Dirty little secret
What is America’s dirty little secret? It is that there is way more poverty in this country than there ever should be. There are so many fine, wonderful humans who are making minimum wage.
As wages have stagnated for years, housing prices have steadily gone UP. So has the cost of rent. It is, in fact, terrible that in the year 2023 (maybe 2024 by the time you read this), there is still so much rampant poverty all around. It hurts.
This is why raising the minimum wage has always been one of my most passionate issues. We need to do something. It is incredible that some states still go by the federal minimum wage. That wage is $7.25.
Most of those places are red states, which is part of why there is so much poverty. But there is some good news on the minimum wage. Twenty-two. Remember that number. Why? Because as we ring in 2024, 22 states are increasing their minimum wage. It’s just another great thing to happen on President Biden’s watch.
So let’s look at some of these states doing the right thing. Hawaii. The Aloha state sees the most significant jump as it transitions to a 14-dollar minimum wage. Then there is Washington state, whose wage going up to $17 per hour. Way to go, Washington!
Delaware will be going to $13.25 per hour, Arizona to $14.35 hourly, Maine to $14.15 an hour—Illinois to $14.00 hourly, and Michigan to $10.33. Those are some of the states that have taken action. For a complete list, I’ve included a link.
The dirty little secret I speak of is that we have a federal minimum wage of just over seven dollars. It should not be like that. EVERYBODY should be making a livable wage. But these states taking action are doing a good thing that hopefully many other states will emulate.
