$15 an hour is a pathetic wage to support a family with. $50,000 a year is a bare minimum for a full-time employee, no matter the job, and that's $24 an hour.

Let's assume a 40 hour workweek, and 52 weeks worked per year. For someone who works full time, that's 2,080 hours.<br><br>$15 * 2080 hours is $31,200 yearly. $31,200 / 12 months is $2,600 monthly. Did I mention this is pre-tax? Let's say 30% of that is taken out of every paycheck for taxes, that makes $1,820 per month, or $1,820 * 12 = $21,840 yearly.<br><br>The poverty threshold for a single parent with one child is $18,310. So $21,840 is still well above the poverty line, but it's the poverty line plus $3,530. The tax you pay will not include any child tax credits, which is *usually* another $2,000.<br><br>So in total, the yearly wage for an employee making $15 an hour is $21,840 + $2,000 = $23,840. <br><br>That's slightly above the poverty line for a parent with a child.<br><br>And this $15 wage is considered to be a "living wage". It's supposed to provide for a person. The fact that we can call this "a living wage" is ridiculous. If you earn the federal minimum wage, this is how much you make. I have to wonder how many full-time minimum wage workers are parents with children, but the fact that it's even possible for a full-time worker to be paid under the poverty line is astounding. 5 years ago I was making $7.25 an hour and working 30 hours a week. My mom was trying to get me pregnant, and thought that the only way this would happen was if I was home more and I had more money. I didn't really care for kids, but I didn't have money to support myself, let alone a kid. I worked at a grocery store. I didn't know how I could reasonably afford a kid making $7.25 an hour and working 30 hours a week. I asked her what I would do to earn enough money to have a kid. She didn't have an answer. She just wanted me to have a kid.<br><br>$23,840 is just above the poverty line for a family of 2. What if the family of 2 has a dad, too? So now there's *two* parents with minimal education and trying to raise a child. They will both likely be in the service industry and making minimum wage if they're not making more. So if they earn the *minimum* amount they can reasonably expect to make, that would be $23,840 + $23,840 = $47,680. The poverty line for four people is $26,500. So $47,680 is just under the threshold for a family of four. One parent, two kids. Or two parents, one kid. Two kids and one parent is the equivalent to two parents and 1.5 kids, assuming both parents make the same. Leaving aside the fact that this means that the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer.<br><br>So this is with minimal education. What if you go to college? Let's say you go to college for 4 years, and graduate with a degree in Engineering. Engineering is a field that tends to make a lot of money. I have no numbers off hand, but if you do a Google search you can find evidence that it does. You would likely start out at around $30-50 an hour.<br><br>$30 * 2080 = $62,400. This is the starting salary for an engineer in their first year at their first job. $62,400 / 12 = $5,200. Did I mention this is pre-tax? Let's say 30% of that is taken out of every paycheck for taxes, that makes $3,620 per month, or $3,620 * 12 = $43,440 yearly.<br><br>The poverty threshold for a family of 4 is $26,500.<br><br>Say you make $30 an hour and you have a family of 4. One child, one 3-year-old, one infant. One stay-at-home parent and one working.<br><br>$43,440 yearly is nearly double the poverty line for four people.<br><br>$40,000 is the minimum someone should be paid, assuming they have an education, they have a skill, and they are contributing to society.<br><br>$50,000 is the minimum someone should be paid, assuming they have an education, a skill, and they are contributing to society *and* they have a family to care for.<br><br>$60,000 is the minimum someone should be paid, assuming they have an education, a skill, and they are contributing to society *and* it's a specialized skill that most people don't have.<br><br>$70,000 is the minimum someone should be paid, assuming they have an education, a skill, and they are contributing to society *and* it's a specialized skill that most people don't have *and* they have a family to care for.<br><br>$80,000 is the minimum someone should be paid, assuming they have an education, a skill, and they are contributing to society *and* it's a specialized skill that most people don't have *and* they have a family to care for *and* they have a child with a disability.<br><br>$90,000 is the minimum someone should be paid, assuming they have an education, a skill, and they are contributing to society *and* it's a specialized skill that most people don't have *and* they have a family to care for *and* they have a child with a disability *and* their partner is unemployed.<br><br>$100,000 is the minimum someone should be paid, assuming they have an education, a skill, and they are contributing to society *and* it's a specialized skill that most people don't have *and* they have a family to care for *and* they have a child with a disability *and* their partner is unemployed *and* they have a terminally-ill family member.<br><br>These numbers are based on the federal minimum wage and trying to scale that to someone with an education and a skill, with consideration to how much it costs to actually survive.<br><br>But these are minimums. Minimums are not everything.<br><br>I think the minimum wage should be $24 an hour. $24 * 2080 = $49,920. The poverty line for four people is $26,500. A yearly wage of $49,920 is just under double the poverty line for four people.<br><br>I believe that someone earning $15 an hour is an insult. That's the bare minimum we can be paid, and that still pays workers less than double the poverty line for a family of four. I think that's wrong.<br><br>CMV