It suits the politicians and the media of today to spread the notion that somehow the present social system is improving. A look at the wages levels in the USA at present shows that this is just not the case."The federal minimum wage is now $7.25 cents an hour, about $15,080 for a full time, year round worker. At that level, it means poverty wages for a family of three, and weakened demand for the economy. As Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan and New York's bishops concluded, this leaves workers "on the brink of homelessness, with not enough in their paychecks to pay for the most basic of necessities, like food, medicine or clothing for their children." ...... If today's minimum wage were at its previous height in 1968, adjusted for inflation, it would be over $10.00 an hour." (Washington Post, 29 March) RD
The Glasgow & Edinburgh Branches Blog. Towards a better understanding of the world, in order to change it.
There's little chance of those bishops experiencing the worsening conditions described below:
ReplyDeleteA growing number of cities across the United States are making it harder to be homeless. Philadelphia recently banned outdoor feeding of people in city parks. Denver has begun enforcing a ban on eating and sleeping on property without permission. And this month, lawmakers in Ashland, Ore., will consider strengthening the town's ban on camping and making noise in public.
And the list goes on: Atlanta, Phoenix, San Diego, Los Angeles, Miami, Oklahoma City and more than 50 other cities have previously adopted some kind of anti-camping or anti-food-sharing laws, according to the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty:
http://tinyurl.com/cg2b9gc