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Bernie Sanders first made major waves with his 2016 presidential campaign. His message was clear and at that time seemed quite extreme – Sanders declared that it’s unfair how much power billionaires have and rallied behind the idea of taxing them to create a society that’s fairer than it currently is, advocating for free education, and raising minimum wages. Sanders gained traction and his campaign was noted for the supporters’ enthusiasm as well as Sanders rejecting donations from corporations. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough and the DNC passed on Sanders for Clinton in her unsuccessful general election campaign against Trump.

As the 2020 presidential election is quickly approaching, Sanders is giving it another shot with his 2020 presidential campaign. For Democrats, it’s an obvious race against Trump who’s the obvious Republican candidate. Despite Sanders having a ferocious support group, as of the end of 2019, he seems to be behind Joe Biden in the majority of the polls.

One person criticized a tweet made by Senator Bernie Sanders back in 2017

Image credits: Gage Skidmore

One exchange between Sanders’ supporters and his critic in 2017 recently gained traction as it naturally became relevant again. One person was against a tweet Sanders made where the Senator declared that minimum wage is not enough to rent even a one-bedroom apartment. They quickly threw together some calculation to disprove Sanders’ point and called it a day.

Image credits: sensanders

They presented an argument trying to disprove Sanders’ argument about minimum wage

And while there were some who approved of the criticism

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However, another person, who claimed to respond not out of political motivation but rather being irritated by the critic’s argument, went on to post an in-depth calculation of potential expenses that a minimum wage worker might have and how limited the finances of such a person are.

Another person quickly interfered, offering a more in-depth explanation on why they disagree

According to US labor law, the current minimum wage in the United States is $7.25 per hour. Some states, however, have a different rate than the federal one, with such states like California, New York, and Arizona paying their residents a higher wage. That is, of course, understandable, since the rent in major cities like Los Angeles and New York can be as high as $2,650 for a one-bedroom suite. Even so, it’s definitely apparent why the minimum wage seems like a big problem.

The discussion took place back in 2017 and things seem to be getting slightly better 3 years later. According to Apartament List, “rent growth lags even further behind the growth in average hourly earnings, which have increased by 3.1 percent over the past twelve months”. Despite the positive tendencies, it still poses challenges for those with minimum wage jobs in states that haven’t changed the minimum wage since July 24, 2009.

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Image credits: Rental Realities

Here’s how people reacted to the “clap-back”

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