My dirty little secret is that I make enough money. We keep our bills paid and go out occasionally. We break even, usually, but have not really been able to save, and the idea of retiring is kinda laughable. We have no kids, but I'm not sure we could, and I have no idea how parents who make less get by. I'm well aware that many kinda don't. It's also very unsurprising to me that many in my generation or a little younger still live at home, despite having near-full-time jobs and being measurably more productive than workers 30 years ago.
All this to say, referring to a figure less than half of what I make as a "living wage" seems wrong. Globalization has lifted many out of poverty, which is great, and that flattening has meant the affluent US stagnates a bit. I do not resent that at all. But of course that's not where most of the wealth has been going.
So what's my point? Don't stigmatize things Millennials do to be thrifty - they are generally more responsible with money than GenX. Raise wages, not dividends - shareholders get theirs AFTER the company covers its responsibilities. Raise taxes on people making as much as I do or more - trickle-down has been proven to not be a thing that happens. Be personally generous, but recognize that people who work should not have to also be relying on charity or EBT - being under-employed is a real thing, and if you don't think being underpaid is a real thing, well, you may be part of the problem.
