"Dwight Stewart" wrote in message hlink.net...
"Dee D. Flint" wrote:

(snip) The minimum wage is just high enough to keep a
single person with no dependents from starving and
freezing if they are willing to settle for bare bones survival.
It's never been higher than that.


Well, it's hardly even that today. While going to college in the early
70's, my near minimum wage paycheck was enough to rent a one bedroom duplex
w/garage ($100 per month) just outside LA (Ontario), furnish that duplex,
finance a car, feed the two of us, and pay for some school books ($320 per
month from the VA paid the tuition and other school costs). Today, my wife
pays almost as much for books and lab fees each semester as I paid for
tuition.

Let's do the math, shall we?

Say you were making $4000/yr (about $2/hr, ) back then. That's
$334/month. Out of that came rent ($100), furnishing ($20/mo?) food
($100?) car ($100 including gas and insurance?). Leaves $13.

That $320 from the VA was almost equal to your salary.

At $2/hr, the rent cost 50 hours' work. I presume utilities were
included.
Today 50 hrs work at minimum wage is what - $300?

And then there's taxes....

73 de Jim, N2EY