Slavery was once taken as an economic necessity. It took an incredible struggle, but we changed the rules. We must look at the rules of our economic system and ask if they work for the benefit of the country as a whole or if they are flawed. A minimum wage job today places a full time worker well below the poverty line. Workers who make less than a living wage contribute to the wealth of their employers, but do not share in the fruits of their labor.
Poverty impacts the self-esteem of fathers unable to provide for their families.
Chronic financial stress increases family interpersonal stress, leading to increased rates of spousal and child abuse. It breeds hopelessness, which can lead to cycles of crime, drug abuse, violence, and community disintegration. If one person can't hold a job and ends up on the street it may be for a lack of moral fiber. If massive numbers of people in every major city, from every ethnic group, year after year fall into this condition, it is not reasonable to look for explanations in purely individual terms. If this is occurring in the world's most prosperous economy, one has to ask whether there is something fundamentally wrong with the way the economic system works.