Students “Not” ScreamingLoud Enough! Students continue to remain in “Minimum Wage Hell”, as Wall Street and President George Bush still continue to paint a rosy picture of an upbeat economy.

Yet, the real economic indicator the “purchasing power of the Dollar” continues to remain in the toilet!

Where are the voices? Where is the outrage?

In 1966, I was making $2.50/hr as a janitor in a bakery. A new 1966 Ford Mustang cost $2500 Dollars (1,000 hours of work).

Today, a new Mustang costs $26,000 Dollars (5,000 hours of work) or 5 times the current minimum wage of $5.15/hr. Thus today a worker would require a $26/hr wage, for the same 1000 hours of purchasing power!

In 1971, the simple pleasure of taking a girl out to the movies was also a lot easier on the wallet.

Working as a janitor making $4.70/hr at Ford Motor Co., the cost for the 2 of us to go to the movies was $5.75 (1.2 hours of work). The price for movie tickets was $2.00, popcorn $.50, soda $.25, and gasoline $.25/gal.

Today, at $5.15/hr, going out to the movies now “requires a bank loan!” It costs a whopping $34 dollars (6.5 hours of work), equivalent to a $28/hr wage, as movie tickets are now $8.00, popcorn $4.50, soda $3.50, and gasoline $2.00/gal.

Employers seem to have everyone duped into working overtime at 50 to 60 hours per week to make ends meet, instead of the standard 40 hour week. They figure you can make up for these low wages by working more hours.

The minimum wage was intended to be used only as a guide for employers. However, many of today’s employers have adopted paying the minimum wage as the norm.

And by the way, I always had money left over to put in the bank. Back then the banks gave you a fixed 5.75 percent interest on your regular savings account. Today, they only give you a meager 1 percent on whatever savings you are able to scrape up.

Forget “burning the Bras”, the time has come to shout; “I’m Mad as Hell, and I’m Not Going to Take It Anymore!” or better yet get out there and vote!

These next 4 years, are too important for you to ignore for either candidate. Get the word out, “employers need to pay more, or raise the minimum wage!”

Bob Scott, [email protected]