Inquiry 4: "Nickel and Dimed"

I'm not real sure what to say about this reading. There are definitely ups and downs, through out this article. One thing that is for sure, is I do sympathize for people who work extremely hard just to barely get by, but at the same time I do not think that the minimum wage system is corrupt, or unfair because without it employers would pay even lower wages to workers for the same job. A plus to minimum wage in America is that it is continually growing, which is also good considering inflation rates. But at the same time I have to question the reasons why people find themselves in these "hard" predicaments. Whether or not you are born into a poor or rich family, you still have the same opportunity to go to school including college--it's the luxuries that makes the differences. Me personally, I have had a privileged life setting and always knew if I didn't get the TOPS scholarship or any scholarship for that matter, I knew I could still attend college because of my parents or even with loans. The same opportunity is available for all high-schoolers throughout the US--maybe not TOPS specifically--but where there is a will there is a way. Some of the people today made the choice not to do things with their life that has led to them having to accept minimum wage and hard labor. Nothing comes easy, and even if a single individual was born into wealth, it came from someone who originally started out without anything. So although I sympathize I cannot fully say that it's unfair. So for my inquiry I'm asking the question: If everyone is given the same opportunities by way of the government and life, can any of this truly be as unjust as it may seem to the less-fortunate?