4 ms·

> $10 / hour goes a lot further in Kansas than it does D.C. True. > I think a lot of people could live OK in the Midwest on $10 / hour. Ridiculously false.

> $10 / hour goes a lot further in Kansas than it does D.C. True. > I think a lot of people could live OK in the Midwest on $10 / hour. Ridiculously false. Yes, the cost of living is cheaper in the Midwest, but a lot of people seem to have the idea that it's this land lost in time where a loaf of bread still costs a nickel and where gas is 25 cents a gallon.

sliverstorm 13y ago
Actually, the (foolish) idea that I have in my head is that when the median house price is NOT one million dollars (I'm looking at you, San Francisco), people who make $10 / hour won't have to devote nearly as much of their income to housing, dramatically increasing their spending power.
- derekp7 13y ago
  Apartment prices in the Midwest (I'm north of Chicago, but same goes for further south) are 600 - 1000 per month. 10 bucks an hour is 1750 a month before taxes -- fed, fica, and state taxes get you down to less than 1400. There is no public transportation to speak of (outside of big cities such as Chicago and Atlanta, etc), so kill another $175 for gas, plus $150 for a car payment (cheap used car, high interest). Not much left for food, heat, and lights. Now it gets a bit better when two people are living together. But then that usually means a family (kids) eventually, so it then starts to get much worse.
  - sliverstorm 13y ago
    600 - 1000 per month. 10 bucks an hour is 1750 a month before taxes Well that certainly sounds a lot more attainable than 10 bucks an hour with the 2200 - 2600 rental rates in San Francisco. (Last I heard, at least)
  - jasomill 13y ago
    True. This is why people living on $10/hour tend to work more than 40 hours / week. Unfortunately, this increasingly means one or more part time jobs, because service industry jobs don't generally offer overtime. Speaking of couples living together with kids, I personally wish Americans, rich and poor, were vastly more open to adult living arrangements other than the "traditional nuclear family". Not that there's anything wrong with it, I just think the world would be a better place if there were a larger variety of equally "acceptable" living arrangements with no obvious default, to make people more comfortable seeking out the particular set of circumstances that work well for them. Some people might be happier living as an extended family, say, or communally, or alone or with platonic room-mates, even when in a committed relationship, if it weren't for strong societal pressures to conform. I'm not at all "dogmatically anti-dogmatic" about this, it's just a train of thought I've had on many occasions.
mox1 13y ago
Definitely not "Ridiculously false". I've lived in the midwest most of my life. You can live ~1 hour within a major metropolitan area (minus chicago) and rent an apartment for $500-$800 a month. $10 / hour is $20,800 a year. At that rate your effectively paying 0% tax and you probably qualify for heat assistance, free insurance, etc. I didn't say live like a King. I basically said meant live life.
- jackmaney 13y ago
  And what will you drive? Living in prettymuch any Midwestern city requires driving (or someone to drive you around). Public transportation is abysmal, and distances are large.
- eli_gottlieb 13y ago
  A salary that qualifies for and requires public assistance is not a liveable salary.
  - lcfg 13y ago
    Public assistance is offered to maintain livable conditions. It would seem that qualifying for assistance does the opposite of what you think it does- it produces a "livable salary".
    - sxtxixtxcxh 13y ago
      no it doesn't produce a "livable salary", it pushes costs of "livable-salaried" employees to the public.

sliverstorm 13y ago

Actually, the (foolish) idea that I have in my head is that when the median house price is NOT one million dollars (I'm looking at you, San Francisco), people who make $10 / hour won't have to devote nearly as much of their income to housing, dramatically increasing their spending power.

derekp7 13y ago
Apartment prices in the Midwest (I'm north of Chicago, but same goes for further south) are 600 - 1000 per month. 10 bucks an hour is 1750 a month before taxes -- fed, fica, and state taxes get you down to less than 1400. There is no public transportation to speak of (outside of big cities such as Chicago and Atlanta, etc), so kill another $175 for gas, plus $150 for a car payment (cheap used car, high interest). Not much left for food, heat, and lights. Now it gets a bit better when two people are living together. But then that usually means a family (kids) eventually, so it then starts to get much worse.
- sliverstorm 13y ago
  600 - 1000 per month. 10 bucks an hour is 1750 a month before taxes Well that certainly sounds a lot more attainable than 10 bucks an hour with the 2200 - 2600 rental rates in San Francisco. (Last I heard, at least)
- jasomill 13y ago
  True. This is why people living on $10/hour tend to work more than 40 hours / week. Unfortunately, this increasingly means one or more part time jobs, because service industry jobs don't generally offer overtime. Speaking of couples living together with kids, I personally wish Americans, rich and poor, were vastly more open to adult living arrangements other than the "traditional nuclear family". Not that there's anything wrong with it, I just think the world would be a better place if there were a larger variety of equally "acceptable" living arrangements with no obvious default, to make people more comfortable seeking out the particular set of circumstances that work well for them. Some people might be happier living as an extended family, say, or communally, or alone or with platonic room-mates, even when in a committed relationship, if it weren't for strong societal pressures to conform. I'm not at all "dogmatically anti-dogmatic" about this, it's just a train of thought I've had on many occasions.

mox1 13y ago

Definitely not "Ridiculously false". I've lived in the midwest most of my life. You can live ~1 hour within a major metropolitan area (minus chicago) and rent an apartment for $500-$800 a month. $10 / hour is $20,800 a year. At that rate your effectively paying 0% tax and you probably qualify for heat assistance, free insurance, etc. I didn't say live like a King. I basically said meant live life.

jackmaney 13y ago
And what will you drive? Living in prettymuch any Midwestern city requires driving (or someone to drive you around). Public transportation is abysmal, and distances are large.
eli_gottlieb 13y ago
A salary that qualifies for and requires public assistance is not a liveable salary.
- lcfg 13y ago
  Public assistance is offered to maintain livable conditions. It would seem that qualifying for assistance does the opposite of what you think it does- it produces a "livable salary".
  - sxtxixtxcxh 13y ago
    no it doesn't produce a "livable salary", it pushes costs of "livable-salaried" employees to the public.