I just read an article about a family who lives on $14k a year, and I know damn well that some people will wave it in the face of folks who struggle to live on minimum wage and say, "See? This family can do it! You don't need no welfare!" The family bought a house for less than $40k, and they paid in cash with the savings they had from when they were earning more. Hardly anyone is going to get that good of a deal, and hardly anyone on minimum wage will be lucky enough to have those savings. Their $14k budget also didn't seem to factor in medical expenses, so I guess you're fucked if anyone gets something beyond a cold.