I say we make the federal minimum wage equal to 20% of the salary of a Congressperson.

That's likely to be $180k in 2025, which means a minimum of $17.30/hr. We know they never fail to give themselves raises, so it makes sense to tie their pay to the minimum wage.

It should be tied to the highest COL region (so that it does not economically limit geographic mobility) and it should allow someone living there to:

• Pay rent of a 1b/1ba apartment at current market rate with less than 1/3 income. As well as utilities (Internet included)
• Pay for a healthy diet at current costs of food.
• Pay for all medical care that could be necessary (this shouldn't actually cost anything but a small tax on the income).

And

• Pay for tuition and all costs associated with being a full-time university student while working 25% of the year. Or
• Leave sufficient income after expenses to save up for a market rate home in 5-7 years of working full-time.

(Note that this is all predicated on continued use of a capitalist economic system and would likely be much easier to achieve in ways not directly tied to wage in a more advanced economic system.)

At the very least it should be $10.80 - the last increase was in 2009 to $7.25, and that’s what it would be if it kept up with inflation. If you pegged it to inflation at earlier points then it would be even more today. The minimum of $3.35 in 1981 would be equivalent to $12.35 today. Any future increase in the federal minimum wage should be set to automatically increase with inflation every year. That way it can’t stagnate for 16 years like it currently has.

Realistically the minimum wage would need to be higher in some places at the local level, in particular in some cities where the cost of living is much greater than the national average. The California minimum wage is $16.50, and it’s higher in more expensive cities (Berkeley is $18.67).

Whatever it takes to afford and apartment and eat food and commute to a job.

Enough to live off of. The worker deserves their due.

e.g. if we really want to be a Christian nation, these earlier writings come to mind: Leviticus 19:13, Deuteronomy 24:15, 1 Timothy 5:18-19, Jesus reiterates in Luke 10:7, James 5:4, and many, many others.

Whatever it takes to have a place to stay. Three meals a day. Get medical care.

The rich.

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✍︎ arscyni.cc: modernity ∝ nature.

Average rental price per month divided by 40 hours a week or 160 hours a month.

$1200 / 160 hours = 7.5

Obviously this is just an example

Some of my comment got lost:

Your housing costs should only be a third of your total income or less. Thats the place i was going with it. Oops