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Why do liberals attempt to distinguish "economic" from "cultural" issues?

Isn't it plain for all to see that illegitimacy and divorce cause poverty? An intact family actually can live quite comfortably, indeed more comfortably than the vast majority of the world's population, on the minimum wage. Remember, if Dad works 60 hours a week at McDonalds, he gets paid for 70 because of overtime. He won't have to buy much food for himself, only his family. Minimum wage in MD is $6.15 per hour. Being a low-wage family man, he will pay no taxes, so he should bring home $1700 a month. That is enough for food, bus fare, and rent is it not? You may have to use hand-me-downs and shop at the thrift store, but you will not suffer any real privation. Heck, you could probably even afford a basic major medical health insurance plan. Really, I don't understand liberals and their failure to recognize the central role of marriage and the family in ensuring economic welfare for all. Help me understand. You all seem to be proceeding from the assumption that I think it is possible for a single person to raise a family on minimum wage. I know that is not the case. I am talking about an intact family. In Baltimore, you can easily rent a 2 bedroom apartment for $1000 a month. That leaves 700 for food and clothes. Remember, you don't need to pay for a babysitter when the wife stays home. In the alternative, the Father can work nights and the mother can work days. That way, the couple gets paid for 80 hours a week. That comes to nearly $2000 a month, and yes there would still be time leftover for trade school for both parents. Please, I'm not trying to be mean, I just don't understand how we can solve poverty, which disproportionately affects women and children, without addressing marital breakdown. Whoever said private health insurance is $300 a month for an individual needs to do some research. Remember, I'm not talking about the best possible coverage. I'm talking about basic major medical coverage. Also, you're all quoting me what you pay for rent which is fine, but the fact is that if you were poorer you would have to live in a less expensive neighborhood. It may not be the nicest neighborhood in town, but then if liberals would allow people to keep guns in their houses to protect their families and put cops on the streets it wouldn't be an issue now would it? Law and order would go a long way toward making less desireable neighborhoods more desireable. Once again, liberals are wrong. As to the issue of whether a minimum-wage family man pays taxes, I am almost certain his tax liability would be zero. But if it isn't, it should be. I don't hear any liberals clamouring for tax breaks, though. Dear Twilight, I can't show you a Mickey D's employee who works 60 hours a week. I am an attorney, because I busted my @ss for 7 years, studying more than 80 a week sometimes, plus doing internships over the summer, exactly so I wouldn't have these problems. Dear Jerry, I agree with you that moral decay infects all classes of society. I'm not saying that only the poor are immoral or even that they are more immoral than others. Its just that they are more vulnerable to the consequences of immorality. Dear Michael S. That's rubbish. My husband and I stayed together during three years of extreme poverty AND law school AND the bar exam. You just have to be committed.

Public Comments

1. No, it's not enough. Where I live a 1 bedroom apt is 1200 a month and public transit for one 1 person is $80 a month.
2. Help you understand!!!! Man, help me understand what in thee hell you are talking about! I guess men are from Mars and some men are from Jupiter. Geesh! edit: Ok, so now that you have clarified your point, I guess what I'm trying to say is what does liberals have to do with this? I mean all types of people find themselves in the situation you are describing so how does it become a liberal issue??
3. Is that why rich white males trade their wives in for young sluts when they make their first million?
4. You came close but actually have it backwards. Poverty causes divorce and illegitimacy. Stresses in the family of economically disadvantaged families make it MUCH less likely they will survive intact. And of course, poverty is systemically overrepresented in minority communities.
5. Yep, if only we could get all these loafers off welfare and onto easy street with a mickey-d's job...
6. You don't even KNOW what causes poverty, you ignorant troll. And no, divorce and illegitimacy isn't the primary cause. They don't even *factor* in it. Try doing some real research next time before sounding off so stupidly, okay?
7. And don't forget the failure of public schools, esp. in inner cities which have been run by liberal Democrats and school unions forever, it seems. Congress wants to have hearings about various issues like mortgage crisis (5% default is hardly a crisis...compared to the Great Depression), and oil companies (what are they supposed to do, not sell gas to people driving cars on steriods that get 10 mpg?) Congress ought to drag in leaders of these cities and teacher union head and ask why there is graduation rates that can't crack 50% in many urban communities...remember, ignorance is the largest drain to the economy there can ever be. Scott - former teacher who couldn't stomach the politics...
8. It's been a while since you had to ride public transportation and rent an apartment, I bet. You can't do it on $1700 in urban areas or in the country. Rents are high everywhere and if you live in the country, there is no public transportation. Oh, and if you are working 60 hours a week, there is no way that you could also go to college or trade school, is there? Sounds like a deadend proposition to me. Any hope for advancement is negligible.
9. Boy are you clueless,what about electric ,heat, medical costs ,And in what country would he pay no taxes?You should try living on minimum wage for awhile and take care of a family. One of the biggest problems with society is that a child cannot have one stay at home parent anymore.They can't afford it. With one parent able to stay home and watch what their kids are doing in school, church etc. maybe the family marriage and unit would indeed become stronger.
10. First how this got to do with "cultural" issues. Second, $1700/month is NOT enough to support a family. $1700/m = $19,400/m, That is LOW income bracket and yes he will still need to be taxed, so you are looking at 1300/m more or less. Third, he would need at least 2 bedroom if he has 1 or 2 kids. 2 bedroom in my area is roughly $1500/m, that $1700 paycheck ain't going to do jack. That is not including the utilities that you still have to pay, it is roughly an extra $200-300/month, a lot more during winter time. Fourth, Nutrition wise. Any sane parents wouldn't feed their kids McDonald as their main diets, it's junk food. Fifth, Kids go to school, you need money for clothing, school supplies, & health care for them. Your looking at a bill of roughly closer to $2-3000 a month. I think you need to understand your economy a bit more..or better yet, if you can't afford to feed yourself why have kids ? Food for thought.
11. You need to prove your points better. Show me a Mickey D worker who is allowed 60 hours a week. Most of these types of jobs are filled with part timers going to high school and the remaining workers are lucky to get their 40 hours. Second jobs are near impossible as the schedules always change making it impossible for the worker to know when he could work a second job. Food for one person has now risen to $225.00 per month and even if your employee can eat Mickey D food their health will deteriorate quite fast. Have you seen the movie "Super-size Me"? So say he does, that is still $500.00 per month just for the wife and child. An apartment around here (and we have a pretty inexpensive cost of living) would be $650.00 per month. Bus fare in this town isn't the problem........bus routes, now that is a problem. I believe the fare is .50 x 60 = $30.00 $300.00 per month for private medical insurance per individual so I would assume that a family would be around $750.00 per month. $6.15 x 40 = $246 x 4.33 wks = $1065.18 less social security, medicare, and federal taxes approx. 15% = $159.78 = $905.40. $905.40 - $1930.00= <$1024.60> Plus we forgot any utilities, out of pocket expenses for the medical, thrift store clothing, and non food items such as soaps, deodarents, diapers, etc. At this point, even if his wife had a job they would still be several hundred short after including child care expenses.