A full-time worker who earns a minimum wage today makes about
$14,500 a year. That may be enough for a single person to live
on in some parts of the country, but in others it doesn't come
close. Areas with high Hispanic populations, such as Los
Angeles, Miami and Chicago, have higher than average costs of
living, and many families struggle to make ends meet even when
they earn a minimum wage. President Barack Obama said he wanted
to change that during the State of the Union address on Tuesday
night. He called for an increase in the minimum wage to $9 an
hour from the current rate of $7.25. He also proposed linking
minimum wage to inflation so that increases in cost of living
trigger an increase in the minimum wage. The additional $1.75 an
hour would give a minimum-wage earner about $3,500 more per year
for a total of $18,000. But is that enough to offset the high
cost of living in many places, and does it amount to a livable
wage? That much is up for debate. The federal poverty level in
2009 for one person wa