by David Greenwell

Created on: November 06, 2010

As if life isn't hard enough already! Minimum wage in this country is ridiculous! On top of a labor-crazy job and 40 hours a week, a full-time paycheck is like a slap in the face to some. And the way the economy is, for most there's nothing they can do about it, because no one is hiring. It's saddening to have to work your butt off five days a week, eight hours a day for just enough to get by on the bills. The poverty in this great country of ours is at an all-time high. People are suffering.

Having no life outside of work takes a toll on the many who deal with this low-paying minimum wage crisis. Food stamps are a must or else people will starve. As high as the rental fees are in some places we live, it makes one wonder how some get by. This may very well cause job stress, which can lead to unhappiness in the workplace, which is why many minimum wage jobs have high turnovers.

What we need is more good paying jobs. Good enough to improve our living standards. Being one of the most powerful nations in the world, it bothers me how low our minimum wage actually is. Why can't it be $9/hr? That would make life a lot simpler for the millions who have to struggle everyday on an already tight budget as it is. Why can't we throw out "minimum" and replace it with "living" so people can afford to eat?  Afford to pay their bills and have enough money left over to buy something nice for their self? Or have that extra few dollars for emergency use? These huge corporations make billions a year and they pay slave-wages to the workers who make them rich! It's really sickening and something has got to change in the way the citizens of this great country are paid.

Maybe the more we stand up and speak out about this mess, the faster it will be corrected. I know it's hard. I've been there. Too many times. Just keep this in mind for the time being..A job is better than no job. And even though it's stressful, keep your head up and remember that there are those out there with no job, struggling twice as much. Hopefully one day soon our minimum wage will become a living wage to end all the unnecessary suffering and crappy paychecks!

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