a year's minimum wage in a hour

For the first time, someone who works full time on minimum wage cannot afford a one-bedroom apartment in America. Anywhere in America. Not unless they get government help. [source: NYTimes]

That is simply shameful.

Minimum wage is - let's not talk dollars an hour, who can do the math to make that a yearly salary? Let's talk yearly - $10,500 a year. Full time, remember. 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year.

And meanwhile, the CEO of Exxon-Mobile makes $13,700 an hour. That's more in one hour than a minimum-wage worker makes in a whole year. The CEO of Halliburton makes $8,300 an hour - it takes him an hour and fifteen minutes to make a year's minimum wage.

The CEO of WalMart is comparatively poorly paid - he makes a mere $3,500 an hour. He needs three whole hours to make the annual salary of minimum wage worker.

And let's not forget that costs for housing, healthcare, education, and childcare have gone up 46% in the decade between 1992-2002 - and you know they're still going up.

This makes me ashamed to be an American.

If the Democrats need something to start to build on, try this, fellas.