ABSTRACT
An hourly wage of 7½ cents? It “doesn’t mean a thing” according to the singers. But as Prez says “give it to me every hour, forty hours every week, and that’s enough for me to be living like a king!” Seven-and-a-half cents an hour is incredibly low, lower than wages that are paid to workers in developing countries. The song goes on to highlight, however, that if those wages are saved over five, ten, or 20 years, it could add up. In fact, over 20 years, Prez tells us that a person could have $3,411.96 if they don’t spend any of their money. While they are talking about saving 100% of their money, this would actually serve as a good guide to others: if any person saved just 7½ cents of their hourly wages and worked full time with a few hours of overtime now and then, that person could also save over $3,400 after 20 years. This is especially staggering when considering estimates that about 60% of American households have less than $1,000 in savings. 1
