I don't know what has happened in America. People seem to have less and less respect for the working class, many seem to have an absolute disdain for any type of labor. Combine this with an overall lack of respect for education and skills training- decrying those who go to college or those with college degrees goes hand in hand with a hatred for union trained workers.

If federal minimum wage doesn't go up, the skilled wages don't increase. When my father wanted me to join the Plumbers and Pipefitters union in 2000, the wages for an apprentice are the same as they are today.

In the 2010 US Census, 30,000 Ph.D. educated workers were employed as janitors.

There is no place in the United States where a single person can live on federal minimum wage and there is no place where a couple can support a family on two federal minimum wage incomes. In many rural areas, minimum wage is the only wage most jobs will pay.

Many of the workers in the factories of Youngstown, Ohio and all across America are losing jobs making $35-$40/hr. I ask how they are expected to fulfill all their economic needs with an income at 1/4th of their previous income.

The primary economic driver of the US economy is the workers, and the US government has never acted to ensure the workers are able to support their families no matter their educational level. Of the major products tracked in economics three are unaffordable on a minimum wage income: durable goods, housing, automobiles.

Minimum wage salary means an employer has no respect for the employee and also means many workers are doing minimum effort.

Minimum wage earners are the most exploited workers of America. Without other income, they cannot afford healthcare, often rely on other government subsidies, and often work for some of the most profitable corporations in the world.

Recent studies show that if minimum wage kept up with productivity it would be around $21 an hour, if with inflation $18 an hour.

It is for these reasons and more that I am pushing for the $25 an hour minimum wage as part of my platform for president. With a $25 an hour minimum wage, most families will be able to support themselves with one income.

More information about Dennis Lambert's campaign as the Poor People's Candidate for President and his policies for Making America Work for Americans is available on his website www.dlpotus2020.com.

Dennis Lambert
August 30, 2019