New bill pushing for $10 minimum wage; how will this affect economy?

Originally posted by HIWATT

Originally posted by albertabound
What kind of a sad world do we live in when people value the "economy" over quality of life and human dignity. You Americans are so hopelessly lost I don't know if you can ever be saved.

Although I agree with you, this is coming from someone who lives in a province with a ZERO % provincial sales tax, and only a 7% goods and services tax.

Your taxes are literally HALF what most other provinces in Canada pay.

Hell, you can still buy a 6pack of beer in Alberta for $6.00 !

Minimum wage in Alberta is $9.40/hr. That's a hell of a lot more than $10.25 in BC, that's another sad fact.

Yes, that is fair. However, we do give a significant amount of our own hard earned oil profits away to the have-nots (in the form of equalization payments, or whatever they're called). I really don't have a problem with this because there are people in the Maritimes who really have it rough and they deserve it.

Canada is not as perfect as some people, including myself, make it out to be. Since the parasite known as Stephen Harper took Chretien out of power, this country has become a politically correct peer-pressure state. You can really tell the "lovely Americans" have infiltrated our political and economic institutions.

reply to post by oneness86


I live in Washington state where the minimum wage I believe is $9.04 right now. What I have noticed with some job fields is that as the minimum wage rises, the job's wages do not rise with it, so a position that ran for $11.00/hr in 1996 when the min. wage was $4.90 is still starting at $11.00/hr today or maybe only $2-3 more/hr. Plus not to mention mass inflation.

(I did not read all comments, so I apologize if this is a repeated opinion/idea)


I don't feel raising minimum wage will be of any benefit to anyone... our focus should lie in conquering the mass inflation.

reply to post by drock905

Minimum wage is NOT designed to be a livable wage. I have several that I pay minimum wage. I also give them excellent heath coverage that they don't have to pay into. If they have to work a second job, that is fine with me. I have worked many jobs at once to support my family employees and business. I also have employees that go above and beyond, and I compensate them for that. I give raises when they are earned, and bonuses, as well.

On another note, I currently juggle some extra jobs on the side as well as my more than full time business.

Originally posted by freedom12

Im currently making less than this new increase

reply to post by oneness86

 

So you make horrible wages for a living, which means you're either un-educated or blaming somone else for your stupidity.

Which one is it?

WOW! You hit the nail right on the head! I'm glad that someone said it!.

I dont get the whole concept of "if minimum wage is raised sooo many jobs are lost" . If you have a viable business idea, then people will do more buisness with you if they have more money, no? Or at least you can adjust the prices to match inflation because of a weaker dollar, more expensive raw materials etc. .

So what is the reasoning that there will be Armageddon if minimum wage is raised.

Originally posted by Submarines

Originally posted by freedom12

Im currently making less than this new increase

reply to post by oneness86

 

So you make horrible wages for a living, which means you're either un-educated or blaming somone else for your stupidity.

Which one is it?

WOW! You hit the nail right on the head! I'm glad that someone said it!.

Neither of you know my situation , im in school trying to make my life better and im not asking for a handout, thanks for keeping it positive...next!

Originally posted by biggilo
Minimum wages laws are the enemies of all citizens.
Over the past 10 years or so I have had first hand experience of board room decisions being made around them. (At present the minimum wage in the UK is about $10/hour ish)

The higher the minimum wage the more jobs will be out-sourced to Asia.

You will be told all sort of various lies about how it is because Asia is where innovation is these days or some other BS. Really it is because at present they work for less.

The moving of these jobs to Asia will cost millions and as a result Asian wages will slowly increase. Even when Asian wages become the same as they are in your home country the jobs will not return because this again will cost millions but will not result in lower wage costs.

You have to question what the real motives behind these laws are. I have witnessed 2 industries already being destroyed in the UK by minimum wage laws with another being destroyed as we speak.

And this is exactly why the working class hates capitalism, especially the free market small government type.

You are basically admitting business can do absolutely anything it wants with government rubber stamping its approval.

Who needs government at all under such conditions? The solution is tariffs! I would ask why right wingers have such a biased opinion AGAINST such basic and necessary measures but it is like asking people if they think ufos exist. Loaded questions with loaded biased answers. Yes, yes I know If I had millions at stake I would also avoid anything that goes against my enormous and uncontrollable greed and lie and cheat my way to right wing heaven.

Originally posted by ThirdEyeofHorus
reply to post by BULLPIN

 

We have had a minimum wage for quite some time now. I was really addressing a deeper adherence to socialist policy. The question is how much socialism are we going to implement? The dominoes are already falling. Socialism has to be propped up by Capital for it to even work. What will you do when the balance tips so that there are not enough wage earners to pay for all the others and all the programs?

And that is precisely why socialism has failed in europe, especially with the piigs nations. It is socialism within a global capitalist system rather than plain socialism. If the private central banks control the money supply they can choke the supply and demand chain to influence any outcome they desire.

The exchange rates at forex are based on gdp(gross domestic product) between the competing nations. The less productive a nation is the less the demand for it which means its currency eventually gets devalued in relation to the other currency(ies). It is a system which encourages high output/turnover and maximum sales. It is certainly not bases on pure supply and demand. Credit availability is encouraged rather than discouraged. People are encouraged to live beyond their means and be perpetual servants to the lending institutions.

I would much rather have a system tilted heavy on the supply chain and less on the demand chain, which cannotates mild socialism. Less work, less pollution, better wages, safer work enviroment, more free time, longer and healthier living.

Originally posted by oneness86

Originally posted by Submarines

Originally posted by freedom12

Im currently making less than this new increase

reply to post by oneness86

 

So you make horrible wages for a living, which means you're either un-educated or blaming somone else for your stupidity.

Which one is it?

WOW! You hit the nail right on the head! I'm glad that someone said it!.

Neither of you know my situation , im in school trying to make my life better and im not asking for a handout, thanks for keeping it positive...next!

Perhaps the biggest problem of all and the poster child of hypocrisy IS THAT you must get as much training and/or knowledge as possible to be competitive without being overqualified at the same time. Then you must undercut the illegal mexicans in pay because the government is either unqualified to stop the immigration or more likey they want that.

You see the stack of cards is so tilted against the working man the last 20 years it is amazing why anyone would even want to work at all. Sure some people get lucky and find a good job that pays well and they like/love their occupation but statistically I would say it is the vast minority. Most people are terribly unhappy and live to work rather than work to live. If you cannot tell the difference between the two it means you have been brainwashed very effectively and I am not really suprised.

If america could compete with the german system(some people falsely associate it with socialism...not even close!) then productivity would go up in the long run. Short term sacrifices are good for long term prosperity. Hard labor, even unskilled, should pay much more(probably 2-3 times) than what it currently pays. That means people with potential would go to college because they want to and not for snob appeal. My god the world is rife with hypocrisy!