Blog # 5 - Is It Immoral?

Chaudry states that even though we are fighting for welfare reform to change the plight of numerous Americans, we still dare to ask people to work for minimum wage and be able to make it through life ok on that minimum wage. We must remember that those who are asking people to do this are not working anywhere near minimum wage themselves.

As Jessica said in her video, the adults must be creative in what they say to their children so the children do not realize what their financial situation really is. To hear her say that she tells her kids they don’t need to be like everyone else and wear Nike or Air Jordan shoes is heart wrenching. Telling them that they don’t need to go to a “fancy” restaurant so she does not have to tell them they cannot afford that restaurant has to be an awful feeling for her. Telling them they are unique is awesome, but having to tell them that to save them from the realization of their poverty is disgusting. No person should ever have to tell anyone that.

This issue is a public one, not a personal one because these people are working their fingers to the bones to try and earn enough of a living to make it through life and support their families. We, as a nation, tell people they must improve their way of life, yet we as employers do not do what needs to be done to improve their lifestyle. As Jessica said, going looking for another job does not help because a new job would take her right back to minimum wage, where she is trying to get out of.

As Roseanne Barr says in the video, the fact that the richest nation in the world has people struggling like this to make ends meet is immoral.