system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
I believe any working individual should make a living wage. CMV

US citizen here, if that matters.

I've spent the majority of my working life making a wage that put me well below the poverty line. When I was in high school this made sense because I wasn't full time, nor was I in a high-skill position. I'm now a college graduate with a good deal of experience and myself and my fiancee to support. Up until my current job, I never made enough to live on my own. I couldn't even afford a crappy 1-bedroom apartment, much less food or other necessities to furnish it with.

And I certainly don't see myself as a bad case. There are people with multi-child families making less than I was. I believe it's a failure of our system to provide working individuals with the means to support themselves. Now should you be able to support a wife and 4 kids working full time at McDonalds? Of course not. But you should be able to live comfortably by yourself without any outside assistance.

IMO it is a social obligation to provide a decent wage to those that are willing to work. CMV.
gpt
The United States establishes a minimum wage of $7.25/hr (higher in some states).  The 2013 poverty level is $11,490.  Income at that level is tax-exempt.

Therefore, to be above the poverty line you need to work about 30 hours per week.  You claim you are "well below" the poverty line -- how many hours less did you work?  How many hours should a person work before they're entitled a "living wage"?

Minimum wage at full time provides $14.5k/yr, or $1200/mo.  Any medium-sized city or smaller has places to rent for half that or less.  Power bills in such places can easily be kept at $120 or below; water and sewage if not included is about $50.  That leaves plenty of room for groceries, cheap internet, and an economical cell phone.  Or, in other words, it's a living wage.

How long is the "majority" of your working life?  How long have you been in the job market?  What is your degree in?