Minimum Wage Is Not A Livable Wage

The federal minimum wage was first introduced by Congress under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 starting at just 25 cents per hour. Over the years, the minimum wage has increased periodically, although almost 85 years later, it remains inadequate.

Currently in California, the minimum wage is set at $14 an hour for employers with 25 or less employees and $15 an hour for employers with 26 or more employees. Despite the dramatic difference between the 1938 and 2022 wage, people continue to endure the effects of an insufficient wage as they try to make ends meet.

Nonetheless, many issues and uncertainty will arise based on these new district lines and former district issues will become issues for brand new districts, since this is the first time many cities will be paired together and split up completely.

For example, Fresno will be split up in three congressional districts: North Fresno being a part of District 5 that will have a constituency as far as east Sacramento; Northwest and most of South Fresno being a part of District 21 with constituency reaching to Sanger and North Visalia; and parts of North Fresno and all of Clovis being a part of District 20 that will go as far as curling south around Bakersfield.

Looking at District 21, the residents of this area is considerably non-white, Hispanic populated with District 20 being predominantly white, conservative, agriculturally-based voters. This is to show how meticulous such a redistricting process can be. Binding voting trends, ethnic groups, and socioeconomic backgrounds are often used to facilitate district lines.

This is solely looking at the redistricting of Congress, which proved itself as more critical as tensions rise in Washington. Congressional seats are far more contested and a priority to be filled by a representative that will truly advocate for the issues of the Valley.

Redistricting seriously impacts each voter in California, not just congressionally, but also considering assembly members and who will stand up for your newly shaped district. The primaries are just around the corner and many races are contested and highly sought over. Although new voting borders have been made, every voice is still incredibly crucial.

cities such as Los Angeles and San Diego, the cost of rent can be upwards of $2,000. Fresno is also amongst the nation's highest when it comes to rent prices as they surged throughout the years according to The Fresno Bee.

For the first time in recent moments, someone working a full time job on a minimum wage is unable to afford rent anywhere in the country, especially if we consider other monthly expenses. An electricity bill would average to about $100 to $200 a month, while in many cases, the numbers are significantly higher.

The minimum wage should go hand-in-hand with the living wage and balance one another in a plausible manner. The living wage measures the minimum amount of income an individual or family can produce in order to meet their basic needs. The costs under the umbrella of a living wage include food, housing, healthcare, childcare, transportation, and personal and household necessities.

Although the minimum wage has increased throughout the years, inflation, along with the increased cost of living, do not average in the slightest in order to accommodate. By definition, inflation is "the rate at which the value of a currency is falling and, consequently, the general level of prices for goods and services is rising.

On the surface, an individual and/or family may be given the impression that their labor is being valued as the minimum wage is increased but instead, it is actually decreasing. As the minimum wage increases, inflation and cost of living also increases which would mean that the monetary income is holding less and less value. Currently in the United States, the inflation rate is 8.54% which is significantly higher compared to the 1980 inflation at 3.5%.

Let's focus on California specifically. An individual working full-time (40 hours a week) within the service industry would likely be on a $15 per hour salary. This would amount to $600 weekly, $2,400 monthly, and $28,800 yearly with the exception that unpaid sick leave and family leave are not being taken into consideration. According to World Population Review, the average cost of rent in California is about $1,500, although in many

As far as transportation, an average car payment would be about $575 for new vehicles and $430 for used vehicles with car insurance averaging to about $180 a month while gas prices average to about $5.68 per gallon, not considering the recent surge in gas prices. The average cost of food per person would amount to just a little over $300, and health insurance would average to over $400 a month, not including the cost of insurance if you have a child.

With just a few calculations, you would realize that it would be impossible to survive within the state of California without some form of assistance whether it be from the government or from your own parents.

The calculations do not take into consideration the cost of plenty of other everyday expenses for many such as the cost of having a child, personal and household necessities, college tuition, savings for an emergency fund, as well as the financial freedom to travel or take time off from work. Now more than ever, individuals are unable to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

The idea of the American Dream is based on home ownership which is the way that Americans measure success, but that dream has slowly been destroyed due to the consistent rise in the costs of living and stagnant wages. We have relied heavily on the notion that one can make it if they try hard enough but that is proving to no longer be a realistic approach especially for the younger generations.

Purchasing power has significantly decreased, which is "the value of a currency expressed in terms of the numbers of goods or services that one unit of money can buy." In comparison to today, the cost of goods and services for generations before us were much cheaper and one could essentially buy more with less money.

Purchasing power between the generations has shifted greatly. According to Business Insider, boomers once owned about 21% of America's wealth. Now, millennials hold only 5% while also dealing with the impact of extreme inflation and decrease in purchasing power.

Well, what can be done about this ongoing issue?

Raising minimum wages is not enough. Although it may be a part of the solution, it should not be the focus point. It is a systemic problem, something that needs to be challenged from within - a new approach. What we need is a more sustainable and radical approach to policy making that combats the last few decades of the status quo.

Apart from meaningless policies, we do not have leaders with a strong vision forward. Unfortunately, we have leaders who no longer propose strategies and solutions to our perennial problems but instead focus on highlighting the fact that it could be worse or the other side is worse.

Leaders who have been the driving force of economic policies are essentially all older, predominantly white men. It's time to introduce new, younger people into politics who have the foresight to implement real change.

How Stress And Exhaustion Tie Into Mental Health

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared that the coronavirus was officially a pandemic. Fast forward two years later and people around the world still face the dangers of the virus everyday, but now they're doing that while managing life as well.

High school students, like myself, are adjusting back to in-person learning after a year of online instruction. It was no surprise that students were excited to return, but the shift from online to in-person learning had sparked certain stress that was long forgotten.

Things like excessive schoolwork, demanding jobs, sudden illness, and extracurricular activities are all factors that have contributed to many people's physical and mental exhaustion. It is important that we learn how to manage the mental stability of our minds, so we aren't overloaded.

To better understand how stress ties into our mental health, researched many ways to manage stress and various reasons why taking care of yourself when mentally exhausted is essential.

Writer, activist, and public speaker Sarah Browne said, "Taking care of our mental health aids in our resilience and recovery from anything that happens."

When your mind is overwhelmed, it tends to take a toll on the rest of your body. The harmful effects of stress and exhaustion can fan out and have a more serious effect on one's physical and mental health. Our minds are forces that encompass our wellbeing and tell us what to do in everyday life, so when that is affected, so is everything else around us.

Research shows that 43.8 million people experience mental illness, which is 18.5% of our total population. Due to the emotional nature of a global pandemic and other factors, mental stress has played a hand in many different lives.

you during periods of extreme tension, especially when it is weighing on you. It may even reach the point where you feel as if you're in a hole with no way out.

In addition to this, some emotional signs of stress and exhaustion include depression, anxiety, detachment, anger, feeling of dread, hopelessness, and decline of productivity.

Some physical signs include fatigue, loss of appetite or interest, upset stomach, and weight loss.

Poor performance at work or school, social withdrawal, and the inability to keep certain commitments are behavioral signs.

If left untreated, mental stress can create widespread disabilities, stifling an individual's ability to function properly and slow their pace.

For example, longitudinal studies have shown that sleeplessness, migraines, weight gain, irritation, and lack of concentration are just a few of the potential side effects of long-term stress. It is completely normal to feel the side effects of stress.

Usually, when engulfed in things that are too much, a human's ability to cope, adapt, and solve problems are impacted heavily.

But our stress is not something to be ashamed of. The wiring of our brains is not our fault.

Many people think that being stressed is not a big deal or it is something that will pass over with time, but the truth is, stress has a sneaky way of building up and it can manifest into different things if you let it become a threat to yourself. Signs of mental exhaustion can creep up on

Psychology Today says that stress can lead to changes in many different parts of the body. It can cause a faster heartbeat, muscle tension, and gastrointestinal issues. All of these symptoms are reasons why people should take stress seriously. Do not wait it out because ongoing stress attacks the immune system and makes it more vulnerable. It decreases white blood cell production which contributes to illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, and others.

It is clear that if not treated, stress can literally exhaust the body and affect every part of it leaving individuals almost nonfunctional. To add, Psychology Today also said that "marinating in high levels of stress hormones that are produced naturally every day can prompt the brain to function differently."

If this doesn't make you want to participate in more self-care, don't know what will.

That said, how do we deal with our stress?

Many people deal with their stress in different ways, but let's start with a few easy things one can do to cope with mental strain.

One who doesn't utilize a tool

Is what we may define as a fool

When faced with a challenge so great