Re: puzzleing election

[Ron Force <rforce@moscow.com>]

John and Laurie Danahy wrote:

> I am puzzled by the election.  In an apparent time of economic prosperity,
> voters in almost all elections, turned down or rolled back taxes.  I-695
> clearly will have a negative impact on many communities, especially the
> smaller cities and towns.  This will certainly mean increased hardship and
> expenses for those least able to afford it.  I also am puzzled by the voters
> unwillingness to fund community improvements.  Clearly the citizens are not
> as confident in the prosperity or as willing to address, through taxation,
> local needs.

It could be that the prosperity hasn't been widely shared.  The Northwest Policy
Center at the University of Washington just completed a living wage study
(available at http://depts.washington.edu/npcbox/) for Washington, Oregon,
Montana, and Idaho.  First they defined a "living wage", one that allows
families to meet basic needs without resorting to public assistance, and allows
a margin for emergencies and planning ahead.  The basic differences among the
states was the cost of child care and housing. For Idaho this wage turned out to
be $9.22/hr. or $19,168 for a single adult and $14.42/hr or $29,995 for a single
adult with two children.

They then compared this with actual jobs.  42% of all jobs in Idaho pay less
than $9.22 per hour, and 75% pay less than $14.42 per hour.

The figures for Washington are that 37% of all jobs pay less than the $10.25/hr
livng wage for a single adult, and 73% pay less  than the $16.86/hr needed for a
single adult with two children.

These estimates are based on year-round, full time work which is also getting to
be a rarity.
The report also includes sample family budgets based on "living wage
estimates"-- they look very thin indeed.

A report forthcoming in Jan. 2000 will examine pay levels in industries and
occupations, differences in demographic groups, and possible skills gaps.

Ron Force    rforce@moscow.com
Moscow, Idaho