This is why a lot of millennials and members of the new generation are choosing to no longer have kids. The cost of living is at a point where kids are far too unaffordable
@@twilit Yeah, bit of a catch 22 actually though. Yeah, it seems terrible to bring kids into this world knowing what climate change and the like have in store, but at the same time we have terrifying evidence of what happens to a country and an economy when the birth rates can no longer support a growing elder population. Hopefully technology comes through for a solve here, as yeah, things look pretty bleak on this front.
This was my grandad. Supported my mom and grandma with a USPS job for 20+ years and owned a ranch style house in a suburb in NJ. Also enough to send my mom to private school. Nowadays, a that same job can support a single person with rent but definitely not a family with a mortgage and homeowners’ costs. It’s sad, really sad.
On a single income in the 1980s my parents could buy a house, raise kids, pay all their bills, and have money for vacation. It's just not possible anymore
Imagine making 45k a year, the government taking 7k at least of that, daycare costs at 12k a year, mortgage/rent 14k, groceries at 7k a year, health insurance 4k a year...not really much left after that. And those are all necessities.
Sure, but this would be for a single parent supporting a family. If you’re paying for daycare, you’ve probably got another earner supporting the family too.
You can literally buy shares and there are stock options available at most fortune 500 companies. At UPS I got 20 shares for a huge discount because I invested in my 401k through their retirement planner.
How about people held themselves accountable for their life! Companies are not babysitters! Some people work hard but lot of people who complaining are the ones who have half jobs or have more kids then they willing to provide for.
@@zsanettkovacs9303your world can turn upside down in a second. Nothing is preventing you from having an accident or a sudden illness this very moment that can put you in the same position of the people you’re looking down on. Tread lightly, because life has a funny way of humbling people.
@@zsanettkovacs9303why don’t you tell that to the rich people that spend BILLIONS lobbying to make it harder for working class people to move up in the world !! the government is not their babysitter 🙄 why aren’t you holding them accountable ?? because you think everyone who’s rich is there because of hard work and they deserve to overcharge us to feed ourselves, clothe ourselves, and HOUSE ourselves ?? maybe if you weren’t so busy licking boots you could be helpful to your community instead of a menace. do some mutual aid and come back to me.
Literally 75% of my income goes to rent. And I have a degree. I was sold the lie that getting a degree would ensure a bright future. I was sold the lie that showing company loyalty would pay off. None of that was true. The working class is starting to see the lies we have been sold our whole life.
It completely depends on which degree you get and whether you have work experience alongside the education. Some degrees are worth it and others have little to no ROI at all.
@BabyBooie9950 mine is in graphic design. Designers used to make decent money, some still do. But the majority of companies now devalue designers, despite most of our media still using graphic design heavily. Every store display, every product label, every commercial, every movie poster, every album cover, every restaurant logo, etc. All were created by a designer. But society sees us as just "dumb artists who think they should get paid to doodle". There is a lot more that goes into design than doodling. A lot of business and marketing knowledge has to be applied before even starting to make an image.
@@WolfxxBite I love the work graphic designers do. the issue is it is not a field where the job market is plentiful unlike Sales, Engineering, Finance, Medicine, Etc. My point is some of these degrees like the one I go should be treated as a side hustle until they can become profitable to pursue them full time. It took me 6 years to start earning a 6 figure salary after college but my job now allows me to do the things i like outside of work. I very much wanted to be an artist full time but i had to accept the fact it wasn't feasible to make a living off of. The arts unfortunately are one of those fields where you CAN make great money but it is few and far between compared to other fields.
So true. Its best to not have kids when you are not sure you will be able to provide them an amazing life. I made that choice too. Its a tough choice to make but a wise one. This life is so hard I would rather not have kids than have them and subject them to a tough life.
I chose not to have kids because I don't know I think I foreseen that things would be really really hard if I had kids so I never had them and I'm blessed that I don't I can afford things that most people can't
@@JohnSmith-hv6lb She didn't blame the system. She said that you just have to keep going. This indicates that she has accepted things for what they are and chosen to look at the upside of things. The American consumer is being drained. Can you Live without credit buying your house with cash, paying for repairs with cash? If you can't do things like that you don't have it like you think you do.
I had a panic attack when covid and lockdown happened because one I'm immunocompromised and my pay was already too small to live comfortably and my roommate just ditched me to to live back home. And my landlord wanted to increase the rent. Luckily for me I had just enough savings to hold me out during lockdown, but also used the entire time teaching myself some budgeting skills and financial literacy. Calculated what I needed to live without struggle, 300+ applications later landed one just as lockdown was lifting....then one year later this massive inflation hit onto of the price gouging and its like nothing happened to my paycheck. I banked my first year hard, saving like 70% of my paycheck because i didn't know what to do with it. But now im right back where I started scrambling, only diff is i have a larger savings that is just eagerly growing in a retirement fund. Which...lets be honest I'm probably never going to retire.
My brothers roommate decided to commit suicide last night. Unchecked mental illness was a big factor, but inability to pay his rent and expenses escalated his crisis for the worse. I don’t know what the fix is and l’m concerned about millions like him in a similar situation.
... and the missing piece in the suicide? : the roommate probably could not afford mental health services either as these services are not completely covered by most health insurance. The "co-pays" are too high for people who need treatment but can't afford it. Many of America's worst problems right now are two-fold: an inability to afford mental health treatment and a continuing trend for people to live their lives largely in the illusive matrix of social media, which has been linked to mental health issues, particularly among the young. The suicide stats are sobering; read them and weep.....
And, it's never going to be, because they shift the cost of paying their employees onto consumer goods. So to get that $15/hour pay rate, they raise prices on goods and you're right back to where you started. You guys need to stop asking society to pick up your tabs, start budgeting PROPERLY and get some spine in you
@@elgatomoscato230 so where do i budget to be able to save for a house when rent goes up 10% every year and every month i go grocery shopping, its always $10-$20 more than the last time i went?
The best way to earn more is to gain skills or educate yourself to earn more. Fighting for more while doing the same work is only going to make things more expensive
Finding the light at the end of the tunnel when your basic needs are not being met will eventually cost you your health and life. It is a human right to be able to afford housing, food, health insurance, and a savings. No more being strong when you are being mistreated by your government.
Real median income is higher now than it’s been in the last 50 years. That means most people have more purchasing power today than in the past 50 years. Plus, wage growth has been highest for the lowest earners. I’m not sure why everyone thinks that everything is terrible today. Sure the housing market is messed up, but rent gets factored into inflation, and wage growth still outpaces inflation as a whole.
Why would a salary double to do the bare minimum to show up they pay the task not the person's struggles this isn't rocket science want more $ better yourself n get a better job not the employer to pay you a liveable wage
What’s insane is that youre taught to go to college, make a good salary, get married and have a dual income and now that you have checked all those boxes, you’ve never struggled so much before it’s insane and it needs to be brought up more
I'm sorry - if your salary hasn't increased in 30 years then perhaps the problem is looking at you when you look in the mirror. I've been working professionally for 20+ years, I make many times what I did as a 20 year old.
I'm sorry for your struggle... But it's not quite in par with American greed. Japans gpd has remained pretty constant in that time; where as America's has grown astronomically. Inflation is killing the working man everywhere. ...But only in America do we pay half of our incomes (minimum) to taxes for broken roads, crumbling bridges, no healthcare, and the rich taking every cent of their ever growing incomes instead of paying their portion to the society that made them.
@@ANNA-fr333 Are you serious? Have you ever lived outside of the US? Japans tax rate is WAYY higher than the US, on top of that, the roads are broken all over, schools are in constant states of disrepair, and any public or government building looks terrible and hasnt changed in 40 years. I'm so tired of Americans complaining about how awful the US is despite having never left the US
@@BossItUp911but it always used to be much fairer? Explain that, everyone was paid sensibly AND companies made money, what changed?? What changed was the rich demand more and more return for less and less effort
@@raudelulloa2597every job is important and has a place in society. it’s not about finding better pay, it’s about every person deserving a liveable wage no matter what the job is
@@AllyDominque137 Not every job is important for society and "liveable wage" is a different number for every person. It is about finding better pay when the company cant or wont pay you more. If you are easy replaced then it shows on your wage amount.
You deserve? What kind of entitlement is that? You don't deserve nothing. You get what you put into it. She does not deserve anything. Go to China or Russia so you get what you deserve from a communist country. She needs to learn something that actually require skill or knowledge that someone would pay her for. Doing cleaning is not a skill. That is something everyone in the world can do.
Most people have forgotten what hardwork is? How about most employees do the work of 3 people for the pay of one person and are being taken advantage of.
What is the fantasy one person does the work of three people thing? Where did this imaginary line come from where something is considered three people levels of work? And if it is truly the work of three people, how can one person possibly do the work? Do you even listen to yourselves?
@KK-pm7ud you've obviously never worked in the food industry. When my coworker and I put our two weeks in at our last job they hired five cooks just to replace the two of us.
If that guy wants to work 70-80hrs a week and not complain about still barely scraping by, and how life absolutely sucks because there's no time to live it, then that's on him. The rest of us don't want to do that because we're not fools. We shouldn't have to waste our lives working and still struggle to live. There's plenty of money to pay us in accordance to our production & even lower prices at the same time. They just choose to line their own pockets and keep us working harder for the scraps.
That guy was so full of it. The reason we went to a 40 hour work week wasn't to be nice to workers, the reason is because when you go above that, studies have found the resulting exhaustion means that employees will get less work done successfully than if they'd only worked a 40 hour work week from needing to correct mistakes as well as just working slower because they're worn down. Acting like it's some great luxury to be able to only work 40 hours and that people should complain about being poor if they're not working above that is basically demanding suffering for suffering's sake, because working more than that benefits no one.
@@PixieoftheWood Right. This model of work weeks was done by Ford so they can make cars efficiently. The only reason it wasn't more was because productivity didn't increase with a 6 day week. Then everyone else copied it. He's acting like it's a luxury, but even worse is how he talks about how people used to work 70hrs and come home broke so we should too. He talks about it like it was the good 'ol days. Laughable
Exactly, working for scraps and expect people to want to give a job 30 years of their life only to retire at an old age then die shortly after. Sucks that we are living to work vs living to live.
I lost my job in 2009. It has taken 10 years too make back only 85% of the salary, I once made. Europeans work less than us, make more than us, have state insurance, and give their people vacations. We as Americans are not really enjoying life the way we should, because we are not being paid appropriately.
Im a European (Spain) and I work from 8am to 5pm 6 days a week and make 1000e a month 😂 trust me “Europe” is a very broad statement, and even in other wealthier countries they don’t earn US salaries
I live in Netherlands, and 70% of our work force is protected with union agreements regarding work conditions, work hours, wages, holidays, sick-leave and pensions. I get an annual fixed raise, wages are corrected to inflation every 2 years, I have 6 weeks of paid-leave, I cannot be fired when I am sick and sick-leave pay is for 2 years. Every Christmas I get a "13th month" - its around 2/3rd of a month salary bonus. And every May I get 2/3rd of a month salary holiday pay. I cannot be fired on a permanent contract without a court involved, and I can only be fired at will in the first 1-2 months of starting a new job. In any other situation of a fixed term contract, my employment is protected until the end of the contract. However, I as an employee can break this agreement with a 1 month notice. Healthcare is not tied to employment. We do have liberalized health insurances, but they are affordable at around 120 euro per month. If you make less than 40k a year, you receive a scaled tax subsidy to cover most of your insurance. You won't become "super wealthy" in the Netherlands, but you'll have a good standard of living. I think the issue is that worker unions are very weak in the United States. Union membership peaked in the 1950's with 1/3rd of private sector workers having a union, while today it is only 6% in the United States. Compare that to the 70% in Netherlands, and you understand why workers have not had a voice at the bargaining table in the United States.
First lady interviewed seems to have terrible budget skills. Why is she not using her degree and working up in the medical space? Loads on online remote/hybrid jobs she can do. Here's what people need to do, this is financial advice. Get out of any high interest credit card debt before you follow any investing advice below, and have a minimum of six months of emergency savings in your bank, and $1,000 in cash in your house, and a couple hundred in cash in your car. Budget your cost of living so that you are spending as close as possible to living off of one paycheck a month for your fixed expenses (car, insurance, mortgage, gas/electric etc). Use the second paycheck to cover variable cost and long term savings. If you are married, or living with other people adjust accordingly. Invest in your company 401k up to the maximum they match 1:1 first. Second, invest into and max out your Roth IRA. Third, invest into and max out your HSA account. Buy index funds/ETFs in your 401k and HSA. Buy dividend growth stocks, dividend stocks, income stocks, and growth stocks with your Roth IRA. 4th, pay off any low term, low interest debt, except house mortgage. Now, if you have a house, make sure you have a good maintenance fund, which should be 1% of house value per year roughly. If you don't have a house, save spare cash towards down payment, closing costs, etc. If you are single it's a good idea to get an FHA loan and buy a duplex first, that way the renter in the other unit helps cover your housing cost. Live there for five or so years, and save around $10k a year and buy another duplex every five years, only move if one of the new units is an upgrade to your current one. Now go back and max out your 401k. Now, you can start buying regular stocks in a brokerage account, or invest in alternative investments.
That was a great explanation! I've been to 21 European countries, but you failed to mention that the average European could live their whole life w/o ever owning a house! They also only own one car or possibly none! Americans have always wanted more, but inflation has prevented this generation from getting what the previous ones took for granted! @@0Demiyah0
As a 32 year old male. I make $3500-$4000 a month and I’m single with no kids and I can barely make it. I don’t know how people with 3 kids alone are making it.
If you can't afford to share the wealth your employees have helped generate, you can't afford your employees. The success of any increase in business or expansion is made possible by the people who work to make it happen. This isn't about occupation, this is about what you contribute to make the company you work for successful.
No, the owner took all the risks and invested all the capital. The workers are only entitled to the wages they agreed to. If you don't like it, start your own company and share your wealth.
@@BlckCloud73 You missed the point. If they want to hoard all the fruits of the labor, they can do it themselves. If you can't do it without help, then that help deserves to have a hand in the success. Not an equal amount but they shouldn't stay stagnant.
@@BlckCloud73 Legitimately the most stupid thing I've read in months. Do you think if you lick your greedy, sociopathic master's boot he won't kick you as hard? You are a part of the problem, bud.
@@BlckCloud73o what happens when no job is paying enough for someone to live and everyone tries looking for a better job? If you do not pay your workers a living wage and workers choose to stop working because survival is easier than working, than your whole system collapses because you have no workers to support it. Workers single handedly hold up the entire system. Without workers your system collapses. Pay your workers a living wage or lose your precious capitalism
@BlckCloud73 you can't convince a socialist of the negatives of socialism when they live in a capitalist country. That is why people are so against what you are writing.
We need to stop that. We need to solve our economy first. We need to stay successful. Helping others is noble and should be a priority but we need to address our own issues too. And we have issues.
@@mikedavis2969it’s not just them. Donald trump talks about illegals but hires them. Then he doesn’t pay taxes to support the troops. And then has people that are loyal to them like his drives but doesn’t give him a raise for 10 plus years explain that
The problem is greed, everything in America is for profit. Healthcare, housing, education, transportation (even second hand cars are expensive). Its all geared towards making a profit and increasing the stock price. These profits aren’t trickling down to the workers. Yet the prices of stuff keeps rising. We’re increasingly becoming a dystopian society.
true, but if people weren't greedy and trying to live above their means there would be less demand meaning less profit. Data shows spending is out of control amidst profit-driven inflation. The most recent Amazon Prime Day, last week, was the best ever for the company. The only blame I assign is when the government makes the purchase of something mandatory, then obviously price-gouging will occur. We hold the power, not the corporations.
The big thing most people don't realize is that the higher ups get COLA (Cost Of Living Adjustment) wage increases every year and people below them don't. Inflation doesn't affect them. Essentially certain jobs are protected from certain problems in life. Inflation is built into the federal reserve at 2% per year to force the bottom half of the economy to run the rat race. Quit and find a new job with the starting pay such that inflation is accounted for... At least in theory.
When my coworkers and friends ask me why I’m almost 30 with no kids. Most people are one car accident or medical emergency away from struggling and don’t even know it.
And some percentages of the population are single moms with multiple babies by who knows, that use the children as a cottage industry for Welfare and Section 8.
That's a personal problem , but I notice 98%+ of humans "The standard American" are taught to blame others and never take responsibility or accountability for their own actions. So they willfully put themselves in a position of one car accident or medical emergency away from financial ruin. Then you can't organize to demand change like free healthcare the way many real 1st world countries have always had.
My grandfather supported my grandmother and his 5 kids as a welder. And had enough retirement to build a house in the country. It's insane to think about today.
Totally agree with you. But then his 5 kids also didn't have 65" Flat screen TV and latest new iPhones. I tripled my income from 2010 to 2020 coz I kept asking this question: This aint cutting it, what can I do better.. Am not saying that should work for everyone but this is AMERICA. Land of opportunities! Whenever I started whining, my boss used to ask me - Do you want some cheese with your wine.. 😛
@@nithinmohan2286It’s not that simple. You’re referring to these single purchases which people do have control over. I agree it’s important to be savvy with what you deliberately choose to buy, however, it’s the everyday, repeated costs that are hurting earners today. Example: how we are taxed, fees for services that we as a society NEVER had before, increasing HOA costs….my parents were immigrants. They came to the US in the 70s. My dad bought a house, raised kids while my mom stayed home and life was great. We had the latest TVs, video games, etc but you still have to wonder how did he make that happen on one salary (with little experience and being new to the country). Yes, personal responsibility over finances is important but the cost of living today is wildly disproportionate to what we’re earning today.
We have six kids on under 60k in California, I do not work and God has given us wisdom and it's what you buy and how you live. You can't have everything and then say you are struggling, your car payment, your expensive cell phones, your expensive furniture, your credit card debt. Houses and rent are high in California, but if this was in your grandfather's time, people moved and when things got too expensive they moved again. No one wants to compromise on anything, they only want to complain. We make less than my dad did and my mom works and yet first person in my family to have two cars in good shape and that took wisdom, and not being too lazy to put in the mental effort to look for a deal and we have a car note that is affordable to us and we pay off our cars, the other car we bought cash and God has been to us, leading and guiding us. Everything can feel hopeless but all anyone can do is focus on the things you can change and change them. Complaining doesn't do anything for anyone.
I'm glad they mentioned the part of when you work more or get a little raise that you may lose government benefits that are helping your family. When the little extra you made doesnt cover what you lost. It's like a lose/lose.
Feel for the first young mom who can't make it with her medical tech degree. And she's right; the system penalizes you as soon as you start to make a decent living and try to climb up that ladder just one rung. Keeps you in a vicious cycle. Have a family member experiencing the very same thing . Make more money; lose your benefits 😢
Yes...was laid off from my job of 27 years...single lady who just need healthcare coverage till my next job...denied because I received $13 too much from unemployment!
Having a medical tech degree means nothing if you're not using it. It says she makes $20/hr on gig work and $16.50/hr at UPS to make $1500 a month. That averages to $18.25 and hour so that means she's only working 20hrs a week between those two jobs! It also didn't say what she makes on her 3rd job cleaning homes most likely because that's usually a cash job so she doesn't have to report that income or pay taxes on it to keep the food stamps/medicaid/rental assistance. So in reality she not trying to get back to "stabilization" as she refers to it but just working the system to not lose her benefits.
A Bachelors degree is only worth 15.00 here in Alabama. It’s sad. It’s discouraging b/c what’s the point of going to school for 4 years, graduate only to get offered 15.00 an hr.
take advantage of the cheaper schooling and leave Alabama after your first year of experience. Unfortunately, You have to play the game. Relocate to a place that pays more and has comparable cost of living. You will just have to go back and visit home or move your people to a new area or get a master's doctorate or own your own business and go back to alabama if u must stay in the area. It sucks and isn't fair but you must do it by any means necessary to come up.
It is frustrating. I had low wages right out of college too. The difference comes later after having experience that the degree becomes an asset in applying for jobs or getting promotions. Good luck!
60 grand a year is the minimum you need to survive with current cost of living. But business owners and politicians at so old they think that 60 thousand is a lot of money because it was a lot of money when they were 20
60 grand can barely afford a house in a nice neighborhood or in the country. Your take home pay after taxes, health insurance, is roughly 32-35k. Add everything else and poof: struggling middle (working) class
@TrizerFlame got to keep you poor enough to constantly fear financial catastrophe... that keeps you compliant and subservient to your boss and the laws. The stress and the fear lowers human iq... none of this is by accident
@TrizerFlame the trucker risk his life and even life in prison everyday he goes to work... somehow i think he's still underpaid. The wealthy steal the wages of the individuals who make the world work like a temp agency
Then I deserve $200k a year w a master's degree & 20 years experience 😂😂😂 - good luck w that all you doing is erasing the middle class so we can all be poor together
I never had kids because I knew I could never afford them unless I was living on some type of welfare. I worked full time for 40 years in the state of Texas which still has a minimum wage of $ 7.50 an hour. Please tell me where someone making that kind of money can rent an apartment without some kind of assistance?! Ridiculous. So after federal taxes and social security are taken out of your minimum wage pay check you maybe have $1000 a month. A one bedroom apt now rents at over $1200 a month. Not only can you not afford rent, you can’t pay for food, utilities, medical insurance, apt insurance, emergencies, clothes, toiletries, forget ever owning a car or even going out to eat, skip Christmas, birthdays, haircuts or any of life’s necessities!!!!!! All the while you the “ modern day serf” are making the CEOs wealthier and wealthier. Then the bean counters up in Washington are telling you there will be no social security when you can no longer work so you had better get your act together and put your non existent money into a 401k so that you have a million dollars to finance your “ wink wink” non existent retirement. At least 51 years ago my husband and I could afford to live on minimum wage with both of us working now it is impossible. No wonder so many young people are living at home until they are in their 30s. This country is nothing more than a Banana Republic now. Fortunately my husband and I never went to college hence no student loans. No loans no kids and only ever owned one car. We purchased a small home after renting apts for over 22 years. Paid off small home early and then sold it when the market was at the top in Texas. Took the money and ran and bought a cheaper home in another state. Now both retired with no debt. I feel very badly for the younger people nowadays. Although I have lived through sky rocketing inflation and several recessions as have most of my generation. The difference is pay checks have not kept up with the real cost of living.
The lack of compassion in these comments are the root of whats wrong with our society as a whole right now. Its like we forgot how to emphasize and care for one another. All we can say is "work harder" as if it's a fix all. Working harder only gets you so far in a broken system.
Plus if and when your health takes a hit from exhausting yourself to the point where you get sick, there is that hill to climb. How will you pay your bills and have a place to live if you cannot work? If you are by yourself like I am with no one to support you, of retirement age, and work as a professional in a job that is so stressful that your mental and physical health is affected, how are you going to take care of yourself after working hard all your life? I have 2 degrees and am unable to save any money. I am one emergency away from living in my car. I feel for those people in the same boat who have families they are responsible for.
It’s hard to live alone now, just about everyone I know NEEDS a roommate. Times have been harder and harder. Having to get very little groceries cause food is more expensive but yet shrinking in portion.
Yes, thank GOD the Biden administration shut down all those supply lines during COVID and thank the LORD all these Democrat cities have stopped prosecuting retail theft. I'm so grateful to be paying more for groceries and other regular household goods because of their sensible policies!
@@AdamFontenet-iy3tb this made a lot sense and I do agree gen Z doesn’t contribute as much. I love them though because they show you don’t have to work to enjoy life that our pass gens unto us millennials.
As a single mom of 3 I know exactly what she means. Soons you makea few dollars over they snatch your assistance. So then when you have to buy ALL your food with cash, get no assistance with this high rent, and pay for health insurance you are LITERALLY worse off. So that $80 extra a week just cost you about $200-$300 a week. So it's like your hustling backwards. My mother and I decided it made more sense to just live together and so far so good!
Couldn't agree more! My mom literally couldn't get a good paying job (like anything over 13 dollars an hour) because they would say she makes too much money? Like how??? We are barely getting by
I was just talking about this yesterday. My hubby and I just got a tiny raise and that was enough to take out kids' off Medicaid. With us buying groceries, doctor bills and rent we are almost back to square one. It is like you cannot make just enough for anything you have to be suuuuper suuuuper rich 😩
Why does the USA have such low wages? Totally wild to me as the minimum wage in Australia is $23.23 per an hour with most people earning way more then that. Sounds depressing to live in the USA.
@@jsebby2284 ??? What on earth are you talking about? I make more abroad in a job notorious in the country for paying poverty wages than I did for doing a harder version of the same job in America, plus cost of living here is way lower. The $23+/hr they're talking about translates to over $15 in America. It's more than twice American minimum wage.
"Howard likes to say his employees are family" what a massive red flag, and the lack of shame he has to say that while not even paying his "family" a living wage
manager probably works 35 hours a week being on a salary (no weekends and holidays of course) and declines PTO for all employees unless they kiss up...
It broke my heart to hear that she only earns $1500 after working three jobs. Where I live getting housing for $1,500 is nearly impossible. 😔 Life is so hard sometimes. Said a prayer for these people. Prayed that the situation improves for everyone who is struggling. 🙏🏼🙏🏼
Yes, $1500 is too little to live comfortably. But based on her hourly rate they showed, her three jobs added together equates roughly half of a full time job. In other words, she works for about 80 hours a month, whereas a full time job is 160 hours a month. Nonetheless, I agree her hourly rate is too low. But simply stating she’s working three jobs without saying how many hours she’s working is misleading.
@@jparitythe other half of her life is raising her children. That’s the only way to keep boys off the streets. She’s trying to raise the next generation of young men while earning poverty wages.
People need to quit saying you gotta appreciate it! No one should appreciate being treated like a peasant, you don't have to appreciate somebody giving you a job because they need workers that's called fair exchange. When someone does something genuine & good from the heart and it's truly all they can do that's when it should be appreciated but these corporations barely paying people but making billions and rich taking advantage of the poor disadvantages should not be appreciated because you can best believe anytime they do or offer help all they're doing is attempting to balance their dirty conscience, docs paying taxes and get a tax write off or get the publicity needed for that moment!
Living wage is a must. Corporate greed is running rampant, which is the real issue. I feel bad that some small businesses will close, but they can blame giant corporations like Wal-Mart and target for that. Big corporations make it impossible for small businesses to keep up. But paying people enough to afford to live is not the issue. No one working 2-3 jobs should need help from the government, but sadly, that's the america we live in. The government needs to tackle the wealth distribution problem in this country. Soon there will be nothing left for any of us. That why we hardly have a middle class anymore as it is. Increase wages are not the problem, and to blame, increase in wages to increase in price and job loss is bull. We all know the top one percent could take a pay cut. Without us workers, they would gain nothing anyway. But the government won't touch it because they are bought and paid for by the lobbyists in DC they all do it across all parties. The new slogan for our government should be united We stand for the top 1%, not the people.
15 an hour doesn’t work well if you are only working 20 hours a week. A living wage assumes that all adults in the home are working full time. So many stories like this are single parents who think they deserve to be stay home parents.
Always talk to my mom about this, who was born in 1970. Her answer is always “work hard and you’ll be fine”. I just laugh cause all you have to do is open your eyes to see newer generations won’t have even close to what their parents did. Regardless if both adults work 2 jobs, the cost of everything else just goes up while your wage stays the same.
If you choose a lucrative career and have education, your wage will be more than sufficient. It's the choosing career part where Millennials and Zoomers fail.
I always tell my boomer parents, if hard work was the answer, construction workers and nurses would be the richest people in America not CEOs and university chairmen. 😂
Well, it used to be true, but isn't anymore, thanks to inflation and growth of government. Also, if you want to be just fine, then "hard work" is sufficient. The key to being rich though is to work smarter, not harder.
Don’t get a useless degree, a college loan that you can’t pay back, save money, don’t have kids before you’re married, get married and work hard and stop voting blue.
Around 15/16 I remember being enraged bc my family was barely making it by month to month but that was enough for the govt to stop giving us food stamps. I realized why the cycle of poverty is so hard to break. We aren’t given the opportunity to actually build something bc the minute we make enough money to be justtt above scraping by, benefits get taken away and now we are even worse than where we started.
Basically, I noticed that going from 15-20/hour was not much of a gain...the tax increase...was significant. I have not had or used govt. assistance, but rely on family a lot.
@@MJ-gj6mj Not just that, Think about how many people who win the lottery and then are broke and worse of a few years down the road. Its a matter of No planning, no goals and not taking steps to conserve. I have had all kinds of jobs, but NO Careers yet. Dead end jobs with no future and I had no plan or goal in mind on top of it made it even more dead end. Now I am trying to get somewhere, but who knows if that will even matter. A.d.d brainfail for the win.
Rent a room from someone and work 7 days a week untill you can get a down payment on a house once you have a house owned it gets easier as time goes on because inflation goes up but the mortgage doesn’t
@@DRob-gq3kiso idealistic, who don’t know that is renting rooms this day and age. That would be nice but many people don’t have people they can depend on for that
I appreciate the attitude of people who think we should just keep moving forward and being positive. However, when do we start actually trying to change things instead of just pretending we don't have a problem and being happy despite everything? Why is reality so anathema to a reasonable way to live now? Like, in order to be sane, you have to live with your imagination instead of with what you can see with your own eyes? We're all on the fake it till we make it plan, I suppose. It is great that we all have such spirit and gumption but what about value? Like, how did we get air conditioning, modern automation, electricity and running water to every home and promises that we would have more time with each other to only find that we have half of what we need and otherwise we're supposed to pretend we're fine and happy in order to be fine and happy despite what reason would tell use we should feel?
Here in Florida I have multiple workers every day coming in to scrap their possessions because they are leaving the state. Just cried with and hugged a mom with 2 jobs whose landlord upped her rent by $500 a month. She said her son asked her what changed because they used to be able to do fun things. She said she cried in the car and decided it's time to leave this state since there is no future here for workers. I completely agree! She is leaving Tuesday and already rented a better home for half the price in another state. This state is BROKEN!!!
Florida is awful. I lived in Florida up until last year. My old landlord sold the house I was renting, and the new owner told us we had to leave because he was going to renovate and double the rent. We moved up north. It's not great here, but better than Florida.
Idaho is the same way now. Californians are pricing us out of our homes, too. Home prices have MORE THAN QUADRUPLED here since 2016. I can barely afford the cheapest rent. I'm a licensed electrician. The locals here are being financially forced out. Thanks, commiefornians...
I sold my house in Coral Springs FL, June 2023 and moved out of state! It’s way too expensive to live in South Florida right now. And I have a stable good paying job. It’s crazy
Elections have consequences. From what I'm hearing, DeSantis is running FL into the ground. It's officially become too expensive to live there. The middle class is disappearing (not just in FL but everywhere)
The real issue that gets me so angry is the amount of greedflation that’s happened on basic needs. Some products have increased in cost so much that it makes absolutely no sense.
Yup! So much of this is because of price gouging. Eggs increasing 120% overnight, with no other factors!!! You have to be pretty foolish to think that is inflation.
Seems that way. You need it, therefore the seller can charge what it wants. Until you and lots of others do without, you’re stuck praying the price. Over the last few years I’ve reduced consumption or opted out entirely of lots of things. A sale here or there is what I rely on or substitutions. I really have to stay super aware of my choices-and their impact.
Consumers do have leverage. Think small. Don’t buy in to ‘hauls,’ ever-expanding home pantries (a neighbor of mine had aisles in hers!), and unavoidable losses as food degrades or expires - which are at about 20% for most of us. That’s a huge figure. Most people, I suspect, would have to work very hard to save that much on groceries. Closing that back door is difficult, but it’s a real opportunity to leverage buying power. I’m changing my planning, what I buy, how I prepare meals, and how I shop and store food toward recouping that 20%. It’s a concrete, attainable goal and could affect those food industries we depend on. For now, the savings are being redirected to things I want to do and enjoy. It’s possible!
@@maxofficial2 Now please do tell me why half of the people in industry countries (where exactly the same thing happens) even, and still, defend this exact situation. Especially those people who suffer under this, they even defend it. Are they just brainwashed basically 🤷🏻 I know in the next 20-30 years this whole thing here will fail because it simply cannot sustain itself (its only getting more and more precarious for people, and people can only take so much (but unfortunately it's not yet difficult enough, for people to go onto the streets finally)).
This is a very important issue right now all over the U.S. I’m a single adult and work overtime as a chef and still have to pick and choose the bills that get paid on time also. The struggle is and has been too real. There are more expenses then we used to have decades ago. Plus the inflation of rent cost to wages.
@nicholasgronewold3217. If you have nothing to offer but conspiracy theories and hate, then its best to butt out. Conservatives have consistently blocked reforms to the minimum wage, medical insurance coverage, higher education access, and affordable housing.
The printing guy started to talk and my brain started to hurt. We should not have to work ten thousand hour just to have a decent life. He started with no one help,he did this all alone.. despite having a 401k and the help of his wife. These are the type of people that tell you to pull yourself up by the bootstrap and overlooking all the other factors that may contribute to the state we are in. The best paying job I ever had required 8 hours, 5 days a week. I was not killing myself working 68hrs a week. Do you spend anytime with your kids and family? I saw right through his "AMAZING" story.
They often live under the right conditions. I was lucky in both my income, debts and conditions because without multiple factors I would never have been able to do as much. Some people just don't catch breaks in an entire lifetime.....
@@OnYoNerves Is everyone the same or are people different? Second everything is not likely for everyone body.... Just because I can do something well enough doesn't mean everyone else can. Does any job allow everyone to do it?
This has been going on for decades. When I was looking for my first house in the 00s, I just didn't buy one. For every dollar I saved on my post-graduate job for a down payment, the cost of the house went up by $2. I opted to just... not buy a house. It was a tough pill to swallow for a person that "did everything right." I got great grades in school, bought my first car cash - used - nothing fancy. Saved a lot of my income. But it amounted to nothing. It wasn't until the economy cratered that I was fortunate enough to buy a real fixer-upper in an area of the country where the cost of living was very low. That's what it took. I fear for the next generation - my kids. As someone involved in hiring at my company - in a field where the starting salaries are on the higher end... I STILL don't see how they can move out of my house to start... like the generations before me. My kids are fortunate that I'll support them during those early years in their career. But, for millions of others kids... they will probably have a harder road than I did. And that's not how it should be.
The standard of living has gone up despite the various economic setbacks, so I'm not buying this crap about young people "struggling more". I've gone into young 20-something's homes, and despite this usually being a small or modest apartment they're still able to work just a single full-time job and have an XBox, nice TV, a car, etc. and not starve. There's always booze there too.
@@kommisar.nice tvs and xbox consoles are hardly a measure of quality of life. I promise, when Denmark tops the list for “high quality of life countries” every year, its not because the citizenry has a well stocked home bar. Its because they have government provided healthcare, inflation-aware employers, and pathways to home-ownership. Tech is a cheap novelty, not actual wealth or commodities
The sad thing is, as people we shouldn't put up with this, and most are fearful to do anything about it...and the business model knows this. We should be shutting this crap down and striking in every industry. Compared to the profits being made off our backs, we are all underpaid, period.
1/2 the country lives paycheck to paycheck. The workers don’t have the will to strike. They know they will lose. 1/2 the country doesn’t have $500 in the bank There will be no strikes
A general strike was already attempted post-2020, and failed. The people ran completely out of money and were losing homes, starving, and suffering from lack of overpriced medication. They had to come crawling back to the companies for the same or cut wages and less benefits “due to unprecedented costs,” which really means the top 5% were unwilling to lose profits during a downturn so they just squeezed the difference out of the labor force.
I'm mexican, and we share the same situation. I earn enough to live, but not to buy a house of my own or having several children, and I am actually earning more than friends of mine. I had to save up some money for aprox. 5 years just to be able to buy a car. This situation is affecting all of us, and it doesn't seem like the government care for the people.
That's 100% evidence of a failure in our capitalist system. Proof that the government needs to regulate and mandate certain checks and balances in the system or we're just forced to deal with the next generation of Carnegies, Frick's, and Rockefellers.
@@peterponcedeleon3368 rich become more richer while poor become more poorer. Where all the money goes? To the poor or to the rich? How can it cause unemployment? Can you explain that to us?
I can only imagine how hard it is to have kids nowadays. I share the same frustrations as hers. I did everything right, getting that college degree, networking for jobs, and I was even willing to pivot when tech jobs became oversaturated. I have a lot of people tell me that I need to learn to play the game better, and they may mean it genuinely as that advice worked in their time. But I don’t think many people realize how much the game has become designed for us working class people to lose. We need to stop thinking that doing what we’re told is going to make things better. We need to go ask and fight for what we need.
See, I think you were taught to do everything the wrong way and so was I. Start reading books such as "Rich Dad Poor Dad" and you will find out that we are all doing this the wrong way. Assets are used to purchase your lifestyle not the W-2 income. Use your W-2 income to purchase assets, such as rental properties, start a business on the side and use those avenues to develop wealth. Working 9-5 and investing in a 401k is an old way of thinking. Do you really want to do that your entire life or would you rather be financially free? Let me know what you think about the book.
I can tell that third guy was a right winger just by his answers. I do back breaking work, on average of 53 hours a week. There's no reason I should be working 80 hours a week so the people at the top can work less and make more.
You think he's at the top? He may be 1 at his small business but they are all hurting to stay afloat nowadays. He explained why small business raise rates. It's basic economics 101. Shame on NBC for interviewing that man.
There is a reason. Your mentality is like every other person who cries and whines about not making enough . People risk a lot when they start a company. Some don’t make it. Go try and become the TOP guy somewhere and start your own company. That separates a guaranteed check to not knowing if you’ll make it
Since Reagan. And his Republican-backed "trickle-down" jokenomics fraud. I can't understand how people in Republican-led states can just look at the chart in at 6:27 and SEE WITH THEIR OWN EYES how oppressive those Republican-led states are to their own citizens. These are the same states that have refused government assistance for healthcare and so many other programs, including unemployment compensation programs, etc. They are completely brainwashed and continue to vote against their own self-interests and the interests of a better society. Yet all Republicans want to do is admonish "blue states" for helping their citizens with assistance programs.
Yea but it's gotten way worse ever since the Biden administration pumped out trillions of dollars out into the economy all at once during the COVID agenda narrative took place. This was all done intentionally though,so don't be fooled They want you to look to the government as the savior ,not to Jesus Christ.
I had to retire early, 62, due to health reasons. I get around $1,100.00 a month and could not afford rent, utilities, car repairs, food or health insurance. I ended up living with my only child and her family who were struggling to make ends meet. Even with my added income we are still struggling. I had to sell my car because I could not afford the cost of constant repairs. My daughter, son-in-law and one grandchild all have health issues and take medications daily. Thankfully they have health insurance but the cost to have that insurance is very costly. Yes, I have Medicare now, but it does not cover things that I need, like new glasses (the ones I have are 8 years old) and I'm a diabetic and dentures (the ones I have are nearly 30 years old) I'm having to super glue them when the teeth fall out and the dentures break. People are all having it rough not only here in the USA but all over the world. My heart goes out to them. I'm thankful I have my family even though we are going through some very tough times.
There is also an increase in the technology a family needs ( example: one phone per person), how often clothing and other items need to be replaced, and how impractical it has become to repair things.
I felt her on the "It might get me that oil change I need" For the first time in my adult life I have enough money for a downpayment....but the cost of housing is not even worth it.
I’m glad this video was recommended to me, because the families in the video (minus the butt munch with the printing company) and folks in the comments remind me that I’m not alone. We’re all doing the best we can but still struggling. I’m a new Registered Nurse in my early 20s with no kids and I could not make it on my own in metro Atlanta. I have to stay with my parents until I can figure out a way to make more money. It’s sad that those of us who carry this country on our shoulders can’t even afford to live in it.
Im 37& live in michigan its hard in The usa & im leaving 2 move 2 toronto, ca i make almost 4-5000 monthly& still cant afford kids or new car let alone a new car note + my student irs debt
@@JeriRoberts-5 I’d have to move somewhere on the west coast or NYC to make six figures as a typical staff RN. In Georgia, RN pay is meager without working a crap ton of overtime in specialty areas of nursing.
Growing up I always heard that $100k a year meant you made it in life. Even in college 13 years ago, people bragged about it. Now, it's not much. Costs have skyrocketed and wages have stayed stagnant. The wage discrepancy between big corp execs and median employee incomes have grown ridiculously far apart!
A livable wage in this country is $65k, that's about $34 an hour, $15 an hour won't help when a one bedroom room apartment on average is $1700 a month. If corporations don't want to pay more, than the cost of living needs to be lowered. The working poor is a real issue that is not being addressed in this country.
It's so sad that society is like this. How is congress stuck on mandating a living wage for everyone but can give themselves raises? This society is sick.
This is why the rich will.ALWAYS get richer while the poor will ALWAYS stay poor. These politicians are crooks on both sides hence why they won't inact term limits for them. Local elections are key! Voting matters
Never forget, all the worker concessions we have achieved and are thankful for right now, were won by socialists and union workers. The rich will never and have never given anything up willingly. They would watch you get your arm chopped off in a meat grinder if it added an extra cent to their bottom line. It is always and has always been a class war. Working class vs owner class.
Becuase they dont care about us, people in this country are manipulated by media and politicians to believe its a red vs blue ideology when its just leaders selling their own people out to coporations and doing an acting job when they pretend to care about everyone. People here in Florida are praising DeSantis as if he's done something huge for the state, he just pushes out an over obsession with "woke" and gets his supporters angry enough to back him while Insurance rates , property rates and rent have sky rocketed in record numbers under him and cutting funding/programs to public education.
Someone wanted me to run their entire business - literally do everything from accounting to IT to sales, etc for a measely $11 per hour… when I had been making 3 times as much in previous jobs. Employers are delusional! 😂😂😂
Yep that's another issue that isn't discussed much, people don't mind so much if the responsibility correlates with the pay but nowadays most low paying jobs are three positions wrapped into one. A cashier has to stock, play janitor, help customers and whatever else they wanna dump on them. That I think is what is putting retail workers in complete disarray and making them burn out super fast.
@@golgo1364 Yep. I'm a cashier and I'm expected to clean the bathrooms before we close, grab the carts out in the parking lot (despite us having an entire other position meant to do that), stock the stuff at the registers at least, thankfully not the rest of the store, etc... it doesn't help that customers are just... stupid af. Customers will come up to me, ask where can I find this thing, I tell them and they walk a few feet, stop, turn around, then wave me over like they expect me to come with them and walk them to it. It's like no, by store policy unless I'm told by a manager, I can't leave my register. But customers don't care, they just throw hissy fits. You can really tell who's worked retail and who hasn't based on how they treat you or what they expect you to do.
@@turbosnail6119yep, I was a manager and all it means is expected to cover all the previous tasks plus management.. you can't even enjoy moving up the ladder..
@@soberanisfam1323 All of the most productive countries, with by far the highest standards of living are all based on capitalism... You really don't know what you're saying.
@@joec5544gwhose to say it's her bad decisions?? What if she were married and her spouse unexpectedly died and she never remarried? Happens a lot. And while you're sitting on your high horse I hope that when you tumble off of it people won't judge you the way you judged this woman
@@Amanda-kb8ok You're being anecdotal in the most positive light possible.. Probably incorrect but sweet... The chance of me being correct is astronomical... As far as me being judged, do you mean like you just did? Take care Amanda.
This administration is putting many families in difficult situations. A lot of people are financially struggling to live, put a roof over their head and put food on the table. Things are getting worse these days, if you don't find means of multiplying your money you might wake up a day to realise you didn't plan well for yourself and family.
I agree with you and I believe that the secret to financial stability is having the right investment ideas to enable you earn more money, I don’t know who agrees with me but either way I recommend either real estate or bitcoin and stocks.
@@face2lune Understanding your financial needs and making effective decisions is very essential. If I could advise you, you should seek the help of a financial advisor. For the record, working with one has been the best for my finances.
I’m Glad i stumbled on this. Please, if its not too much of a hassle for you, can you drop the details of the expertise that assisted you and how to get in touch….
We need to get this under control because families are suffering and many young people are choosing not to have children because of it. We have so many people, including families, living in their cars because there's no place they can afford to live. Short term rentals have given all the rental housing to tourists. It's time to stop the insanity. No more STRs, no more having 1 person owning 47 single family homes. It's making them rich at the expense of our families and communities.
Yeah someone owning WAY more houses than what they need is just pure greed, but hey HOW can we stop this?? Nobody wants the low life, we all want luxury and nice things, tell that person to give away one of their houses they’ll cry like a baby
I'm a single father of 3 (1 2 and 4 year old going threw the same issue I living in California and it's ridiculous.... i make 2200 a month and if I make over 2900 I don't qualify to get any help and mind u 1600 rent foods up rents up gas up how can they just keep it where we don't get no where....lucky I get free daycare but with my 5 year old going to kindergarten now I need a job that starts at 9am I'm use to working and not caring on the wages but unfortunately being a single father with no help I'm doing what I need to do to make sure my babies have a smile on there faces❤ and have roof over there head I changed my owe life for my babies but need more income or be allowed to make more n be in my children's life ...mind u anything over $18 buck your over qualified for assistance mind blowing 🤯 😢 😇 🙏🏽 I know God's got me he got me this far so far )
@raymondr2967 I feel the same. God took care of me while I raised my kids. I couldn't have done it without Him. The system is so messed up. All children should have a nice home, good food, and a parent (parents) to discipline, protect, and love them. Just because a child can get up, get dressed, make their own meals, and get to school by themselves doesn't mean they should have to. Mental and emotional stress is on the rise because too many kids are growing up without the love and guidance from parents like you. God Bless you and your little family
Every job maxes out on pay. I was a hairdresser for 20 years, maxed out on the income I could make. I went to college part time and became an RN at age 48. Best thing I ever did for myself. Single mom with 2 children. I work 3 days a week, good pay, benefits, 401k, free education. You got to do more and become more if you want to earn more.
Bro the reason they did that so they can capitalize on the low cost of living. If I was in their shoes I would've done it to make bank. Nowadays if you work 50-60 hrs a week you don't see much in return
I went back to school in my late 30s and finished my degree at 40. I’m 48 and this year was the first year I’ve ever been gainfully employed and banking money. I slogged through horrible jobs to land my current one. I worked hard and I’m grateful. Not everyone has the opportunity to do what I did. Looking back, it’s so unfortunate that our country doesn’t see the value in creating true equality and opportunity for everyone. Capitalism would not function. Politicians would love for us the believe we have that equality, but we don’t. It’s a giant lie.
A poor business owner in USA has much better odds to make it compared to England or Australia as 2 examples because American min wage is lower. Go pay an employee min wage to do something where you can profit off their work.
Democrats do want to do these things. They have broad plans to make the US more like Western Europe. The opposition, the Republican Party, is to blame for the US’s gap between the rich and poor. I say this is a someone at 27 making $70/hr
If corporate executives didn't create so many jobs, you wouldn't even have income to complain about everything being so high. I don't think you understand how inflation works.
@@biz1boom CEOd do not create jobs, demand creates jobs. You are the one that need to learn about how business and capitalism works. The problem is CEOs that take multi million dollar salaries. If they took less salaries the common worker could have more money. Stop believing the lies that business people tell you.
The problem is she's working and receiving benefits. She deliberately limits her hours to not go over the income threshold so she can continue receiving govt benefits. How much does the father of her children contribute? Why do taxpayers have to be burdened with her medical and nutritional needs? Employers love this. They dont have to pay benefits because she only works part time. So her benefits come from tax payers. This is a common ploy used by many single women with children.
@@XTRABIGNegative not all! There are single parents out here that don’t get assistance at all! And struggling bc they are told that they make too much and still can’t do more than the bare minimum to survive. Benefits or No benefits it’s still a struggle to live in America everyday. And u can be living in b/w your means.
@@XTRABIG She is raising 4 boys alone without anyone else helping her. At least she's out there working and providing for her children, not living off Welfare. I don't mind paying taxes for someone like her. Medical and food are a necessity that no one should do without. People need to stop whining and complaining. They're never happy.
Growing up my working class parents were able to afford a modest home in suburbs. Now, even if you're a high earning professional you'd be lucky to afford a decent studio apartment, even luckier if it was in a good safe location.
During the Depression my father worked in one city (the only place he could find work) and lived in a rented room, eating at the local greasy spoon. My mother and their two kids rented a house with a garden in a nearby city, and my father came home on the weekends. They could afford two rents (his rented room and the family's rented house), food, clothing, and an automobile (!) . . . and he made $12 a week. Of course times have greatly changed and twelve bucks bought a whole lot more back then so there's no good comparison, but that Depression twelve dollars was more or less equivalent to $220 today. $220 a week today wouldn't go very far for a family of four. I'd say that in many ways we've gotten poorer as a country, not richer.
That’s the thing, if you give people the equivalent wage - it doesn’t cut it. Some of it is is having too much to buy (electronics, cars etc) but that’s life now and you should be able to pay for a regular life. All those greedy CEOs want it all for themselves.
When I read that, I thought it couldn't be right. I went to an inflation calculator, did the math, and it spit out $210. Wow. It's almost unbelievable.
Cost of living is outrageous high in the USA and people have to work 2 full time or 3 part time jobs just to make ends meet. It is very sad and a disturbing trend.
Hopefully the trend ends on a high note. As of now, the consumer is being drained. Depending on where a person is in the foodchain determines what your experience is. The less you make the sooner and longer you feel it.
yep when i was finishing my undergrad my roommate was a school teacher.. i lived in fort lauderdale at the time this was in 2019/2020 where i currently live i make way more money but teachers (i’m in a different field, just using it is for reference) with bachelors degrees start at 35-40k a year.
He doesn't have an education in the subject. So why would he know how to answer an economics question? And it was a bit disingenuous for the reporter to ask that question. The framing was a leading question.
@@KK-pm7ud And yet he runs a business? How is he managing it? Through luck? You don't need to have a dedicated education in a subject to know enough about it. Copying and pasting the same answer under multiple threads does not make it any more true.
@@keisukeyoshida2839 Government's been staying away from economics more and more and more over the past 90 years. And things have gone bad, gotten worse, getting terrible. It's almost as if the less government is involved in economics the worse it gets, like they aren't powerful enough to stop those with all the money from harming us for the sake of the bottom line.
@@KK-pm7ud He has an active position against raising the minimum wage and he cannot articulate a good reason from a business perspective. That is entirely on him.
The problem with corporate culture as it's being implemented right now is that it requires a company to show constant growth. This means gouging consumers as well as incentivizing transaction models that double-dip on what little money consumers have left. Corporations show no loyalty to their employees and yet expect employees to dedicate practically all of their free time to the corporation's success, all so that the shareholders can profit off of us. It's ridiculous and the governments are complicit in this.
You are so right. People see the brutal labor union struggles in black and white pictures or film and think that it was just part of that era. In fact that era is on a continuum, it’s like a relay race where the CEO’s and politicians have been passing the baton for decades. It’s time for the labor movement to pick up the baton and get back in the race!
Yup because it benefits there shady interests, they only care about themselves. American is gonna be like Cyberpunk 2077 everything being ran but greedy corporations and the government is basically nonexistent
00:01 - Introduction of Kanika Williams, single mom from Cleveland. 00:39 - Kanika's discussion about her basic needs and freedom. 01:16 - Reflection on disappearance of long-term jobs. 01:57 - Kanika's definition of a "living wage". 02:44 - History of wage growth and minimum wage laws. 03:14 - Disconnect between worker productivity and wages. 03:56 - Introduction to Taylor and Maggie Mendes' story. 04:27 - Challenges faced by Taylor and Maggie in Florida. 05:27 - Commentary on steady rise of inflation. 06:03 - Arguments for and against raising minimum wage. 06:47 - Introduction to businessman Howard Potter. 07:18 - Reflection on concept of hard work in America. 07:49 - Impact of minimum wage increase on small businesses. 08:17 - Connection between wage increase and inflation. 08:46 - Kanika's struggle to keep food on table. 09:25 - Introduction of MIT living wage calculator. 09:57 - Kanika's fear of losing benefits if she earns more. 10:31 - Resilience of families facing financial struggles.
What I got out of this was the person who started their own business and works 70 hrs a week is who wins. I saw this coming. I have a degree and haven't worked a job since 2014. I was a single mom of 4 small kids and I wasn't about to limit my income in exchange for food stamps!
Agreed. This lady is a Certified Medical Technician if I heard her correctly. Medical field is always hiring always does not matter what state you live in. I work in Medical field for over 16 years in Health Care I can get a job interview in 2 weeks. Which i did when my ex employers closed the companies got interviewd in 2-3 weeks with 3 companies after I applied. However yes they required 3-5 years experienced. Not sure if this lady has any experience in Medical Tech. But there always a company willing to hire her with or without experience if she wants a job.
I work 3 jobs I receive no food stamps, no housing, no government medical, yet I am homeless. Most of this is my fault, I been working since 25 years of age. I did not have a retirement plan. I never got out the cycle of paycheck to paycheck. I have never been a homeowner was content at being a renter for life. Did not factor I. That rent would some day be more than my paycheck and now I no longer qualify to rent based on the new rental criteria. My reality is living on the streets and I don’t have a drug problem, alcohol addiction or major mental illness. I cry everyday I can’t seem to understand how I winded up in this situation other than what I listed. I went to college, I don’t commit crimes.
I’m making decent money and can barely afford my 50$ copay just to go to the doctors once, 250$ insurance a month, food, rent AND I’m supposed to be able to save for retirement? This is UNSUSTAINABLE
It's amazing how you can be at meetings for companies and they will tell you how great they are doing. The stock is up, they are acquiring the competitions stores. But yet, when you ask them, why can't they pay employees more all the sudden they claim, there's no money in retail.
I hate it when companies cut their staff to save costs, which makes each remaining employee to do the job of 2 or 3 people! The types of jobs my mom used to work when she was young don’t even exist anymore. Volunteers actually do more now than what she did for a paying job. She’ll suggest something g to me while I’m looking up jobs, and I’m like, “Mom, that job doesn’t exist anymore! And if it did, it would make $7 an hour. lol”. All of that equates to the majority of employees in America being overworked and underpaid.
@@FrackaLacka I work in health care and work my buns off. Because I do not always have the energy to work overtime. My health had suffered because of the stress. My days off consist mostly of either resting, or not getting rest and using the little energy I have left to keep up my household chores and maintain my responsibilities in my rental. I know alot of people are in the same boat. I don't mind working hard, but I wish this could get me ahead and give me some stability.
Yes. I didn't like the reporter asking what would all that extra money, what would that get you. Like having 2,000 more is so much extra. I don't even know how she pays rent and groceries on $1,500 a month. Bless her and her family.
This is why I’m starting my own side business and many others are doing the same thing. These companies could care less how people can meet their bottom line and they love to keep people in a state of desperation for jobs and keep companies in a position of having the upper hand
"In America we lose sight of what hard work really is." Ummm... just because you feel you've worked hard doesn't mean you've worked harder than a lot of us out here, bro. You have a business. Good for you. You were given a loan, we assume, to get it started, or started small and kept growing? You had a spouse that very likely worked for little to no pay. That's not just "working hard". You had a lot of things (and other people) work out for you.
Notice he doesn't pay his workers a living wage either. Think he pays $14 an hour? So those same people who help him make a living live in poverty just like he did and he's ok with that. Did any of his workers look happy or like they're doing well for themselves? Didn't look like it to me.
@@megeek727 He’s white when he explained his idea to the bank they did not block his ambitions with preconcieved notions and biased opinions on the “risks” involved in loaning him the money to fund his ambitions AND they did not issue said loan with inflated interest rates someone in my family received. Stop acting like being white do not give you unfair advantages.
this is really the best solution! The Dollar Store and Starbucks have been trying to unionize. as well as Amazon but it keeps getting shut down. I pray they strengthen again and workers stop buying into the propaganda and realize how helpful unions are. Its like slaves accepting being slaves and feeling a strange loyalty to their masters smh. People tend to be so passionately against unions and most of them dont even know what they actually are because they just take their boss' word for it! smh
The issue is simple. Business owners are getting richer by the sweat of employees. They pay low wages so they have more money for themselves. I have yet to meet an owner who actually still works. I work for a large company and the 3 owners are never in the office. They travel the world and live in fancy houses with expensive sports cars. Cut out bonuses and raise insurance for us. We pay for their health insurance! They don't get that deduction. Profit sharing stopped. But they want us to work harder for what??
It's difficult to start a business. Business owners put in all the sweat and finances to make a business successful. Owners also take big risks. Businesses are not profitable overnight and usually incur losses first. Employees don't have to deal with that. Unless employees were willing to share the losses, take the risks and put up their money for a business, they can't expect to share the profit when things are going great for the business. If you don't want to be an employee, put up some money and start your own business. By the way, about 50% of businesses fail.
@@rachele9566 When a business has a loss on their hands, employees are let go. Even when businesses are making money, but not good enough for the shareholder, employees are let go. None of this is binary. The whole point is that every person has a role in this economy we share. Business owners need people to run their operations, and people need those that take on risks to open a business. Eventually, the path we're taking together is going to bubble into conflict. Also, I'm limiting this type of argument to major, public corporations with C-Suite taking home millions. Small businesses and the middle class take the brunt of everything.
@@richk6181 I hear and respect what you're saying. However, people are paid and kept according to their worth. It's all about profits for businesses...small or large. That's just the way it is. They're not charitable or government organizations. Risk takers who start businesses are worth more than employees. Some employees are replaceable at the drop of a dime and paid accordingly. Some employees with exceptional skills are more valuable and paid accordingly. That's the way it is and should be.
@@rachele9566 Why don't people like you seem to understand... no employees = no business, no profits. Business owners chose to open their company for their own benefit. Unless they can run it themselves, their employees are as essential to the success of the company as they are. Without the employees, the business doesn't exist. So stop excusing people that are hoarding wealth and profits for themselves. An owner should only be able to make 3 X what their employees make... not 50 X or more like what is going on. That means profits are not being distributed fairly. There needs to be a cap on the salaries of CEOs and upper management.
@@chihirostargazer6573 Business owners can do whatever they want with their businesses. No one (except the owner) can dictate the salaries of CEOs and upper management. Employees are much more replaceable than owners and CEOs. I guarantee you that for every employee who quits, there's 30 lined up to take their jobs. So saying no employees = no business is unrealistic. You only talk about profits being distributed fairly. Are you willing to pay the companies when they have losses??? You have the opportunity to start your own business. DO IT! If you think you're more valuable than you're being paid, find a company who thinks the same and go work there.
The 'raising the wage "too fast" is bad' group doesn't suggest a less extreme wage increase or small business exception. Why? Because they believe you should be a slave and don't have the guts to say so.
You don't have the guts to say no. Otherwise you would have already, Begging the government to intervene on your behalf is what happens when you don't have the guts to stand up for yourself.
@@BTrain-is8ch One person standing up for themselves can yell at the monolithic headquarters building where the CEO is housed, and get hauled off by police for being crazy. Could walk up and demand to talk to the CEO and get hauled off by security for being disruptive. Standing up for yourself, alone, either gets you arrested or ignored. "Please fill out a complaint form" CEOs have security, and layers of protective bureaucracy, middle men and servants to keep you, the individual at bay. So what do we do? We need some kind of collective body that governs the policies we desire, like a "Government" that can challenge the power of corporations much bigger than us as individuals.
@@redixdoragon Standing up for yourself does not imply arguing with the employer. Standing up for yourself means leaving. If you are truly under compensated that implies that there's someone else willing to do better. Your services, all things really, are only worth what someone is willing to pay for them. Go find that someone. Fighting with the company over that alleged condition implies that you are not technically under compensated. Ham fisted government interventions into systems where we overestimate our level of understanding and control (see: covid response, student loans, countless other examples) or blatantly disregard the consequences of our actions then spin the blame elsewhere later cause large scale impacts where we won't fully understand the damages for years. Governments should exist to do the right thing. Not what people desire, not the most good for the most people. The right thing. Governments are mediators or referees not charities. People are greedy. Their desires are unlimited. They are short sighted. Childish. When you allow those tendencies to control government you are in a bad place.
And offering a 4 day work week. But in NY State the minimum is $13.20. Wow! so he's paying a whopping $14.20 an hour. lol. Now i'm in favor of a 4 day work week in principal. But that's for salaried workers too. A day off for an hourly worker is just a day you don't get paid. But a dollar extra is $40 a week. But the extra day at $13.20 is $105.60. So recognize, he's paying $65.60 less than if he had them work 5 days a week. Again i'm in principle for a 4 day work week but if you're on a $100k a year (hypothetical) it's better to work 4 a week not 5. If you're living on a hourly way you want more hours not less.
Love how the reporter stumped him with the question on well why is it okay when businesses raise prices, but bad when the government raises wages? He was the classic "at our business everyone here is family" that anyone who knows what a toxic workplace is like recognizes has all the signs.
Wage suppression should be a crime in this country. We've been forcing people into poverty and on the streets like it's a Good Thing since Ronald Reagan. It has to stop. Lack of Government care and every overpaid executive, sports star, musician, etc. are all to blame. Not those who have cast aside.
It's wage theft outright now. They use to suppress when my mom was growing up. They're just dangling you by the ankles and having their buddy pick up what falls out now.
... and Non-Profits. Some abuse the designation & live lavish lives. I worked for a HUGE one that we ALL know well. They hid all types of fund donations and boy do they receive a LOT. Non-profits should have to undergo asset audits just like those families receiving "aid" If your heart is really in it and your actions are ordained by the Lord, then they should have no problem keeping it above the table.
We’re literally praying to be the next Roman Empire. I think we’re in our descent right about now. This is crazy. You add the cost of food, car costs, and college tuition… they’re pricing us out of having a life
First lady interviewed seems to have terrible budget skills. Why is she not using her degree and working up in the medical space? Loads on online remote/hybrid jobs she can do. Here's what people need to do, this is financial advice. Get out of any high interest credit card debt before you follow any investing advice below, and have a minimum of six months of emergency savings in your bank, and $1,000 in cash in your house, and a couple hundred in cash in your car. Budget your cost of living so that you are spending as close as possible to living off of one paycheck a month for your fixed expenses (car, insurance, mortgage, gas/electric etc). Use the second paycheck to cover variable cost and long term savings. If you are married, or living with other people adjust accordingly. Invest in your company 401k up to the maximum they match 1:1 first. Second, invest into and max out your Roth IRA. Third, invest into and max out your HSA account. Buy index funds/ETFs in your 401k and HSA. Buy dividend growth stocks, dividend stocks, income stocks, and growth stocks with your Roth IRA. 4th, pay off any low term, low interest debt, except house mortgage. Now, if you have a house, make sure you have a good maintenance fund, which should be 1% of house value per year roughly. If you don't have a house, save spare cash towards down payment, closing costs, etc. If you are single it's a good idea to get an FHA loan and buy a duplex first, that way the renter in the other unit helps cover your housing cost. Live there for five or so years, and save around $10k a year and buy another duplex every five years, only move if one of the new units is an upgrade to your current one. Now go back and max out your 401k. Now, you can start buying regular stocks in a brokerage account, or invest in alternative investments.
