There is nowhere in America where you can rent a one bedroom apartment while earning minimum wage.

Courtesy of Vox:

There is no state in the union where a full-time, minimum-wage worker can afford to rent a one-bedroom apartment for less than 30 percent of his paycheck (which is a standard measure of housing affordability). 

That's the depressing takeaway from a new report by the National Low-Income Housing Coalition. 

In Texas, a minimum wage worker needs to put in 73 hours a week to afford a one-bedroom unit. In California, it's 92 hours. In the District of Columbia, it's a solid 100 hours.These are, of course, state averages. 

Rent will be more expensive in some cities — but those cities will often have a higher minimum wage than the rest of the state. Sadly, as this chart from the report shows, the increase in rental prices tends to be much higher than the increase in the minimum wage:

 That is shameful.

And people wonder why some young people continue to live with their parents instead of striking out on their own. How can they when the only jobs available to them do not even pay them enough to put a roof over their head?

My own daughter, who has always made more than minimum wage, has lived on and off with me for years due to the unpredictability of the jobs in her chosen field.

Today she is making more than I am, and living the good life, but that was only after putting many years into her career and suffering long stretches of unemployment.

If she could not have relied on her father to provide her with love and support, there is no telling where she could have ended up.

Let's face it, some people, both young and old, do not have that support system. So when they work hard and still cannot afford a place to live, what does that do their self esteem and ability to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Assuming of course that there is a light at the end of their tunnel.

Rather than pay their employees a living wage McDonald's suggests employees trying to stay out of debt pack a sack lunch and sell unwanted possessions on eBay. McPerfect!

Courtesy of NBC News:

McDonald’s is once again getting grilled over its employee advice, this time suggesting ways to get out of holiday debt that include returning unopened purchases and bringing a sack lunch. 

The criticism comes months after it took heat over an employee budget guide that included no money for heat and $20 a month for health care. 

The labor advocacy group Low Pay Is Not OK is lambasting McDonald’s for articles on an employee website that suggest workers visit thrift stores instead of the mall, use stale bread and bruised apples rather than throwing them out, and “quit complaining” as a way to reduce stress. And to pay off holiday debt, it suggested returning purchases. 

“On a short term basis, do whatever it takes to dig out from your holiday debt,” said one article on the McResource Line website, a screen grab of which was provided by Low Pay Is Not OK. 

“You may want to consider returning some of your unopened purchases that may not seem as appealing as they did. Selling some of your unwanted possessions on eBay or Craigslist could bring in some quick cash," it continued. “Consider bringing a brown bag lunch and skipping the takeout …. You might also consider a temporary part time job to dig out of debt quickly.” 

The article appeared to have been removed from the site by midday Thursday. 

McDonald’s did not return multiple calls for comment. A company spokeswoman, in a statement emailed to CNBC, said Low Pay Is Not OK’s video about the website took the advice out of context and characterized the campaign as “an attempt by an outside organization to undermine a well-intended employee assistance resource website.”

Yes they are only trying to McHelp without having to McPay more.

After all how do you post profits of over five billion dollars annually if you are paying your workers enough to live on?

By the way I completely stopped going to McDonald's several months ago and have no intention of ever going back. Not only is their McFood poisonous, but they are also cheap bastards more interested in turning a profit than in paying their employees,

Kind of reminds me of Wal-Mart who held a food drive asking their employees to donate food to help feed their fellow employees who are not paid enough to feed themselves.

Yet another place that I refuse to shop at any more.