I was reading along after I

logged onto the internet when I bumped into an article that realy made my day.Im sure one or two of you have heard

my rants and raves in the past regarding the sinking wages in the U.S. And I am reasonable sure that many of you

have either glossed over my rantings or rejected them out of hand.But Im used to that.When I rant to people about it

on the street or at coffee the whole toppic seems to fly right over thier heads.This link leads right into it.



http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/

SavingandDebt/P134742.asp?GT1=7392

In 1938,Congress passed the Federal Minimum Wage Act.They established

that .25 cents per hour was the MINIMUM REASONABLE LIVING WAGE.That would provide an individual with

food,shelter,clothing and baisic expenses.Adjusted for cost of living and inflation over the last 67 years,would put

the Federal Minimum Wage at nearly $16.00 an hour.Its interesting that "prevailing wage" is calculated in exactly

that fasion.Companies that perform contract work for the government are required by law to pay "prevailing

wages."The hard numbers fluctuate up and down slightly,but in point of fact,federal jobs and contract jobs typicly

start in that neck of the woods.

The usual method of calculating wages has been a very simple formula for

years.Unskilled labor starts at...minimum wage.Semi-skilled labor typicaly gets minimum wage plus 50% and works its

way up to skilled labor,which begins around minimum wage x 2 and goes up from there...to max out around 4x minimum

wage.The government contractors get around paying more that double by putting people on salery and calling it

good.But with a minimum wage that isnt even half of what it should be,whats a family to do?

The big seperation

began in the mid 1960's.All at once it was being discovered that there were alot of very expensive Government

programs that were going to need funding.There was a nice little war going on in South East Asia and a whole pile of

expensive toys being purchased to ward off the Soviet menace.The war on poverty began in earnest.And that is a war

that we are now,ultimatly loosing because jobs dont pay living wages anymore.All of these neat things cost alot of

money.And there are only two people in the United States who pay taxes.Consumers pay it in higher prices and

emloyees pay it in lower wages.After that its just a question of who writes the actual check.

The article above

indicates that families at or below $57,343 anual income are in trouble.Whats that work out to based on what the

minimum wage should be and its effect on the wages above it over the course of a forty hour work week?