Reviews -- Looking Up At the Bottom Line by Richard R. Troxell

Looking Up At The Bottom Line: The Struggle For The Living Wage by Richard R. Troxell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Did you realize that 25% of the homeless people you walk past every day are veterans? Did you realize that our economy wastes literally billions of dollars annually retraining workers -- workers who move from job to job, trying to find employment that will pay them a living wage with only 40 hours of work a week?

Richard Troxell argues that we have no time to waste — we must recognize the need for a universal wage linked to government housing data, namely the FMR, Fair Market Rent calculations used for Section 8 government housing. Our armed forces recognize the need for different amounts for different locations – they use the FMR to determine base housing allowances.

We can’t just decide to raise the minimum wage to, say, $10.00 an hour and say that will cover expenses. That will penalize small businesses in rural America, giving a surplus of money to their entry-level workers – while doing nothing to allow urban workers a chance to secure any type of safe, affordable housing.

Richard Troxell knows what he’s talking about. He’s dedicated his life to solving the problems of homelessness in America. Troxell is the only person to ever get former Texas governor and then President George Bush to authorize a grant for a jobs component bill. The program was successful right up to the last step – and faltered because there was no safe, affordable housing for minimum wage workers.

Don’t read this book expecting a polished tale – read it for information and passion. In his idiosyncratic style, Troxell discusses the struggle for a minimum wage in America. This book picks up where others end, and is a call for change. If you want to know what is going on with over one million homeless persons in America, read this book! Then check out the web sites, www.universallivingwage.org and www.housethehomeless.org, for more information.

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