The federal minimum wage is $7.25, a gallon of milk in Oregon is usually about $2.49 on average. In 1972 the year I was born the minimum wage was $1.60 and a gallon of milk was 36 cents. The big thing is the pricing of houses, now the banks are extending loans up to 30 years in the 70's they were only doing 20 and maybe 25 year loans, the simple truth is the housing markets have turned too much into it's own power corporation, if someone wanted to buy a house now on only making minimum wage and pay that house off in the same amount of time as a person in 1972 that person would have to be earning $18.18 seeing how the average price of a house in Oregon was about $21,000 vs the average now being $240,000. There is no one now making minimum wage or even $10 an hour that has a family that can afford to buy a house. When they talk about the housing markets there always saying it's a good market when houses are selling for increased amounts but when a person has to give up things like a newer car or even food or medicine to afford the monthly payments something is wrong. If you look back in history when the U.S. was truly great economically was the 50's when only one person in the household had to work and they still had a nice car and was able to buy everything they wanted. With over population the way it is there will always be someone who can buy the houses or at least try and lose it in foreclosure, while the poor get poorer and the middle class become the poor.
We as a first world nation have an obligation to all its citizens to not just say that everyone has to strive to become better but to make it obtainable for all. With both parents working to be able to afford the things you need who is really raising are children, is it the internet, the baby sitter, or the daycare, or all off them combined. I'm happy that my wife is a homemaker staying home with the kids making sure there raised the way we want even if I have to put in a lot of overtime to make things work. To all those struggling to make things work get involved let your senator know how rough things are to either lower housing costs or increase the minimum wage, that is what they're there for and if they don't do anything vote them out. Peace and love to all those that read my rant together we will make a change.