How do people survive on minimum wage?

[newpolitics]

Why can't you understand this?

The price of goods is driven by the cost of producing them. If you have to pay your workers more, the price of what they produce will escalate.

This is amazingly simple, yet the great brains of the left seem incapable of, or unwilling to, understand.

Actually, it is not that simple, smart person. You are only considering the supply side. Price points are derived from the intersection of the demand and supply curve. That's Econ 101.

 

[Noomi]

Why can't you understand this?

The price of goods is driven by the cost of producing them. If you have to pay your workers more, the price of what they produce will escalate.

This is amazingly simple, yet the great brains of the left seem incapable of, or unwilling to, understand.

I understand that perfectly, thank you very much. I just question why an employer is happy to pay their workers a pittance in order to keep their product as cheap as possible. Surely well paid workers mean happy, more productive workers?

I can honestly say that if I was in the US and offered a job paying less than $10 an hour, no matter what that job was, I'd tell them they were dreaming.

It is hard to understand why America doesn't value its employees like Australia does.

 

[editec]

It is hard to understand why America doesn't value its employees like Australia does.

When OZ exports tens of millions of its industrial jobs to China, and when OZ pumps up its working class by a additional 25% with foreign workers so desperate that they work for pennies illegally, you'll understand it soon enough.

 

[Foxfyre]

Why can't you understand this?

The price of goods is driven by the cost of producing them. If you have to pay your workers more, the price of what they produce will escalate.

This is amazingly simple, yet the great brains of the left seem incapable of, or unwilling to, understand.

Actually, it is not that simple, smart person. You are only considering the supply side. Price points are derived from the intersection of the demand and supply curve. That's Econ 101.

Also in Econ 101 though is the fact that there is different demand for different commodities. There is only so much demand for bread, for isntance. People may buy more bread if the price is favorable to them and less bread when prices are higher than people are happy paying. But at any price, people are only going to buy so much bread.

In other things, price is a huge factor. Ford is going to sell many many more Ford Focus than Lincoln Navigators because so many more people can afford a Focus. And if prices escalate to a point people cannot afford or are unwilliong to pay, they choose a different product or make do with what they have or do without.

In labor intensive enterprises like contracting, the guy who overpays his employees is not going to be competitive in his bids. If he cannot get work, he and all his employees make nothing. The guy who pays people enough to merit good people who do good work and who can also be competitive in pricing is going to get a lot of whatever work is to be had. Most of us would agree that it is better to make something than nothing.

 

[koshergrl]

Here's the really funny thing about that...poor people won't be living longer. They'll be living shorter lives. That trend has already started. And they will be encouraged to end their lives at the drop of a hat, and the left will continue to push for non-consensual "euthanasia" (aka "legal murder")

 

[koshergrl]

"
The study found that life expectancy for women fell significantly in 702 of the nation's more than 3,100 counties. The largest declines — by nearly 2 years — were in Mississippi's Madison County, near Jackson, and the adjacent Hughes and Okfuskee counties in eastern Oklahoma.
Life expectancy dropped for men in 251 counties, by more than 2 years in Kentucky's Perry County in Appalachia and Mississippi's Madison."


Counties with increasing state medical coverage.



It appears that state run medical actually reduces your life expectancy.


Life expectancy drops in hundreds of US counties - CBS News

 

[Gadawg73]

Why can't you understand this?

The price of goods is driven by the cost of producing them. If you have to pay your workers more, the price of what they produce will escalate.

This is amazingly simple, yet the great brains of the left seem incapable of, or unwilling to, understand.

I understand that perfectly, thank you very much. I just question why an employer is happy to pay their workers a pittance in order to keep their product as cheap as possible. Surely well paid workers mean happy, more productive workers?

I can honestly say that if I was in the US and offered a job paying less than $10 an hour, no matter what that job was, I'd tell them they were dreaming.

It is hard to understand why America doesn't value its employees like Australia does.

Skill level sets the wage. The more skills you have that are in demand the more $ you make.
Minimum wage earners have little, few or no skills. "Do you want fries with that" is not a skill.
I value my workers, all of them because they value their work ethic.
Australia is not America.
Delta is ready when you are.

 

[Gadawg73]

It is hard to understand why America doesn't value its employees like Australia does.

When OZ exports tens of millions of its industrial jobs to China, and when OZ pumps up its working class by a additional 25% with foreign workers so desperate that they work for pennies illegally, you'll understand it soon enough.

You buy the Chink products and hire the Mexicans so under your analysis you are to blame.

 

[FA_Q2]

It is hard to understand why America doesn't value its employees like Australia does.

When OZ exports tens of millions of its industrial jobs to China, and when OZ pumps up its working class by a additional 25% with foreign workers so desperate that they work for pennies illegally, you'll understand it soon enough.

You buy the Chink products and hire the Mexicans so under your analysis you are to blame.

That is actually very true. The American people have become lazy morons. No one even questions where their products came from and no one seems willing to shell out the extra dough to keep those jobs here in America. It is not even about quality anymore. People just want price and they are willing to sink the country to get it. Very sad.

 

[Noomi]

Skill level sets the wage. The more skills you have that are in demand the more $ you make.
Minimum wage earners have little, few or no skills. "Do you want fries with that" is not a skill.
I value my workers, all of them because they value their work ethic.
Australia is not America.
Delta is ready when you are.

There will always be people needed to do those minimum wage jobs, but if people can barely pay their rent with what little money they earn, why can't the employer pay them more?

Would you really object to paying an extra $2 for a pizza if it meant the delivery boy was paid more? I sure wouldn't.

 

[grunt11b]

I think a better question would be, how many people in here started out on minimum wage and used that experience to eventually work their way up the ladder to a better job. Minimum wage is not there for you to earn a living off of, it is there to get you started. If you are 25 or older and still working minimum wage, maybe you should look in the mirror, not blame everyone else.

 

[grunt11b]

Skill level sets the wage. The more skills you have that are in demand the more $ you make.
Minimum wage earners have little, few or no skills. "Do you want fries with that" is not a skill.
I value my workers, all of them because they value their work ethic.
Australia is not America.
Delta is ready when you are.

There will always be people needed to do those minimum wage jobs, but if people can barely pay their rent with what little money they earn, why can't the employer pay them more?

Would you really object to paying an extra $2 for a pizza if it meant the delivery boy was paid more? I sure wouldn't.

I wouldn't, maybe the delivery boy should go to college, or heres a good idea, how about he deliver pizzas while in college, and then when he graduates he can then step up and make good money, Instead of working the bottom of the pit jobs and expecting everybody else to make up the difference due to his lack of ambition. Why dont you just go ahead and tip the pizza boy the extra $2 and leave the rest of us the hell alone.

 

[Artevelde]

Skill level sets the wage. The more skills you have that are in demand the more $ you make.
Minimum wage earners have little, few or no skills. "Do you want fries with that" is not a skill.
I value my workers, all of them because they value their work ethic.
Australia is not America.
Delta is ready when you are.

There will always be people needed to do those minimum wage jobs, but if people can barely pay their rent with what little money they earn, why can't the employer pay them more?

Would you really object to paying an extra $2 for a pizza if it meant the delivery boy was paid more? I sure wouldn't.

It's not really that straigthforward. First of all, a business has to remain competitive. for some businesses their only competition is local, for others it's global. That makes a big difference in the impact of wage-costs.

Also, what an employer pays his or her employee depends on many factors: how scarce is the skill required for the job; what kind of experience does the employee have; what are his/her responsibilities; etc.

 

[Noomi]

I think a better question would be, how many people in here started out on minimum wage and used that experience to eventually work their way up the ladder to a better job. Minimum wage is not there for you to earn a living off of, it is there to get you started. If you are 25 or older and still working minimum wage, maybe you should look in the mirror, not blame everyone else.

I am in a minimum wage job as a casual worker, and have been for more than five years. If I left, I could get a job anywhere else in the food industry. All I would need is my Food Handling Certificate and I'd be all set.

 

[Noomi]

I wouldn't, maybe the delivery boy should go to college, or heres a good idea, how about he deliver pizzas while in college, and then when he graduates he can then step up and make good money, Instead of working the bottom of the pit jobs and expecting everybody else to make up the difference due to his lack of ambition. Why dont you just go ahead and tip the pizza boy the extra $2 and leave the rest of us the hell alone.

If the delivery boy goes to college, he will need to study. Why would he deliver pizzas when he could be studying for his exams?

Conservatives just don't get it. They think people can go to college and work a full time job at the same time. No wonder kids get so stressed and suffer burnout, the pressure on them is too much.

 

[Artevelde]

I wouldn't, maybe the delivery boy should go to college, or heres a good idea, how about he deliver pizzas while in college, and then when he graduates he can then step up and make good money, Instead of working the bottom of the pit jobs and expecting everybody else to make up the difference due to his lack of ambition. Why dont you just go ahead and tip the pizza boy the extra $2 and leave the rest of us the hell alone.

If the delivery boy goes to college, he will need to study. Why would he deliver pizzas when he could be studying for his exams?

Conservatives just don't get it. They think people can go to college and work a full time job at the same time. No wonder kids get so stressed and suffer burnout, the pressure on them is too much.

Please give me a break! The pressure is too high? If kids are suffering from pressure it's not from having to work or study, but from the huge amount of expensive junk they get.

 

[Artevelde]

I think a better question would be, how many people in here started out on minimum wage and used that experience to eventually work their way up the ladder to a better job. Minimum wage is not there for you to earn a living off of, it is there to get you started. If you are 25 or older and still working minimum wage, maybe you should look in the mirror, not blame everyone else.

I am in a minimum wage job as a casual worker, and have been for more than five years. If I left, I could get a job anywhere else in the food industry. All I would need is my Food Handling Certificate and I'd be all set.

Well, I guess you're pretty happy with your minimum wage then.

 

[Noomi]

Please give me a break! The pressure is too high? If kids are suffering from pressure it's not from having to work or study, but from the huge amount of expensive junk they get.

The pressure IS high. Our kids go to senior school (years 11 and 12) and after coming home from a 6 hour day at school, they get lumped with up to 5 hours of homework - EVERY night. 11 hours pouring over those books. They need to study because if they don't get excellent marks on their exams, they won't be eligible for university. Most of the students study hard but don't get a chance to go to Uni and study their chosen careers.

Well, I guess you're pretty happy with your minimum wage then.

Not exactly. I live at home, so I can manage okay, but I am on the lookout for something different.

 

[Artevelde]

Please give me a break! The pressure is too high? If kids are suffering from pressure it's not from having to work or study, but from the huge amount of expensive junk they get.

The pressure IS high. Our kids go to senior school (years 11 and 12) and after coming home from a 6 hour day at school, they get lumped with up to 5 hours of homework - EVERY night. 11 hours pouring over those books. They need to study because if they don't get excellent marks on their exams, they won't be eligible for university. Most of the students study hard but don't get a chance to go to Uni and study their chosen careers.

How much time do they spend on facebook, twitter, cell-phones, etc?

Children should be grateful that they have the opportunity to study.

 

[Artevelde]

Not exactly. I live at home, so I can manage okay, but I am on the lookout for something different.

Well, good luck with that then.