A minimum-wage worker needs 2.5 full-time jobs to afford a one-bedroom apartment in most of the US

originally posted by: Aazadan
a reply to: Xenogears

And Star Wars is rapidly losing value as an IP because the wrong person was given creative control. Companies that stick around for several years after changing ownership are the ones being run by capable individuals.

I didn't say that the skills to maintain a company are ultra rare, most marketable skills aren't. But, claiming that just because someone had an easier time getting the job somehow means that person isn't capable isn't true either.

Yet the salaries are inordinate, not only do we have hints of nepotism, but even without it if many have the skills there's scant reason to continually inflate salaries. Can bet you if a machine did a better job, they'd either not use it, or still find a way to pay an elite an exorbitant sum even if the machine did all the work.

originally posted by: Creep Thumper
I think you like to belittle people who can't afford a higher education.

I don't belittle people for it, but at the same time I don't see how most aren't capable of doing it. Pick an inexpensive university in your state, preferably in an area with a low cost of living.

Choose a place where tuition+living expenses come to less than $17,500 per year, I would limit the search to areas with a median income of $16,000 or less. If you have no outside income (not an unreasonable assumption) you'll qualify for about $6000 in pell grants. A low end university will tailor itself to almost exactly hit that amount.

Next, take federal student loans. With no credit, as an unemployed student you can qualify for $10,000 per year, $5,000 subsidized (they don't accrue interest), $5,000 unsubsidized.

Then, apply for food stamps. As a single adult with no children and no income you'll be able to get about $100/month. That will get you $1,200 per year. You may or may not also be able to get some utility expenses.

All in all, this will get you to that $17,500 number to live. You can do this for 6 years which means you can take 12 credit hours per semester and finish in 10 semesters, with 2 as a buffer in the event of failed classes, or having some other interests.

It won't be from a prestigious school but it will be the beginnings of an education.

From then on, you can actually support yourself as a grad student working for the university in order to finish an education.

It makes no sense to me why someone wouldn't do this.

You don't need a PhD to be on the floor producing steel or doing Tool and Die, running a lathe etc. or for making industrial tanks, etc.

But as we've already covered, that type of manufacturing is dying. It's on it's way out. Like everything else in life, the barrier to entry in order to make a living at a task is increasing, that's because the barrier to entry to do a task is decreasing.

Change with the demands of the economy or be an out of work buggy whip manufacturer.

To put it another way, the economy is a competition, if you're not as well educated as your competition you're going to do worse work for less money.

a reply to: CB328

Fake News , Nuff Said .

Is it just me? I don’t know ANYONE making minimum wage. Not even my straight out of high school niece or my still in high school nephew make the minimum wage.

I already showed my niece how to make double the minimum wage AND get her education paid for.

And I live in a “depressed” area.

a reply to: Throes

God Bless You Bro , Takin' Care of Family Business is a Noble Pursuit............

Well, try to get a promotion so you are not the 2 million earning federal minimum wage out of the 300 million inhabitants living in the USA? Capitalism is failing because a small percentage of the population is paid what should be an entry level wage that is reimbursed every tax season?

a reply to: Aazadan

Still need someone to fix automation, still need the wood indusrty, construction industry, someone to fix plumbing, someone to fix AC units, fix cars, maintain a power grid, generator power, produce ships........

Just have to be willing to move where the jobs are? Wonder how much misery divorce causes by “locking” people in areas that want or required to be close to their kids?

a reply to: neutronflux

my grandmother's generation taught their kids that you never look down on someone. that's the age group who lived through the great depression and ww2

they had a totally different perspective on economy

with every generation now past that morality has declined, now everyone is a narcissist who thinks they are better than everyone around them

that's part of why suicide and drug use is so high people feel worthless

a reply to: toysforadults

My grandmother was a rampant racist who looked down on a lot of people.


But we loved her anyway.

a reply to: Phage

totally unrelated and nonsensical, invalidates nothing I've said

a reply to: toysforadults

Quite related to what you said.

The idea that people from the depression era didn't look down on others is absurd.

with every generation now past that morality has declined, now everyone is a narcissist who thinks they are better than everyone around them

I disagree strongly with that statement. Do you have any children?

a reply to: Phage

welp, grandma was a racist so I'm wrong, got it

that's all "Mr. Science" has?

weak... I think you've lost your touch

originally posted by: neutronflux
a reply to: Aazadan

Still need someone to fix automation, still need the wood indusrty, construction industry, someone to fix plumbing, someone to fix AC units, fix cars, maintain a power grid, generator power, produce ships........

Just have to be willing to move where the jobs are? Wonder how much misery divorce causes by “locking” people in areas that want or required to be close to their kids?

Our repairmen are just as well trained as the factory workers. The idea we use is that knowing the hows and whys behind why a machine works takes years of study, and we want people with that knowledge in the field. The technician side of things can be taught to anyone in a short time.

Raw materials can be purchased cheaper from other countries, by taking advantage of the differences in the value of our currencies.

originally posted by: CB328
You really don't need any more proof of the failing of capitalism than this. At a time when corporations and CEO's are raking in gigantic profits, the people actually doing the hardest and worst jobs can't even afford an apartment. We hear a lot of proganda on here about how capitalism provides for people so well and creates so much prosperity. The truth is it creates prosperity for those at the top by destroying and enslaving those at the bottom. How is this any different than communism? It's just slavery with lipstick.

A minimum-wage worker needs 2.5 full-time jobs to afford a one-bedroom apartment in most of the US

www.yahoo.com...

Only 2% of hourly workers make minimum wage and 50% of them are part time, so that leaves 1% of hourly workers in the possibility of what you are describing above.

a reply to: CB328

And this is why you stay in school. You don't have to have a college degree to land a relatively decent job. This isn't Trumps fault, it isn't Obama's fault. It isn't my fault, your fault, or mega corporations fault. It's the fault of the people who chose to do nothing more with their lives. When you make poor decisions in life, you can't expect much in return.

originally posted by: Aegeus
a reply to: CB328

And this is why you stay in school. You don't have to have a college degree to land a relatively decent job. This isn't Trumps fault, it isn't Obama's fault. It isn't my fault, your fault, or mega corporations fault. It's the fault of the people who chose to do nothing more with their lives. When you make poor decisions in life, you can't expect much in return.

One thing that is a truism is that interest and poor decisions are both compounded over time.

The OP isn’t wrong. The amount of wealth in this country keeps going to a smaller and smaller percentage of the population. It shouldn’t be that difficult for people to get by in life.

However, I don’t want to hear people complain who drive around in a $30K car, a $1K phone, a closet with more clothes that they don’t wear than clothes they do wear, internet, cable, and a refrigerator full of garbage that gets wasted anyway because they choose to eat out 4+ times per week and who go to bars or night clubs every weekend. I don’t pity those people one bit.

Life’s a struggle? Cut back on the luxuries until you can afford them. Here in America, everyone is entitled and deserving of the luxuries in life.

But, to the point, for the people who struggle while ignoring the luxuries, working hard in life, staying out of trouble and contributing to society...I feel for them and say something should be done to help them out.

a reply to: Assassin82

www.washingtonpost.com...

Median household income, a good gauge of middle-class pay, peaked in 1999 under President Bill Clinton, according to census data. In the nearly two decades since then, households have seen their modest gains eaten away by inflation.

peaked in 99, things have gotten more expensive since then, only a little bit though

“Having a job is not enough to get ahead,” says Kasey Wiedrich, director of applied research at Prosperity Now, a nonprofit that advocates for low-income families. Prosperity Now recently released its annual scorecard, which found that “the data point to a widespread financial fragility in our nation.”

Half the jobs in America pay less than $18 an hour

I'm not sure if you pay for your own healthcare and rent and insurance and all that but $18 an hour won't get ya far, hell owning your own work vehicle for construction workers cost a damn pretty penny luckily a lot of them are union making closer to 20 an hour or 28 an hour (after enough time in)

most people aren't driving brand new cars unless your in texas or california the rest of america looks a lot different

originally posted by: toysforadults
a reply to: Assassin82

www.washingtonpost.com...

Median household income, a good gauge of middle-class pay, peaked in 1999 under President Bill Clinton, according to census data. In the nearly two decades since then, households have seen their modest gains eaten away by inflation.

peaked in 99, things have gotten more expensive since then, only a little bit though

“Having a job is not enough to get ahead,” says Kasey Wiedrich, director of applied research at Prosperity Now, a nonprofit that advocates for low-income families. Prosperity Now recently released its annual scorecard, which found that “the data point to a widespread financial fragility in our nation.”

Half the jobs in America pay less than $18 an hour

I'm not sure if you pay for your own healthcare and rent and insurance and all that but $18 an hour won't get ya far, hell owning your own work vehicle for construction workers cost a damn pretty penny luckily a lot of them are union making closer to 20 an hour or 28 an hour (after enough time in)

most people aren't driving brand new cars unless your in texas or california the rest of america looks a lot different

Sorry, but when I look around I see people wearing clothes they can’t afford, driving cars they can’t afforf, going on vacation when they can’t afford it, eating out at restaurants, paying for cable and everything else they can’t afford. Then they hop on Facebook and say life sucks workin paycheck to paycheck. Bull! Cut the crap and you’ll get by. Get an education or find a better job to help ends meet. The weak will fall by the wayside and we have government programs to help them out, not help them get all the crap they don’t need.

But, like I said, the wealth is disastrously unbalanced and we can do better as a society. We shouldn’t kid ourselves that we have to have all these unnecessary luxuries to be considered well off.

originally posted by: neutronflux
Well, try to get a promotion so you are not the 2 million earning federal minimum wage out of the 300 million inhabitants living in the USA? Capitalism is failing because a small percentage of the population is paid what should be an entry level wage that is reimbursed every tax season?

You know if minimum wage goes up, all other salaries go up. But it is doubtful the system can handle it. Money is basically a bargaining chip, if everyone has more everyone can bargain more strongly for the limited resources causing price spikes.