From a Los Angeles Times editorial entitled "
Democrats' Shameful Wal-Mart Demonization":
At an anti-Wal-Mart rally last week in Iowa, Biden noted that the retailer pays people $10 an hour, and then asked: "How can you live a middle-class life on that?"
Yes, Joe Biden, in Iowa people can live a rather average, or even considerably above-average life on $10.30 an hour,
the average wage for regular, full-time hourly associates in the state.
Let's use the figures: $10.30 an hour x 40 hour week x 52 weeks a year = $21,424. If two adults happened to work full-time at Wal-Mart, the household income in 2006 would be
$42,848.
Some examples for Joe Biden from around the State of Iowa:
Ottumwa has a Wal-Mart. In 2000, the census said the median household income for Ottumwa was
$30,174. Figuring a 3% yearly raise in pay each year, median household income in 2006 for Ottumwa would be $36,029.33.
Maquoketa has a Wal-Mart. In 2000, the census said the median household income for Maquoketa was
$28.984. Figuring a 3% yearly raise in pay each year, median household income in 2006 for Maquoketa would be $34,608.41.
Waterloo has a Wal-Mart. In 2000, the census said the median household income for Waterloo was
$34,608.41. Figuring a 3% yearly raise in pay each year, median household income in 2006 for Waterloo would be $40,707.63.
Iowa Falls has a Wal-Mart. In 2000, the census said the median household income for Iowa Falls was
$32,141. Figuring a 3% yearly raise in pay each year, median household income in 2006 for Iowa Falls would be $38,378.03.
Sioux City has a Wal-Mart. In 2000, the census said the median household income for Sioux City was
$37,429. Figuring a 3% yearly raise in pay each year, median household income in 2006 for Sioux City would be $44,692.18.
Shenandoah has a Wal-Mart. In 2000, the census said the median household income for Shenandoah was
$29,435. Figuring a 3% yearly raise in pay each year, median household income in 2006 for Shenandoah would be $35,146.93.
Des Moines has a number of Wal-Marts. In 2000, the census said the median household income for Des Moines was
$38,408. Figuring a 3% yearly raise in pay each year, median household income in 2006 for Des Moines would be $45,861.16.
Centerville has a Wal-Mart. In 2000, the census said the median household income for Centerville was
$25,498. Figuring a 3% yearly raise in pay each year, median household income in 2006 for Centerville would be $30,445.95.
As you can see, in almost every smaller town in Iowa it's a plum gig if you and the mizzus have a full-time hourly job at Wal-Mart. In larger cities, two adults working at Wal-Mart full-time hit more or less the average local wage.
Here's something else to factor:
household value.
In 2000, Ottumwa's median household value was
$47,900. Waterloo's was
$65,400. Sioux City's was
$74,800. Des Moines was the highest of the cities I sampled at
$81,100. Naturally, those numbers have gone up in the past few years.
But compare all this to: Dover, Delaware, Biden's home turf. In 2000, Dover's median income was
$38,669. Adjusted for 3% yearly raises like most normal working people get these days and that number rises to
$46,172.81 in 2006, about the same wage a couple of working stiffs at Wal-Mart in Des Moines would earn.
However, in 2006, the median household price in Dover is
a whopping $190,000!!!So, Joe, I don't know how all your constituents in Delaware manage to buy those $190,000 homes (
most counties and towns in Delaware actually have median household prices into the $250's) since most of them are earning Iowa Wal-Mart wages.
