for a second. There are people close to getting paid literally 5 times less than what it costs to live anywhere near a base level of comfort. That doesnt even go into agriculture, where the federal minimum wage is even lower.

    And Im not sure why you are so obsessed with this “boomer in the 70s argument”. Were comparing to the late 1950s when men alone were paid enough to support an entire family of four, which over doubles cost of living numbers. It was also a time when wealth was not concentrated within 1% of society.

    I dont understand in literally any way the argument “we just have to do what we can”. Its literally unsustainable for many Americans to even try to do that.

    Americans right now hold, collectively, over 1 trillion dollars in just credit card debt. On average each American holds over $6k in credit card debt, which would be over 10% of the average salary earner’s income ($61k). Again, just on credit card debt and nothing else.

    In 1950, all debt owned by the average household equated to only 2% of their income. Two percent. And people were way worse off financially in 1950 than they were by 1958

    • thundermoose@lemmy.worldEnglish
      34·
      2 days ago

      I’ll stop here because your position is incredibly privileged and you refuse to see that. The minimum wage is too low, that’s not the point though. 70k a year is absolutely a comfortable wage for a single person to live on in almost every place in the US, except the biggest of the major cities.

      You may not get everything you want but you should be able to cover everything you need, including an emergency fund, and still have enough to put aside a 5-10% for savings most years on 70k. If you really don’t believe that, you live in a bubble.

      • ToastedRavioli@midwest.socialOPEnglish
        2·
        2 days ago

        Lmfao “your position is privileged” bro I grew up poorer than shit, was poor as shit my first 10 working years of my life making $12 an hour at two full time jobs, and now finally make like $52k a year, which is nowhere near enough to live 50/30/20. Both of my parents were making the inflationary equivalent of way more money than what my $52k is worth at the time I was born, and again I grew up well below average in a bad neighborhood. I make $25 an hour and the only reason that is remotely comfortable for me is because my rent is well below 1/3rd of my income, which comes with its own costs. I never truly leave work, since I live here.

        Not to mention, genuinely do you not understand that I personally did not define cost of living? Or choose 50/30/20? Im working with the information I have available from an arguably reasonable source. If you take issue with their methods then fucking bother them about it. Im not the mastermind of their cost of living calculations as I told you 4 goddamn messages ago