Living wage going up and the budget to blame

The recent rise in living wages demands improvement in the lives of low-wage workers. The struggle of trying to get by with the bare minimum is merely a mission impossible which has brought many exploited, full-time workers face to face with economic problems.

For one, the cost of housing is rising so rapidly that it is difficult for an average worker to afford to pay monthly rent or, with years of savings, maybe even a modest home. Basic housing is simply not affordable to minimum wage workers in that it is becoming more of a costly luxury to many Los Angeles residents that are living in poverty.

The proposed minimum, $6.75 per hour, remains one of the most prominent local policy trends in recent years, which has affected low-income families as well as independent students.

College students are largely affected as well by the ordeal. "It's difficult to stretch out my pay check for my expenses," said Santa Monica College student, Darius Smith. Generally, college students do not have much assistance in forms of revenue. Every penny counts when trying to make ends meet and balancing classes with a load of work.

College students have faced difficult circumstances in dealing with the recent tuition and textbook price increases. SMC student, Mandy Aegerter is also greatly affected by the dramatic increase in the cost of living in which her past record of academic probation has cost her top dollar for her tuition. "I had to take out a private loan of $25,000 because of it," said Aegerter.

The cost of living has climbed, consequently allowing life to be extraordinary pricey. Certain measures need to be taken in order to compensate for the intended beneficiaries in bringing forth positive effects.

The dominant voice of American businesses has predicted the outcome of the consistent opposition to minimum wage increases. Although there are many that believe people should be paid enough to support their families and no longer have to rely on any forms of public assistance in the form of housing subsidies, welfare, food stamps, and medical assistance.

A raise in living wages would eventually hurt the poor seeking to put low wage workers out of a job. Adopted ideas of the ideal living wages that claim to be sufficient enough to support families at a subsistence level seem to be a constant struggle. Why do we continue to hurt the poor with these misguided policies that make it a struggle to get by living with the bare necessities?

By insisting that public money should not be used to subsidize workers poverty, workers have been denied a decent living wage. A wage increase of one or two dollars an hour would hardly lift thousands of the working poor out of real poverty.

Disposable income would not be the created where the inadequate revenue would be incapable of covering basic expenses for minimum wage workers. "Half of my life I'm worrying about ways I could cheat the system, so I'm always cutting coupons," said Joseph Lee, former Vice President of Alpha Gamma Sigma.

Every person working full time in the United States should make enough money to support his or her family. Full time workers in the United States should not have to receive food stamps and other forms of public assistance because they do not earn enough money.