How do people survive on minimum wage?

[Katzndogz]

Minimum wage has become harmful. It hurts many more people than it helps. The more people are disincentivized to advance and become worth more money, the easier it is to make them disposable and replaced with another mimimum wage worker.

 

[occupied]

There should be no minimum wage. Minimum wage was never supposed to be a wage that someone could survive on in the first place.

Minimum wage made a lot of sense in a country full of company towns, it makes even more sense in a present day America filled with big-boxes and franchises full of anonymous toilers.

Really? What kind of sense did it make?

It transformed the south, along with many other government mandates and programs, from a pit of flood and despair to the electrified cash paying government haters they are today, a southern man finally got a decent paycheck rather than a chicken or a hog only because the government said so.

 

[Mac1958]

Wages have not increased at pace with the cost of living in this country. Low wages are systemic.

You fail.

Oh crap. Okay, now that you announce that I "fail", I guess you've "won". You've talked me into it. I now agree with you so much that I'll contribute to the cause. From here on in, I'll support a new movement, but it needs to have a name:

"LOW WAGE WORKERS - FUCK IT, WHY BOTHER?"

DON'T put in any extra effort at work, trying to get a promotion to improve your place in life. Only rich kids get promoted. Fuck it, why bother?

DON'T burn time taking any classes or training that would improve your skills. Only rich kids with connections get good jobs, you should know that. Fuck it, why bother?

DON'T work more than one job to increase your income and maybe put a few bucks aside to pay off bills or for additional schooling or training. You don't have a chance anyway. Fuck it, why bother?

DON'T think that it takes hard work, sacrifice and discipline to build a good life. You have no chance. You are a victim. Someone else is taking advantage of you. Fuck it, why bother?

DON'T, under ANY circumstances, pay ANY attention to those who are putting in the extra effort - the single working moms, the college students working multiple jobs and carrying a full class load, the husbands coming home from a hard day at work to study for their course. That's all bullshit, lies perpetrated by the rich to hurt you. Fuck it, why bother?


Thanks LoneLaugher, I have seen the light since your announcement that I "failed". A low wage is, indeed, permanent and cannot be changed. Boy, those folks are FUCKED.

.

A whole platoon of straw men, don't see that too often. If success was as simple as working harder things would be awesome right now. Worker productivity and secondary education has steadily increased over the years yet income mobility has never been worse in our lifetimes. Must be some limiting factor involved other than just laziness.

Not sure where the straw men are. That's pretty much what it takes, and plenty of people do it. Plenty. Unfortunately, too many have been conditioned to believe in the "Fuck it, why bother" approach.

So now I'm signed on. Everyone who has a low wage should just give up and wait for the government to make them happy.

Fuck it. Yay.

.

 

[Ernie S.]

Quote:
Not one liberal has rebutted the fact that only 2.2% of American workers are paid minimum wage, of which the vast majority is teenagers and food servers.


Oh the irony. And not one Rethug has proved their assertion that raising the minimum wage, oh lets say a dollar an hour, on 2.2% of the American workforce, is going to force the employers to raise their prices on everyone.

What buying power 8 bucks an hour has eh? Who would have thought that minimum wage workers had such power in the economy. All 2.2% of them.

Steph if minimum wage went to 8 dollars an hour on 2.2% of the work force, would employers be forced to raise their prices on goods and services? If so, why?

Just curious.


And the idea of "personal responsibiltiy" is so cool for poor people. When do the rich have to practice it?
You know, like the rich guys in the banking industry that tanked the economy. Where was their "personal responsibiltiy"?

What is "personal responsibility" to a low wage earner? The decision to pay the electric bill rather than buy food or pay the car insurance?

No. It's to share housing and utilities, buy food they can afford and take the bus. If you make people comfortable in minimum wage jobs, they have no incentive to move beyond minimum wage.
Minimum wage in 1967 was $1.25. Bet your ass, I did what I had to to earn more. In the mean time, my desire for porterhouse and imported beer suffered, but I never went hungry.

 

[The Rabbi]

Minimum wage made a lot of sense in a country full of company towns, it makes even more sense in a present day America filled with big-boxes and franchises full of anonymous toilers.

Really? What kind of sense did it make?

It transformed the south, along with many other government mandates and programs, from a pit of flood and despair to the electrified cash paying government haters they are today, a southern man finally got a decent paycheck rather than a chicken or a hog only because the government said so.

Uh, no. That is totally untrue.
You might as well attribute southern prosperity to McDonald's introduction of the Big Mac. Or the songs of Elvis or something.

 

[Ernie S.]

Probably starve. We subsidize low wages in the private sector with food stamps and other assistance and here we have republicans wanting to add new levels of difficulty and expense to both sides of that shitty little equation.

It's not Republicans, it's the taxpayers of this country who is saying, enough..we are being BLED dry to the point we are struggling to take care OF OUR OWN families..

WHAT THE FUCK is that supposed to mean? Increasing the minimum wage doesn't cost taxpayer money. Get out of here with that kind of stupid shit.

Maybe not in taxes, idiot, but if McDonald's is forced to give the french fry guy a 30% raise, you can bet it will cost you more to supersize.

If the don't give french fry guy a raise, he will get pissed and quit and find a job where he can learn a marketable skill and increase his value.

 

[occupied]

Steph if minimum wage went to 8 dollars an hour on 2.2% of the work force, would employers be forced to raise their prices on goods and services? If so, why?

Just curious.


And the idea of "personal responsibiltiy" is so cool for poor people. When do the rich have to practice it?
You know, like the rich guys in the banking industry that tanked the economy. Where was their "personal responsibiltiy"?

What is "personal responsibility" to a low wage earner? The decision to pay the electric bill rather than buy food or pay the car insurance?

No. It's to share housing and utilities, buy food they can afford and take the bus. If you make people comfortable in minimum wage jobs, they have no incentive to move beyond minimum wage.
Minimum wage in 1967 was $1.25. Bet your ass, I did what I had to to earn more. In the mean time, my desire for porterhouse and imported beer suffered, but I never went hungry.

Funny you should mention the minimum wage rate in the late 60s when it was at it's peak in purchasing power, it's been in decline ever since.

 

[DiamondDave]

What is "personal responsibility" to a low wage earner? The decision to pay the electric bill rather than buy food or pay the car insurance?

No. It's to share housing and utilities, buy food they can afford and take the bus. If you make people comfortable in minimum wage jobs, they have no incentive to move beyond minimum wage.
Minimum wage in 1967 was $1.25. Bet your ass, I did what I had to to earn more. In the mean time, my desire for porterhouse and imported beer suffered, but I never went hungry.

Funny you should mention the minimum wage rate in the late 60s when it was at it's peak in purchasing power, it's been in decline ever since.

Again... does the problem with a 30 year old parent of 3 earning minimum wage sit with the government, business, or the person earning it?? Do you think minimum wage is meant for comfortable living??

 

[buckeye45_73]

What is "personal responsibility" to a low wage earner? The decision to pay the electric bill rather than buy food or pay the car insurance?

No. It's to share housing and utilities, buy food they can afford and take the bus. If you make people comfortable in minimum wage jobs, they have no incentive to move beyond minimum wage.
Minimum wage in 1967 was $1.25. Bet your ass, I did what I had to to earn more. In the mean time, my desire for porterhouse and imported beer suffered, but I never went hungry.

Funny you should mention the minimum wage rate in the late 60s when it was at it's peak in purchasing power, it's been in decline ever since.

notice inflation has gone up since the 60s (you know all those laws, poverty programs and regulations)

 

[occupied]

No. It's to share housing and utilities, buy food they can afford and take the bus. If you make people comfortable in minimum wage jobs, they have no incentive to move beyond minimum wage.
Minimum wage in 1967 was $1.25. Bet your ass, I did what I had to to earn more. In the mean time, my desire for porterhouse and imported beer suffered, but I never went hungry.

Funny you should mention the minimum wage rate in the late 60s when it was at it's peak in purchasing power, it's been in decline ever since.

Again... does the problem with a 30 year old parent of 3 earning minimum wage sit with the government, business, or the person earning it?? Do you think minimum wage is meant for comfortable living??

No it's meant to be a hard bottom for sweat-shop misery in this country.

 

[Ernie S.]

Probably starve. We subsidize low wages in the private sector with food stamps and other assistance and here we have republicans wanting to add new levels of difficulty and expense to both sides of that shitty little equation.

It's not Republicans, it's the taxpayers of this country who is saying, enough..we are being BLED dry to the point we are struggling to take care OF OUR OWN families..

It's not taxes that are doing the bleeding it is stagnant incomes in the face of ever increasing mandatory personal spending (rent, food, energy, medical care), America has not had a real raise in decades.

Because Americans don't produce wealth. They flip burgers or answer telephone calls from people bitching that they can't get on the internet to play their Facebook games.
Big Labor has priced American steel, machine tools, large construction equipment and even cars, to a large degree out of business.
Service jobs are worth nothing because they create no tangible asset.

 

[DiamondDave]

Funny you should mention the minimum wage rate in the late 60s when it was at it's peak in purchasing power, it's been in decline ever since.

Again... does the problem with a 30 year old parent of 3 earning minimum wage sit with the government, business, or the person earning it?? Do you think minimum wage is meant for comfortable living??

No it's meant to be a hard bottom for sweat-shop misery in this country.

Bob and weave

 

[The T]

It's not Republicans, it's the taxpayers of this country who is saying, enough..we are being BLED dry to the point we are struggling to take care OF OUR OWN families..

It's not taxes that are doing the bleeding it is stagnant incomes in the face of ever increasing mandatory personal spending (rent, food, energy, medical care), America has not had a real raise in decades.

Because Americans don't produce wealth. They flip burgers or answer telephone calls from people bitching that they can't get on the internet to play their Facebook games.
Big Labor has priced American steel, machine tools, large construction equipment and even cars, to a large degree out of business.
Service jobs are worth nothing because they create no tangible asset.

^yep.

 

[tjvh]

No. It's to share housing and utilities, buy food they can afford and take the bus. If you make people comfortable in minimum wage jobs, they have no incentive to move beyond minimum wage.
Minimum wage in 1967 was $1.25. Bet your ass, I did what I had to to earn more. In the mean time, my desire for porterhouse and imported beer suffered, but I never went hungry.

Funny you should mention the minimum wage rate in the late 60s when it was at it's peak in purchasing power, it's been in decline ever since.

Again... does the problem with a 30 year old parent of 3 earning minimum wage sit with the government, business, or the person earning it?? Do you think minimum wage is meant for comfortable living??

Yeah, nobody wakes up one day and says "I think I'm going to become a career cashier at McDonald's"... At least, I hope they don't.

 

[occupied]

It's not Republicans, it's the taxpayers of this country who is saying, enough..we are being BLED dry to the point we are struggling to take care OF OUR OWN families..

It's not taxes that are doing the bleeding it is stagnant incomes in the face of ever increasing mandatory personal spending (rent, food, energy, medical care), America has not had a real raise in decades.

Because Americans don't produce wealth. They flip burgers or answer telephone calls from people bitching that they can't get on the internet to play their Facebook games.
Big Labor has priced American steel, machine tools, large construction equipment and even cars, to a large degree out of business.
Service jobs are worth nothing because they create no tangible asset.

This is true except for blaming it on big labor rather than the tried and true capitalist tactic of undercutting jobs with cheap foreign labor and goods.

 

[The Rabbi]

Funny you should mention the minimum wage rate in the late 60s when it was at it's peak in purchasing power, it's been in decline ever since.

Again... does the problem with a 30 year old parent of 3 earning minimum wage sit with the government, business, or the person earning it?? Do you think minimum wage is meant for comfortable living??

No it's meant to be a hard bottom for sweat-shop misery in this country.

Yes, it eliminates sweat shop jobs. It eliminates lots of jobs. It is a job eliminator par excellence.

 

[occupied]

Again... does the problem with a 30 year old parent of 3 earning minimum wage sit with the government, business, or the person earning it?? Do you think minimum wage is meant for comfortable living??

No it's meant to be a hard bottom for sweat-shop misery in this country.

Yes, it eliminates sweat shop jobs. It eliminates lots of jobs. It is a job eliminator par excellence.

Are you of the opinion that jobs like that are a beneficial presence in a developed country?

 

[The Rabbi]

No it's meant to be a hard bottom for sweat-shop misery in this country.

Yes, it eliminates sweat shop jobs. It eliminates lots of jobs. It is a job eliminator par excellence.

Are you of the opinion that jobs like that are a beneficial presence in a developed country?

Any job is beneficial. By definition. No one is forced to take it. No one is forced to offer it.

 

[Ernie S.]

What is "personal responsibility" to a low wage earner? The decision to pay the electric bill rather than buy food or pay the car insurance?

No. It's to share housing and utilities, buy food they can afford and take the bus. If you make people comfortable in minimum wage jobs, they have no incentive to move beyond minimum wage.
Minimum wage in 1967 was $1.25. Bet your ass, I did what I had to to earn more. In the mean time, my desire for porterhouse and imported beer suffered, but I never went hungry.

Funny you should mention the minimum wage rate in the late 60s when it was at it's peak in purchasing power, it's been in decline ever since.

And a new Chevy cost 2 grand. What exactly makes a car cost 10 times that today?
Primarily labor costs including lifetime benefits and extraordinary pension plans. Big Labor has screwed itself.
Your purchasing power would be just fine, probably in better shape, if corporations were receiving productivity for their labor dollar.

 

[Ernie S.]

No it's meant to be a hard bottom for sweat-shop misery in this country.

Yes, it eliminates sweat shop jobs. It eliminates lots of jobs. It is a job eliminator par excellence.

Are you of the opinion that jobs like that are a beneficial presence in a developed country?

Somebody's got to flip the burgers.