Minimum wage jobs leave millions in poverty

Originally posted by superluminal11
No one is worth more than 100k a year.

No, not even doctors.

and especially pro athletes, people in the movie industry....

Originally posted by Ferris.Bueller.II
I think some people need to do some reading on how the market works. Milk, bread, gasoline, and everything else doesn't just appear on the shelves and pumps. People getting paid money as you are make, package, deliver, and stock it. And that has to figure into the price of the items you buy.

For those complaining about not knowing what they're good at (huh?), training (I learned computers from hands on experience, the Internet, and borrowing books from friends in the IT industry.), and no jobs available where they live (Move to a place where there are jobs.). Be adults, people, and stop trying to live off others. The only one keeping you down is you, not the "man".

edit on 9/27/11 by Ferris.Bueller.II because: (no reason given)

and who are you living off?.. You are living off others as well.. and guess what.. there is a whole slew of people right behind you that will be equally trained as you... and they may just take a wage decrease.. leaving you out of job..

So don't bitch when you are grunting your way through 8 hours in the warehouse of walmart, and you don't have enough to buy groceries, and get gas for the car..

Originally posted by Ferris.Bueller.II
What people don't realize is the prices of a lot of products in and out of the supermarket are dictated by the minimum wage. Set minimum wage at $25 and a gallon of milk will be $17.50 and a loaf of bread will be $12.50. The only way to beat it is to learn a marketable skill, and get paid more than minimum wage. Playing the lazy entitlement grasshopper taking advantage of others is not a winning scheme in life.

If minimum wage had went up slowly that would not have happened but if it was rise in one big step then you are 100% right that is exactly what would happen and we would be not better off than we are now and maybe even worse off. It is too late for a minimum wage raise to fix this mess now. The problem is I am wondering if there is a way to fix this mess or is it going to have to come to a total crash and do a complete reset.

reply to post by neo96

if your not making enough cash to live on you have 2 options get another job or trade up to a better paying job.

anybody who could say that in the type of economy the US is in right now....is a narrow minded ...and very cold hearted.... and hopefully some day gets a taste of that judgment himself.

Originally posted by randomname

if you actually ran a business instead of working for one, you'll realize the cheaper you can get away with paying someone the more you can pocket the difference for profit and the more competitive you can price your product.

Then don't work there. If the government would get the hell out of it, the market would set the wages for workers. You never know: minimum wage set by the market might be $10 or $15. But a business owner's responsibility isn't to provide someone with enough income to live. Their responsibility is to provide enough income for themselves and their family to live.

The minimum wage has probably done more harm to our economy than taxes have. Businesses don't build overseas because of taxes, it's for low wages. Wages comparable to the work being performed. Expecting more than 7$ per hour to flip burgers is ridiculous.

/TOA

Reply to post by randomname

And who will buy the product if no one can afford it?

The market always fixes itself.


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

Minimum wage is your employers way of saying I'd pay you even less but there's a law against it.

reply to post by xxcalbier


So doctors, businessmen, investors, teachers, engineers, scientist, writers, artist, journalist, lawyers, judges and ect ect are all just paper pushers?

I just don't understand how you see that there are only too kinds of jobs manual and paper pushing. When were talking about better jobs were not talking about sticking everyone in a cubical farm. Jebus christ, were talking about actually building a work force of skilled and intelligent people who do things we desperately lack in this world. I don't want a mindless drove of people doing nothing but pushing a broom around I want more doctors and such.

I live well below the poverty level. And I live like a King IMO. The poverty level number is just a made up figure that is essentially meaningless unless your just a homeless bum.

I make well below 10,000 dollars a year. I used to make lots more, worked as an ac and heating technician for almost 20 years. Now I do odd jobs, whatever I please as long as I can put food on the table pay my condo fees, enjoy computers, electric bikes, electric cigarettes, and DSL Internet - I lack for nothing and have or can acquire everything I need. My wife works a part time job because she likes the idea of paying into S.S. something I don't subscribe to anymore.

We always have plenty of money when we need it and can always buy whatever we like or need but statistically we are below the poverty level and are considered very poor by those standards. I choose not to believe in those fairy tale standards anymore, like I don't believe in Santa Clause and the Tooth Fairy.I only pay taxes if I have to each year and most years i do not anymore. if you go about your business a certain way, you can make it so most of your income is not taxable- legally not just taking under the table jobs. My wife was a tax professional with H&R Block for 7 years so we know what we are doing.

We do Not receive food stamps, or any other services from the Government and will not ever. I do not believe in that. I can and do help myself without need for any assistance. I do qualify for it but do not need it or want it.

I understand if you have kids you cannot live as I do. The kids need stuff etc. Some things I don't pay for anymore are cars, and gasoline. I live in a large city but there is the bus and my electric bikes. The price of cars gas and insurance is something we can do without. That's at least 200 dollars a month in my pocket. We do not pay for Cable TV. We get all we need, tv shows, movies, news etc via the internet. Another 50 bucks a month in my pocket. i can go on and on. Point is you can live well and do it without having to work your butt off for tons of money and things you don't need.

reply to post by JohnPhoenix


Have you fallen seriously ill ?.. do you run a vehicle?

Truthfully- minimum wage should be somewhere around $18.00 hr.- if it were properly adjusted when money value deflates.

I heard something along those lines that min wage is NOT what it is supposed to be do to this one reason.

You cant raise the price on goods and not give the people the purchasing power they need to buy said items.
Inflation only works if people can still afford it.
Otherwise, whats the point?

Originally posted by lonewolf10
neo, id like to see you try to survive on mimimum wage.

and dont tell us about your degree or 20 years exp at a job.

could YOU live on min wage?

Minimum wage is not designed to be something to live on. It is a starting point. If all you can get is a minimum wage job, you need to start looking at yourself instead of blaming everyone else.

Here is an idea, get a second job!

I have NEVER collected any kind of public assistance. I have ALWAYS done what is needed to support myself and my family. Sure multiple jobs suck, but that is life.

Originally posted by Submarines
Sure multiple jobs suck, but that is life.

...like a good servant, who takes the scraps he is handed like a good lil puppy.

America, where you are programmed to defend the validity of the bars on your own cage.

Originally posted by gabby2011
reply to post by JohnPhoenix

 

Have you fallen seriously ill ?.. do you run a vehicle?

I updated my post about the car situation. I don't use them anymore. I have no need to. That's 200 bucks a month in my pocket. I have not fallen seriously ill, and when I do, do you know what will happen? I do. I may die. It's that simple. Big deal. I can afford doctors visits but may not be able to afford a 50.000 dollar surgery. And I don't care to. I have learned how to take care of myself and minimize the risks for a premature serious illness.

I can get gov medical insurance I do qualify for it but so far do not see the need. I am not going to pay some hospital to extend my life for 10 years or so with a bill no one can ever afford to pay and create more debt and cause the hospital to hike up their prices even more. Hospitals make big money off of your death every day. They don't fix you for you, for your health they do it to make money for them even though you get some benefit from it. In the long run that money comes from somewhere and someone gets hurt by it. Look at it this way, every person that pays into insurance can never pay into it, the amount that's is needed to be covered.. so where does the money come from? The insurance company magically makes it appear? No, they take it from other places like the money other people are paying into. At some time there is going to come a point when there is no more money. It always happens.

I'm not saying pay for health care is a bad thing and I don't believe all health care should be free. People do deserve to get paid for their services. The problem is how insurance companies work and this society we live in that's based on money. The USA is the worst about health care and how that industry handles it financially. We need new different ways of doing things that's more fair to everyone.

reply to post by Ferris.Bueller.II

you ain't beating the problem that way, you are just shifting the proverty to someone else.....
the jobs that those low wage earners are doing are needed, are wanted by society!!!
so, to solve the problem we should all go and put ourselves deeper into debt and set out to find better employment??
is there enough better employment available for all of us??? nope!!!
can society live without all those hard working low wage earners working hard at those jobs so others don't have to work as hard.... I seriously doubt it!!!

this although it might be a personal solution for some people.....
is not the grand solution to the problem, you are only trading one set of problems for another set....

Originally posted by The Old American

The minimum wage has probably done more harm to our economy than taxes have. Businesses don't build overseas because of taxes, it's for low wages. Wages comparable to the work being performed. Expecting more than 7$ per hour to flip burgers is ridiculous.

/TOA

Like a man pressing a button and netting 15 millions dollars?

If you think America needs to equalize a wage floor with wages over seas,
Americans would have to slash peon wages by over 90%, that would trickle
up because the current market would have to equalize, overhead would have to
be slashed to meet at the level that demand could pay. Removing 90%
of 40 million peoples wages would finish off the middle class and virally turn America
into a third world nation, once global equalization occurred.

INSTANT GLOBALIZATION! Bonus!


Hey, but at least we have a nice flag!

reply to post by mastahunta


have you ever seen the pictures of the places where these companies are moving to??
the smog, the pollution???

it's not just lower wages they are moving to!!
it's cheaper just to abandon a bad leaky well than to fix it....
it's cheaper not worry about all the crap you are sending into the air through your smoke stack!! it's cheaper not to clean up your waste some before you dump it into the river!!!
and, it's cheaper to burn coal!!!
the savings these companies get by avoiding our epa regulations I bet would eqaul if not exceed the savings that they get from the cheaper labor. so, while we are debating on weather or not we would like our country to have competitive wages.......we should ask ourselves......do we want ourselves to be poisoned along with the low wages.....

reply to post by JohnPhoenix
Well done JohnPhoenix, Live like that myself no car to run, I cycle / walk most places as i live in a large town. no mortgage and no children to bring up, and the best bit is my blood pressure is down due to less stress. I think we are all muppets for chasing "the dream"..
I'm not saying don't aspire to higher things but do you really need that extra days overtime ?. downsize thats what i did and i have never been happier in my life..

And i still enjoy my Chardonnay and cigars..

reply to post by foxhoundone


I used to walk everywhere I went.....
but then well, hurt my foot, now I wouldn't be able to walk to the closest bus stop on a regular basis......
we don't all have the luxury of being able to take those nice long strolls....
and someday, more than likely you will join our ranks.....might be at the age of 70 or so, but you will....

and, we'll probably have to be working at that age...

so, well.....my point????
although you don 't see a need to have a car now.....things changes, they always do, you might find the need later....

Originally posted by neo96
reply to post by lonewolf10

 

if your not making enough cash to live on you have 2 options get another job or trade up to a better paying job.

That's MUUUUUUUCH easier said than done mate. You sound like my father - capitalist to the end despite the fact he's lost everything, lives in a rented garage and is barely surviving on the pension. Despite all that, he puts the system that put him where he is up on a golden platter.

Reminds me of that scene from Billy Madison, with the O'Doyle family shouting "O'Doyle Rules" as they drive off a cliff....