There are millions of people who are employed but still under the poverty line.
Yeah, poor people would do anything - like get a g job.
Very true. Working full time at minimum wage will get you a whopping 10,712 in gross income. A quick and dirty estimation for various withholdings at low wages is typically 22%, leaving you with a whole 8355 a year, or a little under $700 a month to live on. (SSI,SDI,FICA, etc really add up. It's not just income tax that gets taken out).
Now, maybe for some of the kids here, who have all the necessities of life provided to them by their parents that might seem a decent chunk of change. But it really isn't. Here is SoCal you'ld be incredibly lucky to find a place to rent for less than 700/mo - to say nothing of food, utilities, transportation, and so forth. It's not even enough to make ends meet on a highly spartan lifestyle, heaven help you if you want to get new clothes, catch a movie, or try and improve your lot in life with an extended education.
I think poor Philip is going to be in for quite a rude awakening when he enters the real world.
