"Minimum wage too low for living!"

The federal minimum wage just isn't cutting it anymore.

The last wage increase in 1997 brought the wage to $5.15 per hour, a paltry sum for any individual, let alone a family. According to the Economic Policy Institute, in 2003 the average single mother earning minimum wage fell 5 percent below the poverty line earning only $14, 097 per year including government assistance. While $5.15 may have been adequate in 1997, inflation has rendered the minimum wage insufficient for many Americans.