The Washington Post has an interesting article about what life is like for someone who makes $7.25 an hour, the minimum wage that was passed by the House and will be moving on to the Senate. The article examines the life of a retail worker who makes $7.25:

“I bring home 900 a month,” he said. “So I very rarely have any money for myself.”

And also examines what a minimum wage increase would mean for businesses and workers alike:

Shannon Wilk, 33, who makes $6.25 an hour, said that of course she would like to earn more money. It would help her. It would help her 18-month-old daughter. “It would be good,” she said, “but also, for me, I live in income-based housing, and if I get a raise, my rent would go up, and I would lose my assistance.” Even the tiniest raise would affect her, she said, and with nowhere to go, the last thing she can afford is a raise to $7.25.

Interesting stuff. —MEGHANN MARCO

Life at $7.25 [Washington Post/MSNBC]

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