Minimum wage

[Costanza]

Thoughts on minimum wage? Should every job pay enough to support a family?









The Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007, signed into law on May 25, 2007, increased the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour over two years.

It's amazing that people advocating this position and fighting for tax cuts for the rich are supported by majorities across America... This is from October:

 

[Star]

Minimum wage is the worst thing to ever happen to America.
All it does is raise the cost of living for everyone else and does not really help the people on it at all.

Raise Minimum wage and the price of Milk goes up to match the new wage.
Everyone else did not get a raise, So in reality, Everyone else the value of money just went down cause now their money buys less than before.

 

[Devilstrider]

At some point some of these people need to better themselves to increase their chances of getting a better job.

 

[Costanza]

At some point some of these people need to better themselves to increase their chances of getting a better job.

Everyone can't be better, though-- Somebody's gotta work the cash registers and clean the toilets and sell the clothes and so on and so forth.

Not everybody's supposed to go to college. The idea that they should is why the value of a college degree is decreasing.

 

[Costanza]

Minimum wage is the worst thing to ever happen to America.
All it does is raise the cost of living for everyone else and does not really help the people on it at all.

Raise Minimum wage and the price of Milk goes up to match the new wage.
Everyone else did not get a raise, So in reality, Everyone else the value of money just went down cause now their money buys less than before.

So what should be done to allow those people to get a piece of the pie?

 

[Simply_Black]

Minimum wage is the worst thing to ever happen to America.
All it does is raise the cost of living for everyone else and does not really help the people on it at all.

Raise Minimum wage and the price of Milk goes up to match the new wage.
Everyone else did not get a raise, So in reality, Everyone else the value of money just went down cause now their money buys less than before.

A minimum wage is needed to protect the so called 'unskilled' workers rights to a fair earning, otherwise the alternative would be massive exploitation such as which exists in 'third world' and developing countries where many employees work extremely hard for very little. In many instances not even enough to feed their families.

We can argue forever about what a fair level of payment should be for a minimum wage but the fact is that without such a level in place many workers would be left unprotected and exploited.

 

[divine]

Like it or not min. wage prevents American companies from opening slave labor/sweat shops on US soil.

 

[swiftandsilent]

Like it or not min. wage prevents American companies from opening slave labor/sweat shops on US soil.

C/S

 

[RoomService]

Minimum wage is the worst thing to ever happen to America.
All it does is raise the cost of living for everyone else and does not really help the people on it at all.

Raise Minimum wage and the price of Milk goes up to match the new wage.
Everyone else did not get a raise, So in reality, Everyone else the value of money just went down cause now their money buys less than before.

I some what agree

So what should be done to allow those people to get a piece of the pie?

nothing @ all

 

[Simply_Black]

Like it or not min. wage prevents American companies from opening slave labor/sweat shops on US soil.

Exactly

..... and if we think about it deeply the establishment of a minimum wage is probably the best thing that any government has done for it's work force.

 

[jedimasta]

Agreed.

I've often had this conversation with some of my friends, specifically in regards to immigrants "taking our jobs".

If other countries had minimum wage laws and paid their citizens a fair wage, you'd see less people coming over here for work because there would be no incentive to.

 

[Costanza]

Agreed.

I've often had this conversation with some of my friends, specifically in regards to immigrants "taking our jobs".

If other countries had minimum wage laws and paid their citizens a fair wage, you'd see less people coming over here for work because there would be no incentive to.

Imagine an effort for an international minimum wage via the UN, the US would be the last to endorse it but among the biggest beneficiaries (at least, the mass of people). It would still be ridiculously low to keep it from being anti-competitive but couls serve the masses worldwide well.

 

[Non-StopJFK2TAB]

So what should be done to allow those people to get a piece of the pie?

They would argue the point that they aren't worthy of the pie, they'll cite some Darwinist theory, then the mandatory pull up yourself from the bootstrap. Inflation, as price increase is going to happen anyway, it's better to have the citizens have some advantage built in to protect them from it.

 

[Drayonis]

If anyone thinks "minimum wage" was made to live on then they are complete idiots. 16 year old kids flipping burgers don't need a living wage, they live at home with mommy and daddy.

Small business can't survive raising minimum wage. People who believe that small companies can just raise their pay rates easily has never run a small business.

You want more money, learn a trade or get an education.

 

[Nzinga]

Minimum wage is the worst thing to ever happen to America.
All it does is raise the cost of living for everyone else and does not really help the people on it at all.

Raise Minimum wage and the price of Milk goes up to match the new wage.
Everyone else did not get a raise, So in reality, Everyone else the value of money just went down cause now their money buys less than before.

You have been buying Republican propaganda... Minimum wage workers are only a small proportion of the work force. What they contribute in production is a small of proportion of the US GNP, and that is why they are paid so lowly. Minimum wage workers do not work on Wall Street which accounts for almost 50% of the US GDP; they do not make cars in Detroit, aeroplanes at Boeing and McDonnelll Douglas, give drugs to doctor in the hospital... Instead, what has been shown is that if you raise the minimum wage, the people who benefit from that wage raise immediately go and buy more bread, clothes, shoes, meat and help to fuel more economic activity... On the other hand, when you exploit minimum wage workers by freezing their wage, the same companies which do not want to pay them suffer, since a lot of the low-value crap they produce is consumed by the same minimum wage workers...

 

[Drayonis]

You have been buying Republican propaganda... Minimum wage workers are only a small proportion of the work force.

bullshit. How many teenagers in America have a job a Mcdonalds or some fast food joint? Millions! Minimum wage is for unskilled workers period. Someone who is 16 doesn't need 25 dollars an hour to flip burgers and show up to work late (which they do daily).

 

[Soul On Ice]

Minimum wage is the worst thing to ever happen to America.
All it does is raise the cost of living for everyone else and does not really help the people on it at all.

Raise Minimum wage and the price of Milk goes up to match the new wage.
Everyone else did not get a raise, So in reality, Everyone else the value of money just went down cause now their money buys less than before.

A minimum wage is needed to protect the so called 'unskilled' workers rights to a fair earning, otherwise the alternative would be massive exploitation such as which exists in 'third world' and developing countries where many employees work extremely hard for very little. In many instances not even enough to feed their families.

We can argue forever about what a fair level of payment should be for a minimum wage but the fact is that without such a level in place many workers would be left unprotected and exploited.

Like it or not min. wage prevents American companies from opening slave labor/sweat shops on US soil.

please believe the greedy mofos at the top would pay 10cents an hour if left unchecked.

 

[Costanza]

I would not have expected BGOL to be so anti-minimum wage...

please believe the greedy mofos at the top would pay 10cents an hour if left unchecked.

 

[Simply_Black]

If anyone thinks "minimum wage" was made to live on then they are complete idiots. 16 year old kids flipping burgers don't need a living wage, they live at home with mommy and daddy.

Small business can't survive raising minimum wage. People who believe that small companies can just raise their pay rates easily has never run a small business.

You want more money, learn a trade or get an education.

I somewhat disagree.

Like it or not min. wage prevents American companies from opening slave labor/sweat shops on US soil.

^^^^^^

Drayonis, think about this.

........ also remember that it's not only 16 year old kids that need the protection of a minimum wage. Millions of poor unskilled adults do as well in order to be able to survive, pay their bills and feed their families.

 

[Costanza]

If anyone thinks "minimum wage" was made to live on then they are complete idiots. 16 year old kids flipping burgers don't need a living wage, they live at home with mommy and daddy.

Small business can't survive raising minimum wage. People who believe that small companies can just raise their pay rates easily has never run a small business.

You want more money, learn a trade or get an education.

This is why I was asking "every job" in the OP... I think there should perhaps be a different teenage (maybe to age 20) minimum wage separating entry-level workers from others, not pricing them out of the market (as many argue a flat minimum rate does) but actually giving them an edge in jobs such as that as owners would certainly love to pay at the lower rate.

 

[Costanza]

They would argue the point that they aren't worthy of the pie, they'll cite some Darwinist theory, then the mandatory pull up yourself from the bootstrap. Inflation, as price increase is going to happen anyway, it's better to have the citizens have some advantage built in to protect them from it.

Basically...

Minimum wage is for unskilled workers period. Someone who is 16 doesn't need 25 dollars an hour to flip burgers and show up to work late (which they do daily).

I think anybody who has worked around minimum wage workers has thought "This guy is lucky to be making minimum wage." I thought it way back when minimum wage was $5.15 and I was working around addicts who sometimes didn't show up at all.

But there's a solution-- You fire guys like that. They either shape up or they quickly go through every minimum wage job they can find. People like that are not the rule and shouldn't be held as the standard when setting the rules.

 

[redemption]

bullshit. How many teenagers in America have a job a Mcdonalds or some fast food joint? Millions! Minimum wage is for unskilled workers period. Someone who is 16 doesn't need 25 dollars an hour to flip burgers and show up to work late (which they do daily).

I had to interject on this one... Dude you seriously got a very short sighted view on things. Minimum wage jobs extend far beyond McDonalds and flipping burgers.

Depending on where you live, minimum wage jobs can range from Fast Food, to Telemarketing, Customer Service, Retail, etc. Now I (and I'm sure everyone else, agrees) $25 an hour is crazy. However, a MINIMUM wage is just that. The absolute minimum a US Citizen should be paid. $7.25 an hour aint shit dude, and believe it or not, there are TONS of people living off of minimum by either lowered means of living, or households with multiple income. Eliminating minimum wage can not only put millions of Americans at the mercy of Corporations, but it can destroy households, and businesses that target markets for low income households (Rent-A-Center, Big Lots, Cinemark $1 theater, Wal-Mart, 99 Cent Store, etc.).

And regardless how you may feel, unskilled workers are a necessity for most businesses and this country in general. How much you think the cashier that puts gas on pump #2 gets paid, or the person who hands you your food at the drive through, or the person who cleans up the piss & shit splattered in the bathroom at the movie theater?

Those people still get taxes taken out their paycheck, they still pay sales taxes when they make purchases, and they probably spend more frequently than a person making 10x their income.

Now with that said. As long as the rich and powerful are constantly making policies that result in inflation, deregulation, and the cost of everyday items like food & gas to go up (to an extent that these basic items are getting out of reach for the lower and middle class), countermeasures need to be implemented. If raising the minimum wage is the viable solution, then so be it. But dont get angry or look down on the "WORKERS", direct that frustration at the politicians and corporations that are creating a need for such a measure

 

[Louis Koo]

It is very easy to see who has never taken an Economics course

 

[itzmotto]

Minimum wage is the worst thing to ever happen to America.
All it does is raise the cost of living for everyone else and does not really help the people on it at all.

Raise Minimum wage and the price of Milk goes up to match the new wage.
Everyone else did not get a raise, So in reality, Everyone else the value of money just went down cause now their money buys less than before.

nail in the coffin right here

 

[TheyCallMeBe]

Nope. As soon as they make minimum wage substantial enough to support a family, you will start seeing $8 loaves of bread. Capitalism is built upon a poverty class to balance out the upper class.

 

[Stick2dascript]

N

I somewhat disagree.





^^^^^^

Drayonis, think about this.

........ also remember that it's not only 16 year old kids that need the protection of a minimum wage. Millions of poor unskilled adults do as well in order to be able to survive, pay their bills and feed their families.

I think dude is a republican...

Once cost of living increases so should the wages and I also believe every h7man being payings taxes should be able to afore the basics of life... independence. Car and so forth. Any full time job paying slave wages like 8 per hour should be abolished period.

 

[TheyCallMeBe]

N

I think dude is a republican...

Once cost of living increases so should the wages and I also believe every h7man being payings taxes should be able to afore the basics of life... independence. Car and so forth. Any full time job paying slave wages like 8 per hour should be abolished period.

Republicans would call you a socialist. I just don't think capitalism is in the best interest of black folks.

 

[divine]

bullshit. How many teenagers in America have a job a Mcdonalds or some fast food joint? Millions! Minimum wage is for unskilled workers period. Someone who is 16 doesn't need 25 dollars an hour to flip burgers and show up to work late (which they do daily).

Some of you clowns really don't understand capitalism. These fast food companies make BILLIONS! They want to be able to pay workers the least amount of money as possible to increase their profit. While min wage *may* hurt a few mom and pop shops, it is needed in America because of greedy bastards that run these companies.

 

[Ill Paragraph]

Peace,

This has probably been covered (I haven't read all of the responses) but the Fed should focus more on shoring up skills-based vocational programs and stay away from trying to establish a "living wage."

 

[Stick2dascript]

I had to interject on this one... Dude you seriously got a very short sighted view on things. Minimum wage jobs extend far beyond McDonalds and flipping burgers.

Depending on where you live, minimum wage jobs can range from Fast Food, to Telemarketing, Customer Service, Retail, etc. Now I (and I'm sure everyone else, agrees) $25 an hour is crazy. However, a MINIMUM wage is just that. The absolute minimum a US Citizen should be paid. $7.25 an hour aint shit dude, and believe it or not, there are TONS of people living off of minimum by either lowered means of living, or households with multiple income. Eliminating minimum wage can not only put millions of Americans at the mercy of Corporations, but it can destroy households, and businesses that target markets for low income households (Rent-A-Center, Big Lots, Cinemark $1 theater, Wal-Mart, 99 Cent Store, etc.).

And regardless how you may feel, unskilled workers are a necessity for most businesses and this country in general. How much you think the cashier that puts gas on pump #2 gets paid, or the person who hands you your food at the drive through, or the person who cleans up the piss & shit splattered in the bathroom at the movie theater?

Those people still get taxes taken out their paycheck, they still pay sales taxes when they make purchases, and they probably spend more frequently than a person making 10x their income.

Now with that said. As long as the rich and powerful are constantly making policies that result in inflation, deregulation, and the cost of everyday items like food & gas to go up (to an extent that these basic items are getting out of reach for the lower and middle class), countermeasures need to be implemented. If raising the minimum wage is the viable solution, then so be it. But dont get angry or look down on the "WORKERS", direct that frustration at the politicians and corporations that are creating a need for such a measure

Thank you, I believe everyone paying taxes should afford the basics... minimum wage is primal, 8 per hour when milk is 4 bucks alone. Low paid workers are often angry and eventually stop giving a Danny which results in poor service.

 

[divine]

quote for emphasis!

I had to interject on this one... Dude you seriously got a very short sighted view on things. Minimum wage jobs extend far beyond McDonalds and flipping burgers.

Depending on where you live, minimum wage jobs can range from Fast Food, to Telemarketing, Customer Service, Retail, etc. Now I (and I'm sure everyone else, agrees) $25 an hour is crazy. However, a MINIMUM wage is just that. The absolute minimum a US Citizen should be paid. $7.25 an hour aint shit dude, and believe it or not, there are TONS of people living off of minimum by either lowered means of living, or households with multiple income. Eliminating minimum wage can not only put millions of Americans at the mercy of Corporations, but it can destroy households, and businesses that target markets for low income households (Rent-A-Center, Big Lots, Cinemark $1 theater, Wal-Mart, 99 Cent Store, etc.).

And regardless how you may feel, unskilled workers are a necessity for most businesses and this country in general. How much you think the cashier that puts gas on pump #2 gets paid, or the person who hands you your food at the drive through, or the person who cleans up the piss & shit splattered in the bathroom at the movie theater?

Those people still get taxes taken out their paycheck, they still pay sales taxes when they make purchases, and they probably spend more frequently than a person making 10x their income.

Now with that said. As long as the rich and powerful are constantly making policies that result in inflation, deregulation, and the cost of everyday items like food & gas to go up (to an extent that these basic items are getting out of reach for the lower and middle class), countermeasures need to be implemented. If raising the minimum wage is the viable solution, then so be it. But dont get angry or look down on the "WORKERS", direct that frustration at the politicians and corporations that are creating a need for such a measure

 

[samh32]

I had to interject on this one... Dude you seriously got a very short sighted view on things. Minimum wage jobs extend far beyond McDonalds and flipping burgers.

Depending on where you live, minimum wage jobs can range from Fast Food, to Telemarketing, Customer Service, Retail, etc. Now I (and I'm sure everyone else, agrees) $25 an hour is crazy. However, a MINIMUM wage is just that. The absolute minimum a US Citizen should be paid. $7.25 an hour aint shit dude, and believe it or not, there are TONS of people living off of minimum by either lowered means of living, or households with multiple income. Eliminating minimum wage can not only put millions of Americans at the mercy of Corporations, but it can destroy households, and businesses that target markets for low income households (Rent-A-Center, Big Lots, Cinemark $1 theater, Wal-Mart, 99 Cent Store, etc.).

And regardless how you may feel, unskilled workers are a necessity for most businesses and this country in general. How much you think the cashier that puts gas on pump #2 gets paid, or the person who hands you your food at the drive through, or the person who cleans up the piss & shit splattered in the bathroom at the movie theater?

Those people still get taxes taken out their paycheck, they still pay sales taxes when they make purchases, and they probably spend more frequently than a person making 10x their income.

Now with that said. As long as the rich and powerful are constantly making policies that result in inflation, deregulation, and the cost of everyday items like food & gas to go up (to an extent that these basic items are getting out of reach for the lower and middle class), countermeasures need to be implemented. If raising the minimum wage is the viable solution, then so be it. But dont get angry or look down on the "WORKERS", direct that frustration at the politicians and corporations that are creating a need for such a measure

 

[Ill Paragraph]

Peace,

N

I think dude is a republican...

Once cost of living increases so should the wages and I also believe every h7man being payings taxes should be able to afore the basics of life... independence. Car and so forth. Any full time job paying slave wages like 8 per hour should be abolished period.

As far as I know, Dray is a small business owner, not a Republican. He's thinking about it from the perspective of someone who employs low-skilled, low wage-earning people. Anyone who's either a) had people working for them who meet these criteria or b) has had to work with them, knows that a large % of them aren't great producers.

Having said that, I'm not adverse to the idea of establishing a minimum wage to prevent companies from racing to the bottom. I just think there needs to be a renewed interest in developing skills programs for kids who don't show an interest in college. If you graduate from high school with a marketable skill, min wage won't be an issue.

 

[Ill Paragraph]

Peace,

I had to interject on this one... Dude you seriously got a very short sighted view on things. Minimum wage jobs extend far beyond McDonalds and flipping burgers.

Depending on where you live, minimum wage jobs can range from Fast Food, to Telemarketing, Customer Service, Retail, etc. Now I (and I'm sure everyone else, agrees) $25 an hour is crazy. However, a MINIMUM wage is just that. The absolute minimum a US Citizen should be paid. $7.25 an hour aint shit dude, and believe it or not, there are TONS of people living off of minimum by either lowered means of living, or households with multiple income. Eliminating minimum wage can not only put millions of Americans at the mercy of Corporations, but it can destroy households, and businesses that target markets for low income households (Rent-A-Center, Big Lots, Cinemark $1 theater, Wal-Mart, 99 Cent Store, etc.).

And regardless how you may feel, unskilled workers are a necessity for most businesses and this country in general. How much you think the cashier that puts gas on pump #2 gets paid, or the person who hands you your food at the drive through, or the person who cleans up the piss & shit splattered in the bathroom at the movie theater?

Those people still get taxes taken out their paycheck, they still pay sales taxes when they make purchases, and they probably spend more frequently than a person making 10x their income.

Now with that said. As long as the rich and powerful are constantly making policies that result in inflation, deregulation, and the cost of everyday items like food & gas to go up (to an extent that these basic items are getting out of reach for the lower and middle class), countermeasures need to be implemented. If raising the minimum wage is the viable solution, then so be it. But dont get angry or look down on the "WORKERS", direct that frustration at the politicians and corporations that are creating a need for such a measure

By the way, this is some Thread Shut Down shit right here. Well put, bruh.

 

[Autobot8655]

Minimum wage is the least of our worries...

This shit should not even be on our radar at this point in time.