Is US Minimum Wage really $7.25?

reply to post by Agarta


My wife and I always tip 20%.

If service is stellar, more than that.

reply to post by Becoming


That is very forward thinking on your part. The world today is moving toward this but is not there yet. Some people still raise their children to follow the old code of Man works, woman cares for the kids. Me personally I agree with you. Regardless of Male or Female the children need to be taught self reliance unfortunately this is not fully widespread not to mention college grads are now taking the "McDonalds type jobs" for a lack of jobs in their field.

Text I will not feel sorry for someone who decided to let others take care of them and not contribute only to find yourself alone, kids to feed and bills and rent to pay. That person should have been more self reliant and made herself relevant to the world.

reply to post by Becoming


But what if it was someone you knew? Or loved? I think we need to have empathy for those in need because they are here and it is heartless to have disdain for the needy. There are solutions to problems. The solution is not to take more from the poor. It is to take from the bloated,well healed wealthy and create opportunity and create conducive conditions for all to prosper.

And we should adress the problems at the root.People should not be able to have children if they cannot afford them. There should be a criteria for the right to have a child. I think ideas like this are constructive. And newt Gingrich(as much of a joke that he is)has the right idea for the unemployed.They must have access to training and be given opportunities. Not written off. People should be ashamed if they do not to care about their brothers. We are all in it together.

reply to post by theovermensch


I was pretty plain when I said I don't feel sorry for someone in that situation.

Why?

My mom was that type of woman. She stayed at home and dad brought in the money. One day dad gets into some serious trouble and goes away for 8 years. Mom had no education, other then HS and no job skill. What did she do? She worked 2 jobs, went to night school and took care of her 3 children ages 1-5.

She didnt feel sorry for herself, nobody felt sorry for her, she didn't have any help and she succeded.

Times are tough, if you have to eat ramen noodle every night, then you eat ramen noodle every night. You won't be the first and you wont be the last, so don't look for me to feel sorry for them

Originally posted by theovermensch
I read that the Federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. I knew it was low but I think that is crazy.How could you afford to live on that? Here in Australia it is $15.51 an hour.In Australia a 16 year old gets $7.34. And our dollar is worth slightly more than yours. I cannot beleive that adults in a country as prosperous as America are only worth $7.25 an hour. How would you even pay for utilities? There must be people that work fulltime and are on 'food stamps'. Are minimum wage jobs a significant percentage of the workforce?

From the outside looking in America looks like a terrible place to live. I have seen the 'tent cities' and seen how the homeless are treated. And then you see MTV cribs and the stark contrast. Yet you have armies of lunatics wearing patriot costumes screaming for blood because of 'obamacare'. The neocons seem like insane psychopaths. You watch a gop debate and hear people cheer at the idea of letting the poor die because they are poor. And you hear them call for cuts to welfare when the poor in your country are obviously already living like badly-fed animals. Anyway,I digress.

I was thinking that since America has an army of unemployed people that would be willing to work for minimum wage why isnt more stuff produced on US soil? I know people working in Chinese factories are worse off but surley more jobs in manufacturing is possible. You would save some on the fact that products wouldnt need to be imported and you could make up the difference in tarrifs. If grown men will work for $7.25 an hour I think there are solutions.

edit on 9-12-2011 by theovermensch because: typo

Originally posted by Becoming
reply to post by theovermensch

 

I was pretty plain when I said I don't feel sorry for someone in that situation.

Why?

My mom was that type of woman. She stayed at home and dad brought in the money. One day dad gets into some serious trouble and goes away for 8 years. Mom had no education, other then HS and no job skill. What did she do? She worked 2 jobs, went to night school and took care of her 3 children ages 1-5.

She didnt feel sorry for herself, nobody felt sorry for her, she didn't have any help and she succeded.

Times are tough, if you have to eat ramen noodle every night, then you eat ramen noodle every night. You won't be the first and you wont be the last, so don't look for me to feel sorry for them

I agree in a way but what happens to those that dont succeed? Some people are not as capable as others. I think we are more evolved dont you? You are happy for people to go without basic needs when there is plenty to share? We can find solutions but we should have empathy for others.

Originally posted by theovermensch
I read that the Federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. I knew it was low but I think that is crazy.How could you afford to live on that? Here in Australia it is $15.51 an hour.In Australia a 16 year old gets $7.34. And our dollar is worth slightly more than yours. I cannot beleive that adults in a country as prosperous as America are only worth $7.25 an hour. How would you even pay for utilities? There must be people that work fulltime and are on 'food stamps'. Are minimum wage jobs a significant percentage of the workforce?

From the outside looking in America looks like a terrible place to live. I have seen the 'tent cities' and seen how the homeless are treated. And then you see MTV cribs and the stark contrast. Yet you have armies of lunatics wearing patriot costumes screaming for blood because of 'obamacare'. The neocons seem like insane psychopaths. You watch a gop debate and hear people cheer at the idea of letting the poor die because they are poor. And you hear them call for cuts to welfare when the poor in your country are obviously already living like badly-fed animals. Anyway,I digress.



I was thinking that since America has an army of unemployed people that would be willing to work for minimum wage why isnt more stuff produced on US soil? I know people working in Chinese factories are worse off but surley more jobs in manufacturing is possible. You would save some on the fact that products wouldnt need to be imported and you could make up the difference in tarrifs. If grown men will work for $7.25 an hour I think there are solutions.

edit on 9-12-2011 by theovermensch because: typo

reply to post by theovermensch


Whatever dude.

You get a little for doing a little and waiting tables and flipping burgers is a little.

If you are in that situation the get yourself out.

reply to post by Becoming


It is apparent you have not recently been there done that and have no idea what it entails today nor how the general public treat people in that position. I agreed with you to the point of people should take on the responsibility to better their prospects and work to improve their situation, but its people like you are acting like, that treat people in those positions as ignorant lowlifes that do not deserve respect. Furthermore, your example of your Mom doing it(congrats Mom you did it, some cant) those were different times with different costs, and laws. One can loose their children for feeding them nothing but ramin noodles in this day and age.

Originally posted by Becoming
reply to post by theovermensch

 

Whatever dude.

You get a little for doing a little and waiting tables and flipping burgers is a little.

If you are in that situation the get yourself out.

So you think its cool for there to be tax breaks for the super wealthy while people wait tables for next to nothing? I dont think its fair.There should be a salary cap. Raise minimum wage and lower the salaries of profesionals and high income earners.Make bonuses for CEOs illegal and cap them.Raise taxes on the wealthy.Improve education. Improve healthcare. Create opportunity. Solve problems. Invest in the people of your own country instead of your greatest rival China.
How on earth do you think welfare cuts will fix things? The poor didnt create the mess. It was the rich bankers. Why would the solution be welfare cuts and austerity?

New Zealand Minimum Wage - $13
Irish Minimum Wage - 8.68 Euro (11 US$)
UK Minimum Wage (as of October 1) - 6.08 pounds 21+ (9.50 US$)
Japan Minimum Wage - 618-739 Yen (7.90 - 9.50 US$)
Mexican Minimum Wage - 57 Pesos (4 US$)
Korean Minimum Wage - 4000 Won (3.50 US$)

Thought I'd just throw that out there..

UK, Ireland, and Oceania all sound like good pay to me. Things in Ireland are relatively inexpensive too, at least compared to the US.

Originally posted by Celestica
New Zealand Minimum Wage - $13
Irish Minimum Wage - 8.68 Euro (11 US$)
UK Minimum Wage (as of October 1) - 6.08 pounds 21+ (9.50 US$)
Japan Minimum Wage - 618-739 Yen (7.90 - 9.50 US$)
Mexican Minimum Wage - 57 Pesos (4 US$)
Korean Minimum Wage - 4000 Won (3.50 US$)

Thought I'd just throw that out there..

UK, Ireland, and Oceania all sound like good pay to me. Things in Ireland are relatively inexpensive too, at least compared to the US.

Hey thanks.That adds.
Imagine if the US lost the reserve currency.Alot of the neocons would be as poor as the people living in 'Trailor Parks' overnight. I wonder if they would feel differently then about those that "fail".Do you fail if you are born in Somalia? No. Some people have no opportunity.

They get 'minimum wage, for the minimal work they do. Now, if they had a PROFESSION like: doctor, lawyer, politician, banker, etc...well then, who's making more than who? How much would YOU pay, for someone to flip burgers, or run an item through a bar code scanner? People need calculators, to do basic math. hahahah

Originally posted by nuttin4U
They get 'minimum wage, for the minimal work they do. Now, if they had a PROFESSION like: doctor, lawyer, politician, banker, etc...well then, who's making more than who? How much would YOU pay, for someone to flip burgers, or run an item through a bar code scanner?

People need calculators, to do basic math. hahahah

Wage disparity is too great. You cannot deny that. And we pay $15.51 or more for people to do stuff like that. Unless they are a kid.
We all have worth. People on minimum wage are not doing "minimal work".They are often working 8 hour days and alot of them work hard. It is not "minimal work" I would argue that lawyers,politicians and bankers do "minimal work" yet they are often rewarded with a ludicrous amount of money. You shouldnt insult people that work hard for minimum wage by claiming they do "minimal work". Thats just silly. Wage disparity is too great.

Originally posted by theovermensch
I read that the Federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour.

They must have raised it because back in 2000-2007 when i lived in the states there were jobs which paid $6 or $6.50 hour. Of course, this also meant you didn't have any health insurance either. It was better in Illinois and the states up North, but in the South $6.50 jobs were common.

Originally posted by nuttin4U
They get 'minimum wage, for the minimal work they do. Now, if they had a PROFESSION like: doctor, lawyer, politician, banker, etc...well then, who's making more than who?

This is of course nonsense. I was working at a BIIIIIIG and known company in Illinois where people were working as temps for #### wages, coming all the way down from Wisconsin and they were glad they even HAD that job. And those were people with degrees like software engineers and whatnot. If you have a degree and don't get a job with your great degree or education then it's not of much use, right?

reply to post by theovermensch


No it doesn't mean these people aren't working hard or aren't worth more money. Its unskilled work however and this is the problem. Anyone can do these jobs and anyone is eligible for these jobs regardless of education or experience.

This is fine and good as long as the majority of people working these jobs are students or bored spouses but the sad fact is that these jobs are being used as the primary breadwinning income in many households and families. These jobs we're never intended for this purpose. Also these days anyone can get a post secondary education. It is a requirement also as well. We didn't have this problem a few generations ago. You didn't need post secondary for most jobs before, now you do. There are more skilled workers than there is work for them also.

The problem is also a post secondary education doesn't necessarily make a good employee. The people who don't have access to college hurt even worse because they don't even have a chance. I know guys who a geniuses working with cars but can't afford the education so instead they work at a coffee shop.

We need new industries. Bottom line. The old industries are on the way out, we just haven't replaced them with anything yet. This has happened many times in history. Society reaches a standstill and needs something new to push it ahead. This is usually through war, new territory to explore/exploit or a new revolutionary technology.

Originally posted by flexy123

Originally posted by theovermensch
I read that the Federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour.

They must have raised it because back in 2000-2007 when i lived in the states there were jobs which paid $6 or $6.50 hour. Of course, this also meant you didn't have any health insurance either. It was better in Illinois and the states up North, but in the South $6.50 jobs were common.

It sounds like bizarro world. No wonder there are tent cities.There must be people living in 'tent cities' that have fulltime jobs.

reply to post by metaldemon2000

Text We need new industries. Bottom line. The old industries are on the way out, we just haven't replaced them with anything yet. This has happened many times in history.

I agree.It is alot like the industrial revolution. We need to make the machines work for us.

"Up to the present, man has been, to a certain extent, the slave of machinery, and there is something tragic in the fact that as soon as man had invented a machine to do his work he began to starve." Oscar Wilde.

Originally posted by GeorgiaGirl
reply to post by theovermensch

 

You watch a gop debate and hear people cheer at the idea of letting the poor die because they are poor.

No, you don't.

That has never, EVER, happened.

NO ONE at these debates cheers at the thought of poor people dying.

I won't get into the rest because I don't have time now, but I had to call you out on that one.

"Are You Saying Society Should Let Him Die...?"

"Yea"

"yes"

YEAAA"