James Sallee sits at the corner of Kirkwood Avenue and Dunn Street every day playing guitar, asking for money from passerbys. Sallee lost his job a few years ago when he became disabled, which is when he began playing music in the streets for money.
Sallee said he barely earns a living. He now lives in a tent on the east side of Bloomington and takes a bus to come play music on Kirkwood every day.
Sallee’s story is reflective of data recently released by the United States Department of Commerce Bureau of Economic Analysis, which found Indiana personal income remains 38th in the U.S. and income growth of 4 percent trails behind the national average of 4.4 percent.
“We need better government,” Sallee said. “They need to stop spending so much money overseas and sending all of our jobs over there.”
Fred Rose, manager at Bicycle Garage Inc., said as a business manager growth is good because it increases business.
“When people have more money, they spend more money,” Rose said.
Seeing any growth is good, Rose said. However, seeing Indiana behind does not bode well for the future.
Sallee said he thinks if the government does not fix the economic problems, the country is going to have a crash worse than the Great Depression.
“I don’t vote because to me they’re all a bunch of crooks,” Sallee said. “I’ve thought that for years.”
Stephanie Foreman, manager at Pitaya, said she and her employees frequently discuss politics.
For the Pitaya employees, income is a major political issue, Foreman said.
“I want all my girls to make more,” Foreman said. “They expect you to live on $7.25 an hour. Is this a joke?”
Though Pitaya frequently gives raises, the government needs to raise the minimum wage and increase economic growth, Foreman said. Indiana’s base minimum wage is barebones.
People are making ends meet, but a parent shouldn’t have to worry about the cost of buying their kid small, inconsequential items, Foreman said.
Dylan Swift, manager and bartender at Nick’s English Hut, said he believes the lagging growth is not as big of a deal in Indiana as it is for other states.
“The cost of living in Indiana is way lower,” Swift said. “My dollar doesn’t buy much if I go to San Francisco, but it buys a lot when I go to Evansville or Fort Wayne.”
Swift said though he is liberal, he does not support a national minimum wage increase because it would upset the local Bloomington economy.
If Nick’s had to increase minimum wage drastically, labor and food costs would skyrocket and he could not afford to eat at his own restaurant, Swift said.
Swift said he is hopeful about the future.
The conservative part of him loves local government, Swift said. He said he thinks the Bloomington government is doing a great job with incomes and taxes.
Ideally, minimum wage should be raised a few dollars, Swift said. However, nothing should happen too quickly.
Foreman said ultimately the government needs to ensure people can always make ends meet.
“At the end of the day money is just money,” Foreman said. “I don’t think it has anything to do with happiness, but if you can’t feed your child you’re going to be sad.”
