How do people survive on minimum wage?

[Cecilie1200]

30 millon Mexicans swim a river and hike through a dessert to find a job.

Maybe your friend should go to where jobs are rather than waiting "around there."

For christssakes, its not that complicated.

Where are the jobs?

They are in the sciences and engineering.. When the global economy took off, we were warned that we'd never be making tennis shoes again and that we better up our game and learn to do the stuff that the rest of the world hasn't figured out yet..

That's NOT a swipe at service jobs. My niece did extremely well as a waitress in a busy popular restaurant until she went into Law Enforcement. But the LEAD out of bleeding middle class jobs to the rest of the world is to INNOVATE, START COMPANIES, and LEAD in biotech, materials, robotics, artificial intelligience, software, logistics, etc, etc, (broken record).. All other jobs should follow.. We CANNOT service each other to death..

NOT with "green jobs" or "shovel ready" jobs.. We are being led down the tubes and TIME'S A' Wasting folks.. Change it or kiss it goodbye..

How hard is it to look around you, at your area's population and economy, and SEE where the damned jobs are? Some fields are shorthanded pretty much everywhere, and some fields are big in certain areas only. But it's not exactly rocket magic to figure it out.

Take where I live. My area is, first and foremost, a retirement mecca. We attract old farts, usually old farts with comfortable retirement incomes ('cause they're the ones who can afford to pick up and move during retirement). What do old farts with disposable income want more than anything else? HEALTH CARE. Lots and lots of health care, not only for illnesses and injuries, but also for quality of life, to allow them to spend their retirements hanging out on the golf course and sightseeing instead of sitting in a wheelchair somewhere. So what field is ALWAYS going to have more jobs than it can fill where I live? Duh. Not exactly a calculus equation there. More like first-grade arithmetic.

This sort of logic is being done by people all over the country, all the time. So why is it so damned complicated for liberals to suss out?

 

[thanatos144]

If you're trying to survive on minimum wage, the first thing you need to do is get some education in your off time. Duh.

umm your right about getting educated if you make as minimum or hell as much as me even which isnt much but how are you suppose to pay for that????Get loans? I am 40 years old am not getting myself into that kind of debt. To each their own. Good thing for me is I have experience in many things so when the economy kicks up I might be able to get a better job.......Use to be you hired a guy entry level and if they showed promise and brains you promoted him up...Now? Now they want some moron straight out of some university that knows next to nothing about the company and its customers....Its sad. It is in my mind a huge reason America is no longer the manufacturing capital of the world.

 

[thanatos144]

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.

No it costs all of us when prices raise to meet the the new rise in cost dumb ass.

 

[flacaltenn]

If you're trying to survive on minimum wage, the first thing you need to do is get some education in your off time. Duh.

umm your right about getting educated if you make as minimum or hell as much as me even which isnt much but how are you suppose to pay for that????Get loans? I am 40 years old am not getting myself into that kind of debt. To each their own. Good thing for me is I have experience in many things so when the economy kicks up I might be able to get a better job.......Use to be you hired a guy entry level and if they showed promise and brains you promoted him up...Now? Now they want some moron straight out of some university that knows next to nothing about the company and its customers....Its sad. It is in my mind a huge reason America is no longer the manufacturing capital of the world.

Again -- GED is almost free. Community College in Cali is $140 or so per class... Many qualify for EXISTING FED programs for retraining. If nobody uses those -- we should ditch them tomorrow..

Don't panic. Don't get in debt.. Ask for fewer birthday presents and get a textbook...

 

[thanatos144]

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.

.

That is all bullshit you know....Very few low income workers do what you said. Some welfare queens and kings do though.

 

[thanatos144]

If you're trying to survive on minimum wage, the first thing you need to do is get some education in your off time. Duh.

umm your right about getting educated if you make as minimum or hell as much as me even which isnt much but how are you suppose to pay for that????Get loans? I am 40 years old am not getting myself into that kind of debt. To each their own. Good thing for me is I have experience in many things so when the economy kicks up I might be able to get a better job.......Use to be you hired a guy entry level and if they showed promise and brains you promoted him up...Now? Now they want some moron straight out of some university that knows next to nothing about the company and its customers....Its sad. It is in my mind a huge reason America is no longer the manufacturing capital of the world.

Again -- GED is almost free. Community College in Cali is $140 or so per class... Many qualify for EXISTING FED programs for retraining. If nobody uses those -- we should ditch them tomorrow..

Don't panic. Don't get in debt.. Ask for fewer birthday presents and get a textbook...

I didn't say I was a idiot I do not need a GED seeing as I went through school....I said at my age I do not want to go in debt to get more education unless I need to. I have experience is many different fields and have the education to match them. I was saying that in truth each person has their ow Individual challenges. Also I was making the point that a piece of paper is no replacement for experience.

 

[The T]

You don't know why I would think that? Because working for less than it takes to survive is slavery.

Slavery on who's part? NO ONE forces ANYONE to take a job.

YOUR idea of slavery is SUBJECTIVE.

When the alternative is starvation, or sleeping on the streets...what exactly do you call it?

An alternative...but not a GOAL.

But when you have a Government dictating every aspect of your life...you are left with little else.

But isn't that the Statist goal? make things so BAD you MUST take anything you can get?

SEE the Difference?

 

[thanatos144]

Not everyone will be a CEO or a doctor....Some of us will be workers and damn proud of it.

 

[The T]

Not everyone will be a CEO or a doctor....Some of us will be workers and damn proud of it.

MOST of us will follow our hearts, our aspirations until Big Gubmint tells us we can't unless WE do it thier way...

And what happens to the Republic then?

The Republic Ceases IF we let Government have thier way.

 

[flacaltenn]

umm your right about getting educated if you make as minimum or hell as much as me even which isnt much but how are you suppose to pay for that????Get loans? I am 40 years old am not getting myself into that kind of debt. To each their own. Good thing for me is I have experience in many things so when the economy kicks up I might be able to get a better job.......Use to be you hired a guy entry level and if they showed promise and brains you promoted him up...Now? Now they want some moron straight out of some university that knows next to nothing about the company and its customers....Its sad. It is in my mind a huge reason America is no longer the manufacturing capital of the world.

Again -- GED is almost free. Community College in Cali is $140 or so per class... Many qualify for EXISTING FED programs for retraining. If nobody uses those -- we should ditch them tomorrow..

Don't panic. Don't get in debt.. Ask for fewer birthday presents and get a textbook...

I didn't say I was a idiot I do not need a GED seeing as I went through school....I said at my age I do not want to go in debt to get more education unless I need to. I have experience is many different fields and have the education to match them. I was saying that in truth each person has their ow Individual challenges. Also I was making the point that a piece of paper is no replacement for experience.

Oh I'm not demeaning experience, trade-work, and self-learned skills. I'd love a couple busload of mechanists and tinkerers to show up in Silicon Valley tomorrow. But when factories come BACK to America (they will) -- you're gonna need to know how to talk nicely to machines and do statistics and maybe know a bit about biology at the same time.

Life is changin'.. 16 year olds are writing apps for cell phones. Where do you think a HS grad is gonna be in 10 years?

Look at farmers.. They are now MBAs with other degrees in Ag Science and such.. They HAVE to be to run TODAY'S farm at a profit...

 

[thanatos144]

Not everyone will be a CEO or a doctor....Some of us will be workers and damn proud of it.

MOST of us will follow our hearts, our aspirations until Big Gubmint tells us we can't unless WE do it thier way...

And what happens to the Republic then?

The Republic Ceases IF we let Government have thier way.

LOL I am just stating a fact. Not a damn thing wrong with working to support your family...Not everyone has to cure cancer. Thats the American way where hard work will get you where you need to go. You get paid what your worth and thats up to both you and the employer.

 

[Inthemiddle]

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.

And if I don't like it, I don't have to do business with McDonald's anymore (not that I often do in the first place). Still doesn't justify Steph making such an outrageously false statement.

 

[thanatos144]

Again -- GED is almost free. Community College in Cali is $140 or so per class... Many qualify for EXISTING FED programs for retraining. If nobody uses those -- we should ditch them tomorrow..

Don't panic. Don't get in debt.. Ask for fewer birthday presents and get a textbook...

I didn't say I was a idiot I do not need a GED seeing as I went through school....I said at my age I do not want to go in debt to get more education unless I need to. I have experience is many different fields and have the education to match them. I was saying that in truth each person has their ow Individual challenges. Also I was making the point that a piece of paper is no replacement for experience.

Oh I'm not demeaning experience, trade-work, and self-learned skills. I'd love a couple busload of mechanists and tinkerers to show up in Silicon Valley tomorrow. But when factories come BACK to America (they will) -- you're gonna need to know how to talk nicely to machines and do statistics and maybe know a bit about biology at the same time.

Life is changin'.. 16 year olds are writing apps for cell phones. Where do you think a HS grad is gonna be in 10 years?

Look at farmers.. They are now MBAs with other degrees in Ag Science and such.. They HAVE to be to run TODAY'S farm at a profit...

School degrees are no longer worth the paper they are printed on. Use to be you worked hard to earn your degree now they have dumbed down so much in the pursuit of fairness that you have business majors who can barely add and engineers who cant read a blueprint. No the future isnt in our schools it is the young who work and learn...All college graduates today should start in entry positions and MAYBE they will learn their Job.

 

[The T]

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.

And if I don't like it, I don't have to do business with McDonald's anymore (not that I often do in the first place). Still doesn't justify Steph making such an outrageously false statement.

Yo quiero Taco Bell!

IDIOT.

 

[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.

.

That is all bullshit you know....Very few low income workers do what you said. Some welfare queens and kings do though.

And that is primarily why they are still low income workers.


.

 

[The T]

Not everyone will be a CEO or a doctor....Some of us will be workers and damn proud of it.

MOST of us will follow our hearts, our aspirations until Big Gubmint tells us we can't unless WE do it thier way...

And what happens to the Republic then?

The Republic Ceases IF we let Government have thier way.

LOL I am just stating a fact. Not a damn thing wrong with working to support your family...Not everyone has to cure cancer. Thats the American way where hard work will get you where you need to go. You get paid what your worth and thats up to both you and the employer.

Yep. ^^

 

[The T]

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.

.

That is all bullshit you know....Very few low income workers do what you said. Some welfare queens and kings do though.

And that is primarily why they are still low income workers.


.

low income wrokers are there because they refuse to STRIVE to better themselves...and become complacent.

 

[francoHFW]

Considering what Pubs do when they get in power, I can see why the dupes hate gov't. Keep gov't's hands off my Medicare! Idiots.

All workers should get a living wage $10.50, = 1968's min wage. see sig pp1.

 

[Inthemiddle]

If we had a minimum wage of $10.00 an hour you would just have fewer people working to make $10.00 an hour.

You would also have many more part time workers.

This unsubstantiated BS is always wrong. Businesses don't staff based on what their profit margins happen to be. They staff for business demand. During this time of year my place of employment tends to do approximately $300,000 in revenue in a typical day, often times more. I don't write my schedule based on that, though. I write it based on business demand. If it's going to be busy, I schedule alot of people. If it's going to be slower, I schedule fewer people. If I have many people on the schedule and it turns out to be slower than anticipated, I send people home early. If I only had a few people on and it's busier than expected, I call someone in, burning OT in the process.

My department makes, eh, survivable wages to start, and our people get a 33% raise after they've been there a year. Of course, that doesn't speak for the rest of the house, but my people are some of the best paid line employees in the place (other than people who have been there for many years). When we set our prices, we don't do it based on how many people we have who are getting paid at whatever wages. Our rates are set based on one thing alone, business demand. We charge as much as we can every single time, regardless of how much or how little people are getting paid. We don't raise our rates 33% when we have a bunch of newer people reach their anniversary. We charge based on business demand, and nothing else.

 

[Inthemiddle]

low income wrokers are there because they refuse to STRIVE to better themselves...and become complacent.

Again, completely untrue. Low income workers are there because there is only so many spots open for higher job levels. My place of employment has approximately 600 people working there. How many of them would you expect are "low income" workers, and how many of them have higher level positions? I'll give you the approximate breakdown. We have rough 5% upper management, 20% middle management, and 75% line employees. That's about 450 people in the bottom. Many of those people have been there for many years. And there's a reason why they aren't moving up. Not because they are lazy or refuse to strive to be anything more. It's because there simply is not the room for all of those people to work their way up. There are people who will put in 20 years, and never be promoted to anything more than a semi-line employee, making an extra 50c per hour for it. They work hard, are very dedicated, and do excellent work. But we don't have 450 management positions available. And if we tried to create them, we'd go out of business pretty quickly.

Few people at the top, many people at the bottom. That is how you maintain a stable structure. It has nothing to do with people not working hard, etc. It's the simple fact that doing business DEMANDS that you maintain a stable structure of many line employees, and progressively fewer higher level jobs.