Your calculations are based on 40 hours a week. That's plenty of money if you're putting in 60 hours a week, and that's not even factoring in overtime.

Employers are loyal. Not to their employees, but to the shareholders, which is their job. Shareholders are the people who provide the money and expertise to build companies and create jobs. We should all be contributing so that the most productive people have the most money to build more. Selling yourself out to the employer who pays more is part of the problem. This drives up the cost of labor and then drives up the cost of good. I won't sell my soul for a few more dollars an hour. Our country needs people who are willing to work hard and no so overly concerned about making the absolute most money possible.

It isn't the taxes that are the issue for farmers. If you don't make money, you're not paying much in taxes. Food companies are only paying so much for produce. This is because they're trying to increase shareholder value. Increasing prices will only cause more problems. Instead, we need to lower the cost of labor. But that can't be done if young people aren't willing to work.