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Editorial: Storm relief needed in our daily lives, too

We are talking about a more vulnerable population who, too often, become collateral damage in this grand experiment called life. They are the working poor.

If only we looked upon the catastrophes that have buffeted their lives as a hurricane does an entire state or city, maybe then we could appropriate enough resources or fashion legislation to fix their homes, too.

You don’t have to look very far to find them or dive real deep on reasons contributing to their station in life. A report by the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy – detailed in a front-page story today by reporter Andrea Lannom – found tens of thousands of West Virginians living in poverty simply because their jobs do not pay a living wage.

Some key findings from the report:

— Twenty-three percent of the state’s workforce is employed in low-wage jobs.

— Forty-four percent of West Virginia’s workers with less than a high school diploma earn low wages, while the rate of low-wage workers who possess a high school degree or some college is 28 percent.

— Compared to the rest of the economy, employment in low-wage industries is growing rapidly, by 14.5 percent since 2001. In comparison, employment in nonlow wage industries declined by 2.8 percent, and overall employment has only grown by 0.1 percent.

— Overall, real average wages in West Virginia have grown by 9.7 percent since 2001, and 11.8 percent in nonlow wage industries. In contrast, average wages in the state’s low-wage industries have only grown by 7.4 percent.

— More than one-quarter of workers in low-wage jobs in West Virginia (25.3 percent) live in poverty, compared to just two percent of nonlow wage workers.

— Fifty-five percent of children live in a house with a low-wage worker.

— Over half – 57.6 percent – of low-wage workers in West Virginia earn at or below the minimum wage.

— The vast majority – 77 percent – of the state’s low-wage workers live in a county where housing is unaffordable for them.

Meanwhile, Houstonians, who have lost a little or dang near everything other than their lives, know that we have their back. Floridians, too, can take some comfort knowing that our country will do all in our power to help clear the skies in the Sunshine State.

We are, after all, a country filled with people who are quick to rush into a flood or fire or all manner of hell to pull survivors from turbulence and trouble. We are, metaphorically speaking, John Wayne, the silver screen actor who served as our unofficial role model, a hard-nosed hero for all seasons. We are ready to strap on the spurs, saddle up and ride into the storm.

Yet, we are also a country where too many are forgotten once the fire has been extinguished and the waters have receded.

Just this week, President Trump signed a $15 billion aid package to address damage by Hurricane Harvey.

And in the weeks ahead, we know that there will be additional appropriations to fix a lot of what will be broken by Irma.

Now, Pilgrim, how do we develop that sense of duty and obligation to those beaten up by the winds of daily life?

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