First the men on horses, then the judges...

Remember those scenes in movies like Fiddler on the Roof or Gandhi or others when a mob of Cossacks or cops or soldiers run people down in the streets? Hold that in mind for a moment while you contemplate a simple little figure.

$5.35 an hour.

That's an annual wage - working full time - of $11,138. (Not that most of these janitors actually work full time; most are only allowed to work 4 hours a night. Which means they make $5,512 - which is too criminal a wage to talk about. So let's pretend they're full-time workers.)

I dare you to try to raise a family in a major US city on less than $12,000 a year. Houston has an 8.25% sales tax - at least they don't tax food and medicine like Tennessee does - and an average house price of over $186,000. The cost of living is a little lower than average, but do you think it's low enough that $11,138 a year is enough to live on? Especially with no medical coverage?

But when a janitors' union holds a peaceful demonstration, this is how the police department handled it. And then the legal system contined the assault by setting the janitors bail of $888,888 each. That is not a typo. Their bail is more than they would make in 79 years. Meanwhile, people accused of murder are out on $30,000.

Wages for the working poor are a moral disgrace in this country. Houston's just added another layer.