The Working Poor

by Hunter Tymich

As of today, the unemployment rate in California alone has reached a stunningly high rate of 10.9 percent.

In today’s economy, it is nearly impossible for many people just to find a job in order to support themselves and their family.  This is especially true with teenagers who are simply looking for a summer job just to make some extra cash. 

“I finally got a job after looking and applying for 3 months”, says high school senior Ariana Rahman.  “It’s very stressful to look for a job while trying to keep up in school at the same time.” 

However, there are many teenagers all throughout the country who are forced to get jobs in order to help support their family.  In California, the teenage unemployment rate currently stands at 34.4 percent for teens between the ages of 6 and 19.  Ethnicity also plays a large role in getting jobs.  Approximately 40.7 percent of all African Americans teenagers are currently unemployed as well.

Many people cannot find jobs at all in today’s economy.  In 2011, the U.S. jobless rate was at 8.9 percent, while the national unemployment rate reached 58.4 percent.  Many of these people have no way to support themselves, and often times turn to living on the streets.  However, many go to live with a family member or friends while they look or a job.  For example, in the book Nickel and Dimed, author Barbara Ehrenreich stays at a friend’s house that was out of town at the time. 

Statistics from 2003 showed an alarming amount of low-income households.  About 55 percent of all American households earned $50,000 or less each year.  Nearly 30 percent of them earned less than $25,000 a year.  When trying to support a family, wages like this make it very difficult to do.  When combined with the low unemployment rates, many people are currently suffering due to the economy.

As of today, the legal minimum wage in the state of California is $8 an hour.  This means that if someone were to work a full time job, they would make about $320 a week.  In Los Angeles (one of the most expensive cities to live in along with San Francisco and New York), the average price for a single bedroom apartment is around $1,200 a month.  This means that a person working full time would be able to afford an apartment in L.A. with only $80 left over each month.  These $80 would have to go to things such as food, gas, and other things such as prescriptions for illnesses one might suffer from.  This would be an impossible task for most. 

So many people are left homeless and hopeless due to the poor economy while the government just sits around and continues to collect money from the people who do not have it.  Former president Ronald Regan best describes the government’s plans: “If it moves, tax it.  If it keeps moving, regulate it.  And if it stops moving, subsidize it.”