"Three out of four jobs in Washington State don’t pay enough to support a family. Over half a million people don’t have access to health care, and the ranks of the uninsured are rising. Those earning under $20,000 a year are paying up to 17% of what they earn in state and local taxes. Financially staying afloat against odds like these takes more than hard work – it takes support from the community. Yet, income supports are inadequate and few people are eligible for human services programs. Since 2001, the Washington Legislature has cut over $1 billion from health care and human services, and these policy changes have had damaging consequences." (Statewide Poverty Action Network: member report, 2008).

 

Another key fundamental right that must be better respected is the meaningful satisfaction of workers’ basic livelihood needs and general welfare, a right which is protected thanks to the Preamble of our Federal Constitution. Here too there are, nationally, over one hundred million Americans who cannot meet their daily basic needs while in Washington State, according to the "State Poverty Action Network", "Three out of four jobs in Washington state don’t pay enough to support a family". CLICK HERE FOR THE EVIDENCE.  To make matters worse, more than 30,000 households will experience homelessness this year. Moreover, Washington State has too much of a regressive tax structure, in which people with lower incomes pay a greater percentage of what they earn.    " In fact, people earning under $20,000 a year pay as much as 17 percent of what they earn in state and local taxes. The very wealthy pay 3 percent. " (CLICK HERE for the evidence). This State of Affairs undermines the People’s trust in  our Constitutions. And leads to increased crimes and prison proliferation. On this front, Americans are light-years away from most of our European allies who enjoy the respect of their fundamental rights on the poverty and prosperity front. Including but not limited to a higher minimum wage,  greater purchasing power, a four to six weeks paid vacation in the more prosperous European countries, free civil access-to-justice for the needy, free universal health-care for all, free access to mass transport for the needy, free or inexpensive access to public universities for all etc.

The long-term unemployed, who currently make up nearly one-fifth of the unemployed,  are often older workers who have lost their jobs in manufacturing. Both the recession and outsourcing (jobs leaving the country) are  major causes of unemployment. Before the Democrats took back Congress, the minimum wage had not changed in 10 years. Even though the minimum wage will rise to $7.25 an hour by 2009, the minimum wage's real purchasing power will still be below what it was in 1968. 

MEASURE 1  .  LABOR FREEDOM VIA COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AND AN INCREASE OF THE MINIMUM WAGE:  In order to guarantee workers a decent living wage, it would be necessary to better re-oxygenate the economy and strengthen workers' collective bargaining tools, while bestowing upon all workers the freedom to join or not a Union and this without forced dues, nor any form of discrimination. Meanwhile, a minimum wage of  a proposed 15 dollars an hour, pegged to inflation, would be recommended. Higher salaries for the low class means fewer diseases, fewer crimes and more collective security and prosperity.   Workers  should have the freedom to choose whether to join a union without harassment or intimidation from their employers. Efforts to assure that workers can exercise their right to organize peacefully and to no less courteously negotiate and bargain collectively should be better protected. Making workers sign documents waiving their bargaining and legal rights would cease to be legal. This way, workers can stand up for themselves, without worrying about losing their livelihoods. This freedom  contributes in Society's general welfare and social peace.

MEASURE  2  .  BETTER LABOR PROTECTION:  Because unemployment Insurance and the NLRB (National Labor Relations Board) federal structures are deficient, the State needs to reinforce workers' protection by granting them affordable labor and human rights law work-shops and, if needed, grant civil low and mid-income persons free and-or affordable attorneys in the case they were to lose their jobs unfairly. Unfair and arbitrary dismissals are expensive for Society. Too many unfairly laid off workers are unable to afford an attorney. Because of this,  many have defaulted on their house loans, (in Nevada, one in 89 homes have foreclosed), lost their spouse in the process, got medicated, crossed the legal lines and ended up in costly jails.

MEASURE  3 .  POOR FAMILY ASSISTANCE, VIA DOUBLING OF TANF AND AN INCREASE IN  FOOD STAMPS, BETTER QUALITY FOOD BANKS: Assistance is also needed to help families meet basic needs, via a doubling of the basic family assistance program (TANF), the increasing of food stamp eligibility and better tax relief for poor and modest families. Food banks will need to be more selective in terms of not handing out junk foods.

MEASURE  4 .  CESSATION OF PREDATORY LENDING:  Washington state also allows predatory lenders to charge usury interest rates (over 300 percent) for payday loans. This practice should cease.