1000 a week? Christ almighty where do you get your figures from.
My parents comfortably raised four kids on less than $50,000.
They're poor because they're too lazy to be anything else. May not be able to afford a car, house, cable tv or the dog, but if there is a will, there's a way. Go to the soup kitchen for meals.
$7.50 * 40 = $300/wk
= $1200/month
$1200 a month is a lot for rent and a bus pass.
I admit, this is extreme, however, this is a 100% plausible solution that anyone can do.
I love your logic though, if it doesn't pay enough, don't even try. Maybe one job at 7.50 wouldn't cut it, but two jobs would. They may have to work 60, 70, 80 hours a week to make ends meet, but that would be a driving force to make sure their kids have better opportunities.
I know you're going to say, how are their kids going to get an education if their parents are working 80 hours a week to make ends meet? Good grades, hard work. Stereotypical answers, but they're always right. Not to mention, any college age kid these days are inundated with student loan offers with deferred interested and payments until graduation. Bottom line is, there's no excuse for any normal person anymore other than they're lazy.