LafayetteLady
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Joined: 5/2/2007
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quote:
ORIGINAL: DesideriScuri
According to the BLS (one of my responses pulled from a different thread):quote:
The "below minimum wage" people will get raises, too. Whether or not it's the same raise or the same % would have to be seen later, but they'll get an increase. If you want to simply talk about those who get minimum wage, it was 2.1% of all hourly paid workers 16 years old or older (below min % is 2.6%; 4.7% of all hourly paid workers are at or below minimum wage). 24.1% of all hourly paid workers 16 years old or older that get paid at or below the minimum wage fall in the 16-19 age category. 65.2% of all hourly paid workers 16 years or older getting paid at or below the minimum wage have never been married. 57.4% work less than 35 hours/week. Have we really had such an amazing productivity increase in the no/low-skill labor force?
I have no idea where the BLS got their information, but I can assure you that it is wrong. Do you honestly believe that those who work in fast food joints, restaurants, retail and all the business where employees are paid less than $7.25 because they make tips is only 2.1% of the population of this country? Really?
Minimum wage for tipped employees has not changed in TWENTY YEARS. It's $2.13 an hour, although some states do have higher minimum wages for these employees.
A minimum of $7.25 an hour simply is not an income someone could be wholly self sufficient on, period. Even those companies who think they are doing people a favor by paying them $8.00 an hour (above minimum wage) are bullshit. Out of that minimum wage, there are taxes taken out. Since you want to go for the whole "unmarried" group, and I will even grant you the unlikely possibility they are all childless, they have withholding of around 20%. So $8.00 an hour at 40 hours a week is $320 a week, minus $64 leaving them with $256 a week. Taking an average of the five lowest rents (which are all in east bumblefuck), we have rent for a one bedroom of $522 a month. Now with a net income of $13, 312.00 per year, or $1109.33 per month, that leaves this person with $587.33 per month. Gas is what? Almost four bucks a gallon? We will take an economy car with an 11 gallon tank, so that is a budget of about $40 a week for one tank of gas (saying that is all the person can use). So $160 from $587.33 is $427.33. Oh wait, that car needs to be insured, and since your "study" implies that these are all young people, they pay higher insurance rates. Let's say their insurance, basic, liability only, costs them $65 a month, which is probably very low. Ok, so $427.33 minus $65 is $362.33. Now, most young people only have cell phones these days, but they are going to want a good plan. I'll give them Virgin Mobile unlimited for $55 a month. Left with $307.33. They are living in an apartment, without washer and dryer, so their electric is going to average about $38.33 per month (more in summer because of AC, which yes they are going to us). $269.00 left. Don't have a washer and dryer at home, and because you are working everyday, you need to allow $15.00 a week or $60.00 a month for a laundromat (no they can't do wash at mom's). $269.00 minus $60 leaves our "above" minimum wage worker with $209.00 for the month. Well, this person is also going to eat healthy, so that's going to cost them $50.00 (again being generous with a low amount) in groceries every week, since they don't live on Ramon Noodles. Gee, that's $200 bucks a month, and now our "above" minimum wage, unmarried, young employee is left with $9.00. But wait! His company generously offers health insurance at the very competitive co-pay rate of $35.00 per week. Our worker here is smart enough to know how important that health insurance is, so they certainly don't opt out of it (and with the new laws, they really can't get a better policy). Our young, unmarried, "above" minimum wage worker just got themselves a monthly deficit of $131.00 per month. Where shall we try to come up with that money? Can't take it from rent or car insurance, those are inflexible rates. Maybe they can wear something a couple times a week before washing it and save $15.00 a month. Oops, still need another $116.00 from somewhere. It really can't come from the electric bill, since they are already sitting in the dark half the time, so what's left? Oh, the groceries! Ok, so we take the remaining $116.00 from the grocery money and now we only have $21.00 per week for groceries. Guess we are living on Ramon Noodles after all. Good thing we have that health insurance, since that is a very unhealthy diet and we are going to have some health issues from that.
Now, you might want to look at the above paragraph. Notice this person doesn't have cable television (or whatever else). I know where I live, an antennae isn't going to get me even basic channels because that only works in flatlands. No internet either, and they can't go to a Starbucks or something to use their free internet, because there is no money for a cup of coffee a couple of times a week. That's ok, they can use their phone to access their internet, although they certainly can't send out resumes for a better job. Even though they have health insurance, they can't afford the $10 co-pay for doctors or prescriptions, so hopefully they don't get sick. If anything goes wrong with their car, they are seriously screwed because they can't get to work. Public transportation doesn't really exist outside major cities in this country.
So really, do you honestly think that the current minimum wage is a good thing?
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RE: Elizabeth Warren & the Minimum Wage - 
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