A Little Finance Rant

I don't complain about just my kids, I have thousands of things I like to complain about. I just found a rant about minimum wage that I wrote about a year ago.

I just saw the note that the minimum wage is $7.25 per hour and I decided to look at the reality of this and I am truly disgusted.

Working at minimum wage:

• IF a person worked 40 hours every week (2,080 hours) a year, with no days off. They would only make: $15,080 annually.
  
• IF they worked an avg. number of hours a year (2,000 hours) (that is estimating only taking 10 days off for holidays, sick days and vacation) they would only make: $14,500 annually.

Just a point of reference, poverty is considered:

• Family of 2 = $14,570
• Family of 4 = $22,050

Theoretical Middle Class is considered anyone making between $30K and $90 annually

• Lower Middle Class (2080 hours) = $14.42 per hour
• Higher Middle Class (2080 hours) = $43.27 per hour

Now for the Amusement (and I mean that as cynically as possible).

Congressional Lawmakers... Avg. Annual Income = $174,000 Annually

• IF they worked 40 hours a week, every week (2,080 hours) = $ 83.65 per hour
• The Reality IS considering their average hours IN SESSION which in 2008 were estimated at 131 days per year (1,048 hours) = $ 166.03 per hour

So at an hourly rate of comparison...

1 congressional lawmaker =

4 Upper Middle Class=

12 Lower Middle Class=

23 Minimum Wagers

There are 535 congressional lawmakers
Based on the Average Annual Income, the budget for their income is

• $93,090,000 annually (yea, that's 93 million dollars)

If they made minimum wage and only were paid for the hours they worked (1,048 on average):
The budget for their annual income would be

• $4,064,930 annually

HEY, look at that, I just figured out a way to put $89 Million tax dollars a year back into taking care of our people. And as soon as congress can figure out how to take care of those of us that work ALL YEAR, and try and provide insurance for our families, and figure out how to fund college educations. As soon as they take care of the people that serve in the military, that teach our children, that heal our sick, and serves their food. As soon as they work as hard as those people, then they can have a raise. But they have to PROVE IT. They have to actually EARN IT.

(Don't get me wrong, I don't mind people making a lot of money that work for it. I have a problem with MY dollars paying for people who still can't seem to put the PEOPLE first, when it's their job. The Customer is always right, well, this customer is pissed. And I am not pointing political fingers, I have issue with both sides of the aisle on this topic. )