JJ:  We have an economic system heavily dependent on the availability of a large pool of very cheap labor.  The service industries, especially, require tens of millions of minimum wage level workers.  If these workers were actually paid a "living wage", we'd have to reconfigure our entire economy.  We have created a need, let's make that a "requirement" that a significant portion of our neighbors live at the poverty level.  It's easy for some folks to blame the 1% and it's easy for others to blame those who are at that poverty level.  

However, such blaming doesn't change anything.  Frankly, at this stage of the economic "game", I'm not sure there is an answer.  If there is, we clearly haven't found it yet.  regards, Gary