In South Carolina, the minimum wage is still $7.25 an hour. This wage was created in the late 2000s when inflation was not at an all time high. It's nearly impossible for people for people to make ends meet in this state with everyone from other parts of the country. Gentrification causes rent to skyrocket as well as homelessness. In South Carolina, the reported homeless population went from 3,608 to 4,053. This number will only get higher as the years go by. 

We also have to keep in mind that South Carolina is a Right to Work state. We are the state with the lowest union numbers in the country. You can be hired and fired at will. Employers can fire you for no reason at all. 

Some companies, like Waffle House, get away with not paying servers a fair rate by telling them that since they make tips, it's fine that they're being paid $2 an hour at base pay. I'll repeat. TWO DOLLARS AN HOUR. 

We need to take care of this state's employees better. 14% of South Carolina's population lives in poverty. 752,360 people make barely enough to pay their bills and loans if any. 37% of South Carolinians owe debts, whether it be house or student loans. In 2022, 750,000 South Carolinians owed student debt. The average student loan debt amount for a South Carolinian is near $39,000 which is as much as an average salary. My uncle didn't pay off his student debts until his late 30s. 

Let's talk about me personally. I am a working class citizen. Lower middle class. I make $12 an hour. I am $17,000 in debt from my first year at an out-of-state college. They were the closest school that taught the major I was interested in. I dropped out after a year due to not being approved for loans, which I'm thankful for in hindsight. I still live with my mom because I don't make enough to go out on my own. I'm 19. I can't find a job that fits my qualifications that will actually hire me so I'm stuck. This story is told over and over as many other of my peers experience this exact scenario. 

Please push for a better tomorrow in South Carolina.