The question is, "what is a living wage?" The goal posts keep shifting...which doesn't help the case for this. If it were just "you can afford rent and food" that would be fine, I suppose...but it has now extended to so many other things that I wouldn't really call necessities.
Should Amazon workers only barely be able to afford rent and food. Should they have $0 left over after rent+groceries? $1? What amount is reasonable, vs what amount becomes excessive? What if they have a child? Or an elderly parent? Or student loans?
> but it has now extended to so many other things that I wouldn't really call necessities.
What ridiculous lavish spending do you think Amazon warehouse workers are capable of buying with their (on average ~$12/hr) wages?
The general argument is that a living wage should cover life. All people are entitled to enough money that they can pay for rent, pay for food, pay for healthcare, pay for basic transportation, and have some amount of discretionary money to spend anyway they want (like say, raising a family, or continuing their education, or having a hobby, or volunteering for a cause their passionate about, or whatever)
I consider it everything up to the level of participation in democratic politics and civil society. Different people may put different needs and functions above or below their line of demarcation.
breathable air
drinkable water
nutritious food
safe shelter
quiet and dark sleeping area
secure property storage
equal access to the commons
basic education
job skills education
scientific/analytic education
access to communication
access to markets
personal mobility
medical care
social contact
family formation
social organization
political influence
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< this is where I draw my line
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mercantile education
philosophical education
luxury goods
psychological individuation
independent exploration or introspection
artistic and aesthetic pursuits
finding a meaning in life
spiritual enlightenment
Veblen goods
