Today's topic comes from viewer Armando, who writes,
what's going on with universal basic income?
Yes, it's true that Switzerland plans
to vote on a guaranteed basic income for all adults--
about 2,500 francs, which amount to about 2,800 a month.
That idea might seem far-fetched,
but a bigger conversation about income
is happening not just in Switzerland, but all
over the world.
In the US, President Obama said in a speech
this week that he is making income inequality
a priority for the next three years.
The combined trends of increased inequality and decreasing
mobility pose a fundamental threat
to the American dream, our way of life,
and what we stand for around the globe.
The US federal minimum is $7.25 an hour,
which amounts to about $15,000 a year.
Most states also have minimum wage laws.
The highest is Washington, at $9.19 an hour.
And some states have lower than federal or no minimum.
And you don't have to be an economist
to know that $7.25 doesn't get you too far anymore.
The real value of $7.25 an hour, adjusting for inflation,
has depreciated over the past forty years,
according to the National Employment Law Project.
And employees of Walmart, which is the largest private employer
in the US, recently held Black Friday protests
asking for wage increases and better workplace conditions.
And on Thursday, fast food workers
staged a nationwide strike to protest unlivable wages,
in the words of the people I spoke
with in Oakland, California.
And I work as a shift leader.
I get paid $9.25 an hour.
I am full time.
And I do struggle.
And to this day, I'm still struggling.
I get food stamps.
And I can't afford my rent.
And sometimes I have to tell my landlady, can she
wait for my rent, because I'm a single mother with three
babies.
I am a crew member and a crew trainer.
And I worked there for about two years.
And I make about $8.26.
And I haven't seen any raises.
My hours have been cut.
It's unfair to workers.
It's unfair to moms.
It's unfair to people trying to get
on their own two feet like me.
So the overall question is, how much do people need to live?
A pending bill called the fair minimum wage act is aiming
to raise the federal minimum to $10.10 an hour.
And until that happens, if it happens,
the debate is sure to continue.
Be sure to weigh in the comments with your opinion.
And also get in touch with me on Twitter, Facebook, Google,
or VK, all @AnnieGaus, where you can
send me show ideas or feedback with the hash tag #WTBD.
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Thanks for watching.