You don't need money to live. If you feel your not making enough for your time quit find a new job or Start your own business. You could also go into the wilderness and hunt and farm or be homeless in a city and eat from trash cans. It cost nothing. The problem isn't that people don't make enough it's that they want to live out side there means. Everyone shouldn't have a car, or a house.

Those working poors aren't even included in unemployment stats even though they can't really afford to live on their salary.

And now you have idiots like Bachmann who want to turn the US into China by abolishing minimum wages which would make the situation even worse.

if we all went out and got college degrees for those areas in the job market that are hot, all we would be doing is deflating the value of that degree, and since there isn't enough jobs for everyone, many of them would still find themselves working in their old jobs...only difference would be now they would have a crap load of student loan debt that would need to be paid off...

a big reason why our economy is crap now is that the wall street gamblers made some bad bets and sunk the WORLD economy and we are ending up covering their bad bets, since they are "Too Big To Fail!!!"""
Well, I am sorry, they need to have their poker chips taken from them now, not more laid in front of them for them to play with....
and encouraging a bunch of people to go into debt getting training and education for better paying jobs will do just that....and in the end, we can all foot the bill for the next bubble burst!!! since there is probably no way that much of this debt is gonna be paid off!!
if a person has a full job, they are doing good in today's market!! they should be paid a wage that they can live independently on!!! for every single adult out there, getting help from mom and dad, well, I kind of got the feeling that there is one or two that have taken the alternative route and well.....living with boyfriend/girlfriend....making babies, then well....I'm sure you know the story after that one!!!

if society needs/wants someone to do a job then that job should be paying enough to keep that person alive and well....it's that plain and simple.....
the cost of living needs to come down (less profit for the companies that are providing the needs...
and the cost of those lower employees needs to rise!!! otherwise, well, society in general will continue getting stuck with the tab of keeping the workers alive!

that which you neglect, will fade away, and that is what has happened to much of the skilled labor in this country.....they used to be paid good, but then well, the wages got lower and lower,, till they just decided to find a more profitable way to earn money!!!

I believe in captalism... which is like saying I believe in marriage... hang on, let me explain.

Capitalism, like marriage requires effort by both parties involved.

A business requires employees... they agree to work and work hard for the success of the business, and with the hope that if they excel, they will be promoted and increase on a regular basis their income. The business owner agrees to hire and pay the employess ADEQUATELY for their labors with the expectation that the owner will have a thriving business producing and selling a superior product.

Both parties realize that by doing their part, a successful and secure community is ensured as each business and employee puts back into the community by supporting other businesses, stores, factories, restuarants, and then local governments see a rise in taxable income and in return provide better schools and parks and services to support and enhance the well being of the community.

Somewhere, that idealism and commitment broke down. It has all become very mercenary... highest bidder and lowest bidder take all. No more commitment to the employee and no more commitment to the employer...

as such, jobs have gone overseas because the job done in Bangledesh or Mexico can be done for half of what it was done for in Illinois or Pennsylvania. The skilled laborers found thay could make as much on a computer at home leaving the business owner seeking trained labor somwhere else.... the influx of cheap labor into the US has pushed wages unskilled wages down, as business owners find workers to do a skill for 8.00 an hour instead of 12.00...

For instance, the avg. wage for meat cutters/processors in 1990 was 12-13.00 an hour in a packing house...today, it is 8-9.00 an hour. I have a couple of uncles that were successful brick masons...had their own businesses and did well for years. They eventually retired early because they couldn't compete with new start up businesses by immigrants willing to do the work for almost half the bid price.... right or wrong, these market elements drive down wages.

As a result, we see more money going out of governments instead of going in..and a reduction is services, infrastructure maintainance, projects, cut budgets, etc. We see businesses that relied on local factories closed...the shoe store, the diner, the hardware store, auto dealers...closed down. And as they close, they have a ripple effect across the town, county, state, and country.

Unless the USA begins to develope some new businesses and products and technologies, and offers incentives for businesses that hire low skill labor to return to the USA....we are stuck with low wage jobs. Even people with good skills and training are having trouble finding work, as these jobs are on the cutting edge...which means technology has replaced a bank of workers with a computer.

The only answer I can see is to become an entreprenuer and start your own business...which takes time and capital and doesn't work for everyone....

Our country and our businesses have abandoned a commitment to each other, not realizing that people can't buy your products and services unless you provide them the means to buy them in the first place.

Back to the marriage analogy, instaed of treating our people and citizens as a loving, trusting, and respected mate and companion...most businesses have turned us into a 2 dollar crack whore that they use, abuse, and then lose.... thinking that tommorow, there will be somebody else to take your place.

my dad bought his home for 2,000 dollars, four generation lived in the same household, one car, no TV, internet, cell phones,
everything we needed was in walking distance,

We were happy

Profit needs capped if you want the real workers treated better. And the real big issue here is these paper pushers with the nice over paid jobs seem to be the ones posting on the internet. How is that good for the business?

Get to work and stop screwing your employers work for your money for a change. You`ll find a honest days work doesn't produce an honest days pay.

I worked for a Multi Millionaire he told me no man is worth more then 10 dollars an hour. He made his money screwing the workers over in the businesses he had. Like not giving federal wages they paid to have jobs done doing state jobs.
So being an employer is like getting paid to work the slaves is what I`m making of life's lesions. Help those wealthy go out to eat nightly and enjoy your mac-N-cheese for dinner while watching them cruise their yachts.

i was making 18 an hour. not bad a very decent wage and was living okay. along comes a crashing economy. what it took me 20 years in a field to garner is now gone. it happened end 0f 2008. since then cant get close to what i was making. ive paid into taxes since age of 13, even shows it when my social security benefit paper comes every year.
since 08 have had 3 different employers mess with my pay. call labor board(govt.) to fix and turn in companies. told there is nothing they can do as long as company at least was giving me minimum wage. wtf? i pay these peoples salaries to do what. nothing.
sorry just really pissed about this whole thing. am right now concentrating on never working for another soul again but myself.
i guess that old man was right. you'll never make any money working for someone else.

i dont understand when in america everyone got it into their damned head that the only way to be a good productive citizen was to serve a corporation. what about before corporations. if this is what is a good life then im ready to die. i thought life was here and nature for us to splendor at, learn and enjoy. not slave away till death for a corporation. to me that is death.

US Minimum wage: varies, but mostly around US$ 7.25 (or more)
UK Miniumum wage: £5.93 (US$ 9.25)

My wage (approx): £ 2.78 (US$ 4.33)

And yet I manage ......

I wuld love to be earning the minimum wage in Britain. But as I'm self employed, that's not going to happen any time soon.

Ok let me break it down from where I live (Long Island, NY). I am a single father, and I currently do not have the option to move (legal reasons.. if I move, I can't take my son with me). So, I need at least a 1-bedroom apartment if I sleep on the couch.

Current minimum wage: $7.25
1-Bedroom Apartment: $1300/mo (average. Includes heat/hot water)
Electric: $100/mo (average)
Food: $400/mo ($100 per week for 2 people is stretching it)
Gas to commute to work/school: $320/mo ($80 a week. Current 87grade gas is $3.77)

Those are the bare minimums. No phone or cable tv/internet.

Total monthly expenses: $2120/mo

Wages for 40-hour work week at minimum wage: $290/week before taxes
Wages after taxes: $267 (because of the low annual salary of $13,926.38, they would only charge for Social Security)

So, my monthly take home would be $1068. That leaves a difference of $1052 in money owed monthly.

And remember, I only listed my expenses of the bare minimums. At that rate I would have to work two full-time (40 hours) jobs just to be able to pay the bare minimum expenses.

And this is what so many people are experiencing. Minimum wages have NOT kept up with the cost of living. Every state is different and that is where the problem is. Sure, I could move to a state where a two-bedroom apartment is $400 a month. If I was making minimum wage then that wouldn't be so bad. However, some people have extenuating circumstances where this is just not possible. Such as myself. I will not leave my son so that things are easier for me financially. Luckily for me I am not in a position where I have to make that choice. But so many people are.

So when you look at Americas employment problem, with millions unemployed. Remember how many people are UNDER employed, and you will see that this country is in a real problem spot. A lot of the good jobs are just gone. Where I live, if you had no other option to work, you could have at least guaranteed yourself job working for Grumman. However once Northrop merged with them, they closed the two plants here and poof went the jobs. Again its like that all over. Auto plants close... poof go the jobs. Look at Detroit. NAFTA screwed us. Allowing corporations to skate tax laws screwed us. Off-shoring of jobs screwed us. We went from being and industrialized nation, to a service nation.

And just a little info on college. College is no longer a choice to get ahead. College is a means to burden you with enormous debt. And what do you get out of it? I have a friend with a masters degree who sells T-shirts at NASCAR races because he can't find work. Another has a bachelors degree. No work... etc etc etc.

Something has got to change, and change for the better.