... 20% of my fellow citizens

... live on no more than $21,500/year.
This is HOUSEHOLD income.

I just checked - a really CHEAP 2-bedroom apartment in Albuquerque is more than $500/month.
That doesn't include utilities.
Let's figure another $100/month for utilities - that's $600/month.
That's one-third of your monthly income.

This is HOUSEHOLD income - you've got kids.
Kids who need clothes and food.
Kids who have other expenses - daycare, school, transportation...

Pretty soon you have NO extra disposable income - everything you earn has gone to pay for basics.

Yeah - you're not contributing much to GDP, but you're contributing EVERYTHING you have!
Every dollar you make you spend!
Maybe you should get a reward.

(By contrast, every dollar that Trump makes is pretty much sequestered - it is out of the economy.
In relative terms, HE contributes almost NOTHING to GDP!)