One almost thinks there will always be a base of americans living paycheck-to-paycheck. If you read Road to Wiggin Pier, Orwell talked about his vain attempts

One almost thinks there will always be a base of americans living paycheck-to-paycheck. If you read Road to Wiggin Pier, Orwell talked about his vain attempts to get people to save money from week to week. Instead they wasted it on strong tea and good toast. What he came to realize was that this was _all these people had to look forward to_. Even if wages were to rise, some people's first thoughts aren't to save it but to buy something that brings them joy because that extra couple of dollars' worth of joy is worth more than whatever it brings them saved in a bank account, socked in a share or two, etc.