There's no question there is an obvious income issue in the United States.  Part of that problem is gatekeeping in the job market, making it more difficult for otherwise qualified people to secure employment with an employer who pays well.  This is an issue because it creates an income gap.  This gatekeeping practice is an obstruction of our right to work and earn a reasonable living.  It does not make sense to require a college degree - in a completely unrelated field, no less - for just the average data entry position, for example.  We have seen these job postings and they don't make sense.  Though data entry is valuable work, as keyboarding is not the most common skill taught in public schools anymore, these jobs also don't pay the best anyway.  That makes it completely unreasonable to require a candidate for the position be a rockstar by night, a superhero by day, and be from a family wealthy enough to fund their college education.  This is elitist company policy and it's not okay.

My call to action is to make law, employ enforcement of that law, and speak against gatekeeping practices used to prevent poor(er) people from getting and keeping good or better jobs.  If one isn't applying for a position that requires they drive, their driving record and license status IS NOT the company's business.  This requirement should be illegal, as it suggests that if someone can't afford a car or choose not to drive, they're undeserving of a position that pays $25,000 - $30,000 per year.  That's not fair.  What if they have a disability like epilepsy and legally cannot drive?  One shouldn't need a college degree in business administration, social services, computer science, etc, to be a data entry specialist or retail assistant manager.  We shouldn't have to pass a credit check to be a COPYWRITER in Washington State!  That's COMPLETELY ridiculous!  Our credit has absolutely nothing to do with that position, doesn't affect our ability to do the job, and even if anyone applied for a position as a mortgage banker, what isn't being considered is that a candidate could clearly have bad credit because of the rising cost of living versus the nearly stagnant average income; unpayable debt due to brutally low income.

Despite popular belief, the right to work is a social concept that came out of France in the 1800's, presented by Louis Blanc.  Furthermore, the French of the time acted against their own interests and didn't complete it.  This is well documented history and the document is included in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.  What we in the US call "right to work" is actually the polar opposite factually rebranded as right to work.  The concept is actually called "at will," or "right to hire, right to fire."  With this move toward "right to work," politicians must respect the origins of the term and protect the workers' right to work instead of engaging in trickery.  Stop companies from doing this.  If we are qualified for a job, equal opportunity dictates they must give us a chance to demonstrate our ability to do the job if we meet the actual minimum requirements to do it.  Minimum requirements should be based PURELY on the position, not prejudices.

These are unfair practices and we need our leadership to take a more active role in protecting our rights.