For as long as I can remember, I have been assured by those inpositions of power that anyone who works hard can attain the Americandream. The dream of having a steady job, a family, a house, a car andnot having to worry where your next meal will come from seems onlyfair to anyone willing to work. It would be fair to assume then thata college education should not necessarily be a requirement to attainthese simple dreams.
I have found recently, as I spend my free time on a picket linelistening to customers’ opinions, that not everyone agrees with thisidea. It has actually been made clear to me that at least a fewpeople believe one should have to get a college degree to survive.The fact is, it isn’t so easy for the average citizen of our finenation to live the American dream. The percentage of the populationwithout college degrees is slowly becoming the modern-day peasantclass. The American dream is becoming a thing of the past for manypeople.
The standard pay for entry-level, non-degree-holding employees isthe federal minimum wage. According to the Coalition on Human Needs,the minimum wage is at one of its lowest points. In 1938, the minimumwage was only 25 cents, which was low even back then. The minimumwage peaked in 1968, when it was worth about $7 by today’s monetarystandards. The minimum wage has decreased by 25 percent in the lasttwo decades, according to the Economic Policy Institute, and it isnow worth what a quarter was worth in 1938. The cost of living ishigh across the country right now. The federal minimum wage is notenough to rent a two-bedroom house in any American state. Many peoplebelieve the minimum wage for the country should be something close to$10 an hour. The Economic Policy Institute states a raise in theminimum wage would most positively affect full-time retail workers,but it would affect every worker to some extent.
The most disturbing trend to me is the acceptance of the “workingpoor” as an entire class. The U.S. Department of Labor even has aprofile on the working poor. The profile states that in 2000, 6.4million American workers were below the poverty line. Of allfull-time employees, 3.5 percent made less than poverty wages thatyear. Surprisingly, 2.5 percent of associate degree holders, and 1.4percent of bachelor’s degree holders were part of the working poor aswell. If 1.4 percent doesn’t seem like much, imagine one in every 100San Diego State graduates living in poverty.
Not surprisingly, women and minorities are most often found in theworking poor, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. About 4percent of all white males are considered a part of the working poor,while 8 percent of blacks, 10 percent of Hispanics, and 10 percent ofwomen share this title. The American dream is not for everyone wholives and works here, I guess.
I have been told if you’re not happy with the job you’ve got, youshould get more education or start your own business. This soundsgreat, but there will always be a need for hardworking employees inevery company. Not every individual can afford to go to college, andnot everyone has a desire to. I believe there is nothing wrong withtaking pride in your job if you work in the retail sales, restaurantor labor-related industries. These jobs generally pay low wages andprovide little or no benefits. Do hardworking people who are good atthese types of jobs not deserve even a tiny piece of the Americandream?
In France, waiting tables is considered a skilled career,gratuities are always included in the bill and spending your workinglife doing this job is not looked down upon. Inour country,however, waiting tables is usually considered temporary work forstudents or single mothers.
Department store retail sales used to be considered a good job,but from myexperience working at Macy’s, I foundit wouldbe extremely difficult to support a family on those wages. I evenknew some people from my two years working at Target who did finallymake it into middle-management positions and were making decentwages. A couple of years ago, many of them were laid off, only to bereplaced by lower-paid persons.
Many might still argue that those who spend four years or more incollege deserve more money than those who don’t. People who are smartenough to start their own business deserve to reap the rewards of alltheir investments. These statements are probably true. Still, I don’tbelieve rewarding the hard work of business owners and degree holdersmeans leaving other hardworking millions in this country below thepoverty line.
Real success in any business should mean being able to providegood pay for all your employees. This ensures the future of anycompany because quality work will most likely come from workers whoare paid well. When the employees of a company are not worrying abouthow they will pay their rent or feed their children, they canconcentrate on doing their jobs to the best of their ability.
– Gaia Veenis is a journalism junior.
– This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of TheDaily Aztec. Send e-mail to letters@thedailyaztec.com.Anonymous letters will not be printed – include your name, major andyear in school.
