In only 10% of counties in the US can a worker afford a 2 bedroom apartment working 40 hours a week

[Harpy Eagle]

'A national problem': U.S. housing affordability is out of whack with minimum wage

Obviously this should bother republican voters, but they have this fantasy mindset that Trump will turn this country into some kind of utopia despite the fact that he had two years to do so with a republican Congress. Their only response when presented with this is the usual pathetic deflection of “well Obama didn’t do it! Derp, derp, derp!”

Now granted Obama achieved little in improving the lives of the middle class and poor besides a few policies. These policies include 1) helping to reverse the Great Recession he inherited from Bush 6 months into his presidency and producing job growth EVER SINCE. 2) Expanding OT pay eligibility for thousands of US workers 3) guaranteeing people receive healthcare from pre-existing conditions, 4) passing the biggest middle class tax cut since Reagan

He also TRIED to invest education and raise the minimum wage but was blocked by republicans.

The point I am making is that republicans do fucking NOTHING to help the poor and middle class but democrats at least make an attempt despite failing on a significant scale. This nuance matters whether you like it or not.

Why didn't black jesus fix it, huh liar?

The same reason your orange jesus is not fixing it.

Oh he's trying shit stain but you filth stop him at every turn.

He is trying!

Lower corporate taxes did help the middle class.

How did they do that?

 

[toobfreak]

Don't work for minimum wage... problem solved.

Well gee, that’s a brilliant solution.

If fncceo loped his head off above his eyebrows he's still be 10X smarter than you! Minimum wage was never meant to live on, there should be no minimum wage. It is only intended for kids to get their feet wet doing unskilled jobs while still living at home to get some work experience and make some cash. What is a person like that looking for r needing a TWO bedroom apartment for anyway? To raise a family? What's wrong with a ONE bedroom apartment? If you want a TWO bedroom apartment while only making minimum wage, try moving to Huntington Alabama with your life partner and BOTH of you working a burger joint. With the two of you then you can afford to get that two bedroom apartment and you each get your own bedroom! With money left to spare!

 

[pknopp]

'A national problem': U.S. housing affordability is out of whack with minimum wage

Obviously this should bother republican voters, but they have this fantasy mindset that Trump will turn this country into some kind of utopia despite the fact that he had two years to do so with a republican Congress. Their only response when presented with this is the usual pathetic deflection of “well Obama didn’t do it! Derp, derp, derp!”

Now granted Obama achieved little in improving the lives of the middle class and poor besides a few policies. These policies include 1) helping to reverse the Great Recession he inherited from Bush 6 months into his presidency and producing job growth EVER SINCE. 2) Expanding OT pay eligibility for thousands of US workers 3) guaranteeing people receive healthcare from pre-existing conditions, 4) passing the biggest middle class tax cut since Reagan

He also TRIED to invest education and raise the minimum wage but was blocked by republicans.

The point I am making is that republicans do fucking NOTHING to help the poor and middle class but democrats at least make an attempt despite failing on a significant scale. This nuance matters whether you like it or not.

Why didn't black jesus fix it, huh liar?

The same reason your orange jesus is not fixing it.

Oh he's trying shit stain but you filth stop him at every turn.

He is trying!

Lower corporate taxes did help the middle class.

I would support ending corporate taxes if we would make all income taxed at the same level.

 

[AzogtheDefiler]

Why didn't black jesus fix it, huh liar?

The same reason your orange jesus is not fixing it.

Oh he's trying shit stain but you filth stop him at every turn.

He is trying!

Lower corporate taxes did help the middle class.

How did they do that?

List of companies that paid bonuses or boosted pay since tax bill passed

Raises and bonuses as corporations made more and invested in CAPEX. Low unemployment also means workers who change jobs get a nice boost in salary and bonus. I see it firsthand here in Boston.

 

[blackhawk]

It's still what it was intended to be despite some wanting to change that for political benefit.

Driving down wages to as close to minimum wage as possible is now the goal.

Wages have been going up.

Wages stalled but costs haven’t .........

Families Go Deep in Debt to Stay in the Middle Class

During the Bush and Obama years they were stalled for the last three years they have been goinbg up.

Not according to the Wall Street journal. I'll go with that as opposed to some chat site claim.

Not a site calim.
Why Wages Are Finally Rising, 10 Years After the Recession

 

[Harpy Eagle]

The same reason your orange jesus is not fixing it.

Oh he's trying shit stain but you filth stop him at every turn.

He is trying!

Lower corporate taxes did help the middle class.

How did they do that?

List of companies that paid bonuses or boosted pay since tax bill passed

Raises and bonuses as corporations made more and invested in CAPEX. Low unemployment also means workers who change jobs get a nice boost in salary and bonus. I see it firsthand here in Boston.

Not to downplay such things, but a $1000 dollar one time bonus does not really do much for most middle class families, especially since most companies paid it out over a period of time and did not give them the lump sum.

Unemployment was low before the tax cuts, there is no data to suggest there was more hiring because of the tax cuts.

The thing you miss is that corporations in the US were making record setting profits before the tax cuts, they could have done all those things anyhow.

 

[Godboy]

'A national problem': U.S. housing affordability is out of whack with minimum wage

Obviously this should bother republican voters, but they have this fantasy mindset that Trump will turn this country into some kind of utopia despite the fact that he had two years to do so with a republican Congress. Their only response when presented with this is the usual pathetic deflection of “well Obama didn’t do it! Derp, derp, derp!”

Now granted Obama achieved little in improving the lives of the middle class and poor besides a few policies. These policies include 1) helping to reverse the Great Recession he inherited from Bush 6 months into his presidency and producing job growth EVER SINCE. 2) Expanding OT pay eligibility for thousands of US workers 3) guaranteeing people receive healthcare from pre-existing conditions, 4) passing the biggest middle class tax cut since Reagan

He also TRIED to invest education and raise the minimum wage but was blocked by republicans.

The point I am making is that republicans do fucking NOTHING to help the poor and middle class but democrats at least make an attempt despite failing on a significant scale. This nuance matters whether you like it or not.

Why would 1 worker need a 2 bedroom apartment? He should get a room mate, then he can easily afford it, or have a wife who works.

 

[pknopp]

Driving down wages to as close to minimum wage as possible is now the goal.

Wages have been going up.

Wages stalled but costs haven’t .........

Families Go Deep in Debt to Stay in the Middle Class

During the Bush and Obama years they were stalled for the last three years they have been goinbg up.

Not according to the Wall Street journal. I'll go with that as opposed to some chat site claim.

Not a site calim.
Why Wages Are Finally Rising, 10 Years After the Recession

I appreciate the link but I can't access it.

 

[Harpy Eagle]

Wages have been going up.

Wages stalled but costs haven’t .........

Families Go Deep in Debt to Stay in the Middle Class

During the Bush and Obama years they were stalled for the last three years they have been goinbg up.

Not according to the Wall Street journal. I'll go with that as opposed to some chat site claim.

Not a site calim.
Why Wages Are Finally Rising, 10 Years After the Recession

I appreciate the link but I can't access it.

Here is the jist of it...

The rest is most likely a result of a tightening labor market that is forcing employers to raise pay even for workers at the bottom of the earnings ladder.

Ms. Gimbel noted that better-paying industries had experienced faster job growth in recent months, while the fastest wage growth had been in lower-paying industries. That could indicate that sectors like health care and manufacturing are snapping up workers, forcing retailers and restaurants to raise pay to compete.

 

[blackhawk]

Wages have been going up.

Wages stalled but costs haven’t .........

Families Go Deep in Debt to Stay in the Middle Class

During the Bush and Obama years they were stalled for the last three years they have been goinbg up.

Not according to the Wall Street journal. I'll go with that as opposed to some chat site claim.

Not a site calim.
Why Wages Are Finally Rising, 10 Years After the Recession

I appreciate the link but I can't access it.

Strange opens right up when I do happens sometimes I guess.

 

[Harpy Eagle]

Wages stalled but costs haven’t .........

Families Go Deep in Debt to Stay in the Middle Class

During the Bush and Obama years they were stalled for the last three years they have been goinbg up.

Not according to the Wall Street journal. I'll go with that as opposed to some chat site claim.

Not a site calim.
Why Wages Are Finally Rising, 10 Years After the Recession

I appreciate the link but I can't access it.

Strange opens right up when I do happens sometimes I guess.

I think the NYTimes has a view limit of like 5 articles per month if you do not have a subscription

 

[pknopp]

Wages stalled but costs haven’t .........

Families Go Deep in Debt to Stay in the Middle Class

During the Bush and Obama years they were stalled for the last three years they have been goinbg up.

Not according to the Wall Street journal. I'll go with that as opposed to some chat site claim.

Not a site calim.
Why Wages Are Finally Rising, 10 Years After the Recession

I appreciate the link but I can't access it.

Here is the jist of it...

The rest is most likely a result of a tightening labor market that is forcing employers to raise pay even for workers at the bottom of the earnings ladder.

Ms. Gimbel noted that better-paying industries had experienced faster job growth in recent months, while the fastest wage growth had been in lower-paying industries. That could indicate that sectors like health care and manufacturing are snapping up workers, forcing retailers and restaurants to raise pay to compete.

Thanks, but that doesn't mean that even with some higher wages they are keeping up with costs.

 

[Billiejeens]

If one is an adult that wakes up one morning and knows that they have been working a full time job at minimum wage -
They need to simply off themselves - they are of no benefit to themselves or others,

 

[OldLady]

Don't work for minimum wage... problem solved.

Well gee, that’s a brilliant solution.

If fncceo loped his head off above his eyebrows he's still be 10X smarter than you! Minimum wage was never meant to live on, there should be no minimum wage. It is only intended for kids to get their feet wet doing unskilled jobs while still living at home to get some work experience and make some cash. What is a person like that looking for r needing a TWO bedroom apartment for anyway? To raise a family? What's wrong with a ONE bedroom apartment? If you want a TWO bedroom apartment while only making minimum wage, try moving to Huntington Alabama with your life partner and BOTH of you working a burger joint. With the two of you then you can afford to get that two bedroom apartment and you each get your own bedroom! With money left to spare!

Minimum wage was never meant to live on, there should be no minimum wage. It is only intended for kids to get their feet wet doing unskilled jobs while still living at home to get some work experience and make some cash.
I don't know what kind of rich burb you grew up in, but that's the biggest stereotype/fallacy floating around right now. Over the years, I've had plenty of them and a lot of the people I worked with had been there for years and weren't making a whole lot more than minimum even then. They really weren't capable of doing much more, but they were going to work every day and coping with maybe a week's paid vacation, if that, because we all have to work. I teach some of those folks who didn't get a diploma and believe me, minimum wage jobs are NOT just for kids in school looking to make some pocket change. The problem, from society's perspective, is that for awhile, until a lot of states starting increasing their minimum wage, people were working 40 hours and still eligible for Food Stamps and housing assistance. When working 40 hours puts you below poverty level, something IS wrong. Yes, prices went up when minimum wage did, but we're not paying Food Stamps to the single moms working at McDonalds anymore, so it evens out in the end.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

So? Work more than 40 hours. Most people do anyway.

When I was younger, me and most of my friends had more than one job, or a job that worked six or seven days a week with a lot of hours.

Our priorities were different than today though. Number one was a roof over your head, then food, and of course utilities.

Today I think people would rather be homeless than to give up their smart phone. We spend a lot of money buying fast food, taking vacations, much of it on technology for entertainment and convenience, late model cars that most lease today.

I moved from my parents home at the age of 20 back in 1980. I paid less for my first apartment back then than I do my cable/ cell phone bill today. Actually a hundred dollars less.

When you and I were younger, there was much less extraneous expensive stuff to spend our money on. TV was still mostly free, and even cable was less than 10 bucks a month. Most extra money went too booze or women! I do remember saving up for a kicking store and speakers for my car!

I have worked since I was 15, never more than 3.5 months in all that time without a job, and only that long once.

The funny thing about us Americans, we are taking less vacations than ever.

One American Vacation Behavior That Simply HAS to Stop

According to the U.S. Travel Association, Americans left 705 million vacation days unused in 2017. To be clear, that means only 52 percent of American employees took advantage of the vacation time available to them. On top of that, of the 705 million vacation days, 212 million did not roll over or could not be paid out to employees. Per CNN, “the average employee actually donated $561 in ‘free’ work to their employer by not using their vacation time.”

We give more to our employers and get less back every year...
View attachment 272560

I haven't been on a vacation in over 30 years, but I still use my vacation time. But for the people that do travel for vacation, they spend quite a bit doing so.

If my father had any time off during the summer because work was slow, he took us fishing or perhaps camping for a few days. We brought our own food, fished, and pretty much everything else was no cost. He and his brothers chipped in for a camper in New York that we all used.

I know people that spend a week in Vegas, Mexico, Europe, and various other places that are quite expensive. To be totally honest, I'm nearly 60 years old and never seen an ocean in my life outside of television or an airplane window.

When I was growing up until a teen when I had my own money, McDonald's and like was a rare treat. Today many people eat out three or more times a week. Today's video game systems are close to a thousand dollars, and that's not including the games you need to buy to play them.

So the question is do we have less money today, or are we spending the money we have on unnecessary things?

 

[Thinker101]

Don't work for minimum wage... problem solved.

Well gee, that’s a brilliant solution.

If fncceo loped his head off above his eyebrows he's still be 10X smarter than you! Minimum wage was never meant to live on, there should be no minimum wage. It is only intended for kids to get their feet wet doing unskilled jobs while still living at home to get some work experience and make some cash. What is a person like that looking for r needing a TWO bedroom apartment for anyway? To raise a family? What's wrong with a ONE bedroom apartment? If you want a TWO bedroom apartment while only making minimum wage, try moving to Huntington Alabama with your life partner and BOTH of you working a burger joint. With the two of you then you can afford to get that two bedroom apartment and you each get your own bedroom! With money left to spare!

Minimum wage was never meant to live on, there should be no minimum wage. It is only intended for kids to get their feet wet doing unskilled jobs while still living at home to get some work experience and make some cash.
I don't know what kind of rich burb you grew up in, but that's the biggest stereotype/fallacy floating around right now. Over the years, I've had plenty of them and a lot of the people I worked with had been there for years and weren't making a whole lot more than minimum even then. They really weren't capable of doing much more, but they were going to work every day and coping with maybe a week's paid vacation, if that, because we all have to work. I teach some of those folks who didn't get a diploma and believe me, minimum wage jobs are NOT just for kids in school looking to make some pocket change. The problem, from society's perspective, is that for awhile, until a lot of states starting increasing their minimum wage, people were working 40 hours and still eligible for Food Stamps and housing assistance. When working 40 hours puts you below poverty level, something IS wrong. Yes, prices went up when minimum wage did, but we're not paying Food Stamps to the single moms working at McDonalds anymore, so it evens out in the end.

No doubt, there are some people that have zero ambition. Interesting concept in America, if you want to be a loser, you have every right to be a loser.

 

[WEATHER53]

Work is not designed for nor ever accepted the challenge of giving you a place on your own so title of thread is a false supposition to begin with which is a Huge part of, and problem with, most weepy stuff liberals offer up.

 

[pknopp]

So? Work more than 40 hours. Most people do anyway.

When I was younger, me and most of my friends had more than one job, or a job that worked six or seven days a week with a lot of hours.

Our priorities were different than today though. Number one was a roof over your head, then food, and of course utilities.

Today I think people would rather be homeless than to give up their smart phone. We spend a lot of money buying fast food, taking vacations, much of it on technology for entertainment and convenience, late model cars that most lease today.

I moved from my parents home at the age of 20 back in 1980. I paid less for my first apartment back then than I do my cable/ cell phone bill today. Actually a hundred dollars less.

When you and I were younger, there was much less extraneous expensive stuff to spend our money on. TV was still mostly free, and even cable was less than 10 bucks a month. Most extra money went too booze or women! I do remember saving up for a kicking store and speakers for my car!

I have worked since I was 15, never more than 3.5 months in all that time without a job, and only that long once.

The funny thing about us Americans, we are taking less vacations than ever.

One American Vacation Behavior That Simply HAS to Stop

According to the U.S. Travel Association, Americans left 705 million vacation days unused in 2017. To be clear, that means only 52 percent of American employees took advantage of the vacation time available to them. On top of that, of the 705 million vacation days, 212 million did not roll over or could not be paid out to employees. Per CNN, “the average employee actually donated $561 in ‘free’ work to their employer by not using their vacation time.”

We give more to our employers and get less back every year...
View attachment 272560

I haven't been on a vacation in over 30 years, but I still use my vacation time. But for the people that do travel for vacation, they spend quite a bit doing so.

If my father had any time off during the summer because work was slow, he took us fishing or perhaps camping for a few days. We brought our own food, fished, and pretty much everything else was no cost. He and his brothers chipped in for a camper in New York that we all used.

I know people that spend a week in Vegas, Mexico, Europe, and various other places that are quite expensive. To be totally honest, I'm nearly 60 years old and never seen an ocean in my life outside of television or an airplane window.

When I was growing up until a teen when I had my own money, McDonald's and like was a rare treat. Today many people eat out three or more times a week. Today's video game systems are close to a thousand dollars, and that's not including the games you need to buy to play them.

So the question is do we have less money today, or are we spending the money we have on unnecessary things?

That's no way to live a life but it is most certainly your choice IMO.

 

[Jackson]

Minimum wage jobs are meant for teens who are still living at home. By the time they graduate from high school, they are free to begin skill trades.

I have no empathy for anyone working minimum wage jobs and not wanting more and making that happen.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

So? Work more than 40 hours. Most people do anyway.

When I was younger, me and most of my friends had more than one job, or a job that worked six or seven days a week with a lot of hours.

Our priorities were different than today though. Number one was a roof over your head, then food, and of course utilities.

Today I think people would rather be homeless than to give up their smart phone. We spend a lot of money buying fast food, taking vacations, much of it on technology for entertainment and convenience, late model cars that most lease today.

I moved from my parents home at the age of 20 back in 1980. I paid less for my first apartment back then than I do my cable/ cell phone bill today. Actually a hundred dollars less.

I don't disagree there. People are lazier today cuz they can live at home. In the ' 60's in L.A. or Cleveland you'd be shamed living with your parents after age 19 or 20 unless maybe you were going to college.

When I was a kid we had more of a generational gap. We had a lot less in common with our parents than the people after me. We couldn't wait to get out of the house; not that we hated our parents, but they didn't give us the freedom we sought because they were strict if you wanted to live with them.

So most of my friends and I got an apartment ASAP. Then we could have our parties, have girls stay over night, smoke pot inside our home, and go to bed when we wanted to. Nobody to answer to if you came home late either.

As time went on, parents became more like friends with their children. They are less strict and cherish the thought of kids living at home whereas years before, some parents kicked their kids out of the house at 18 even if they didn't have a place to live.

So just like birds that get kicked out of the nest, you better learn how to fly or die.