It can't keep going like this. We need to figure out how to fight the ever-worsening economic / workplace issues that are already affecting so many of us. No full-time worker should need to choose between food or basic shelter or medicine/health care. I have so many friends that would love to have children, but are deciding not to because they either can't afford a child or they worry that they would be bringing a child into a life of toil that has them working as a wage slave until they die. THIS IS NOT OK.
I own a successful small business and I pay my (one) employee $26/hr and PTO that accrues at twice the rate I got back when I still worked for someone else, myself. This is for simple admin work because, seriously, he would not be able to afford even a crummy studio apartment in our expensive city for the $16/hr his sort of work normally pays. I'm just helping one guy, though. We *NEED* to do more. I need to do more because THIS IS NOT ENOUGH.
And Real Estate! WTF? I'm lucky enough that I was able to buy a tiny, 90-year old house. It was in nearly un-inhabitable condition when I got they keys because that's what I could afford. I live just outside of the city limits, too. That was 5 years ago. That $436k hovel now has a “Zestimate” of $610k and a Redfin Ballpark of $605k. At today's interest rates, that would require an annual income of $175k and $175,000 down. The payment would be $4,450/month. That payment would crush me, meaning I could no longer buy a tiny, 90-year old hovel on the outskirts of town today. And that was just 5 years ago! In Seattle, where I live, the AVERAGE home value is hovering around $900k. THIS IS NOT OK.
Rents are also crazy. Holy shit. In my area, my little hovel would rent out at about 2,750/ per month. While some folks can afford paying $2,750/month, no-one can truly AFFORD throwing that kind of money away on rent. You guessed it already: THIS IS NOT OK.
WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING? BIG STUFF, LITTLE STUFF, EVERYTHING IN-BETWEEN? WHO WANTS TO WORK ON THIS WITH ME?