As Gandhi said, "Poverty is the worst form of violence". People in poverty in the United States are suffering while the gap between the desperately poor and the extravagantly rich increases daily.
In New York State minimum wage is set at $7.25, yet the Living Wage (or total wage needed to actually cover cost-of-living) in my county (Monroe) is $8.79 for one person, $20.55 for an adult with a child, and $36.65 for a single adult supporting three children. These are not uncommon family scenarios, and clearly minimum wage is not enough to meet the needs of individuals nor families.
Please give voice to the rights of our impoverished citizens by aknowleding the poor (not just middle class) and establishing geographically sensitive Living Wages.
(figures from livingwage.mit.edu)