Trying to Survive on Minimum Wage – An Artists Journey To Life: Day 460

 

Today I read an article in one of the local free papers here in my city. The article, “Whistler and the living wage” explores ways to make the cost of living affordable in a system where everyone is either trying to save a penny or earn a buck placing the majority in a position where making ends meet is becoming more and more a problem.

A concept like “the living wage” is particularly pertinent in my city where tourism is the main industry and so thus everything from food to housing is more expensive here.

The article features an interview with Seth Klein, the director of the B.C. office for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) and looks at the concept of urging employers to adopt a higher standard than the minimum wage where one solution his office has come up with is “the living wage” as opposed to the minimum wage.

A “Living Wage” is essentially an hourly wage that is calculated based on what it Actually cost to live, taking into consideration everything from basic necessities such as food, clothing, transportation ect, to those costs which often get omitted from the daily budget such as for instance childcare or supplementary education programs. In the end you end up with a calculated hourly wage that is much more REALISTIC to actually support someone to live.

This is what fast food workers in across 60 cities in the US have recently gone on strike over, demanding an actual “Living Wage” instead of the current “impossible to live on even with a second Job” minimum wage that is being paid that makes it impossible for a human being to actually survive on.

Interestingly, the Living Wage calculation here where I live was around $20.00 per hour. I can tell you from my experience during the past 5 years as a single individual living in my country that $20.00 per hour is accurate in terms of an actual living wage

Currently our minimum wage is about half that at 10.25$. That is not enough to live on. One may be able to survive on that, but we should be approaching such points not from the starting point of “how little can I survive on” or “what’s the bare minimum a human being can survive on” and then basing our wages on this, but rather, how can we empower individuals/ourselves and provide them/us with the necessary resources so that they/we can actually expand, contribute and grow as human beings, and that will require something like a Living Wage.

On a minimum wage one is able to make it by “walking a dangerously thin line” where if one thing goes wrong you are in trouble.

A “Living Wage” is an important topic. It is a point that should be brought more into the awareness of the daily conversations of the mainstream public. If this type of conversation doesn’t appear on your facebook stream daily there is a problem and where one spend ones attention should be investigated and realigned to bring such points into the fold so we can all support our own education on such points.

The article doesn’t go to far into depth on how such a living wage would be funded but more present the point as a “suggestion” so I guess then this would be more encouraged on a “moral basis” for local businesses to consider adapting such a strategy.

This obviously seems very unlikely though the concept is legitimate in terms of establishing a minimum wage that is actually a LIVING WAGE.

In terms of how to fund such a point, I’d suggest researching “Living Income Guarantee” being proposed by the Equal Life Foundation Research Team – http://basicincome.me/

Another great resource for understanding the problems we face in our current dysfunctional economic system and furthermore to understand practical solutions for implementing for instance something like a “Living Wage” also read – An Economists Journey To Life

Both of these sites are designed to educate individuals / ourselves on the proposed “Living Income Guaranteed” by Equal Life Foundation –  a new Economic Model designed in alignment with basic human rights and equality ensuring all individuals on earth have access to a dignified life.

Basic Income Guaranteed – An Economic Solution Presented by the Equal Life Foundation
DIP Lite – Free Online Course to get you started with learning the Tools of Self Support
DIP PRO -A Desteni Course for those Ready to Walk the Journey of a Lifetime
desteni.org – Participate in Forums or Search the Vast Desteni Material
eqafe.com – Invest in a wide range of Interviews and Support yourself to Self Perfection
equalmoney.org – Learn What Equal Money is all about and Vote on Goals and Principles
Equal Life Foundation – Facebook Stream for Unfolding Events and Solutions.
Creations Journey To Life 7 Year Process Blogs
Heavens Journey To Life 7 Year Process Blogs.