I get the point you're trying to make, but the world is changing, and many of those things you list went from being a luxury to being a necessity. I would certainly agree with any kind of television access, except basic antenna for safety purposes. However internet access, for one, is, by many organizations, not considered a luxury anymore, it is a necessity. As more businesses and governmental agencies move their operations to the web, not having access or a working phone can prevent people from getting assistance or finding employment. A few years ago, I found myself unemployed, fresh out of college with very few prospects. Why? Because I spent my free time in college studying and working to minimize costs. I fortunately had awesome parents who let me live at home while seeking a job, but everyday they'd ask to see the applications I gathered, only to get frustrated when I told them all of the places in our area had online applications. The low administrative costs of such sites are enough to convince just about anyone to convert. Had I been on my own, I would basically have been screwed, internet would not even have been on my radar.
The good news is, I ended up with an amazing GPA and a decent degree, but unfortunately, four years of working retail and an internship at the Most Magical Place on Earth didn't make me overly desirable for anyone but the low-wage employer I was so looking forward to leaving. Pulling yourself up is not as practical as many folks think it is. Employers are looking for experienced professionals right out the gate, and those most likely to have that experience are the ones who could afford the unpaid internships while mommy and daddy paid the bills.
I personally have been able to better my situation somewhat, I now have a Masters degree and make slightly more than minimum wage, but given the student loan bills, there's absolutely no way I could live alone. Each time I manage to save a little money, my stupid broken car empties out that one. As long as my student loan creditors ask for their share, a new car certainly isn't in the works. I'm lucky in that I don't have children because there's no way I could make ends meet with them, and I honestly thought I did everything right. I can't even afford to go to the doctor, and I have insurance. The biggest mistake I made is that I wasn't born rich. As long as I have to struggle to make sure my basic needs are met, I'll never be able to get ahead. I'd love to work tons of OT and maybe even get a second job, but OT is a swear word as far as many businesses are concerned. If I'm halving this much trouble and I make more than MW, I can't imagine how hard it would be for these cast members, so I whole-heatedly support their cause. Disney, like every major corporation has a compensation models that skews way too far to the high end, if they just reduced their ratio to a more rational and reasonable level, they could pay for top-quality front line CMs without hurting the bottom line.
