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RE: Minimum Wage - 8/27/2006 12:12:44 PM   
surly


Posts: 148
Joined: 8/17/2006
From: usa
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: SaphireLynn

tell Me what difference in raising the minimum rasie would do... you will get paid more an hour yes...but then the cost of living will increase so in the long run where is the benefit?


now that seems like a horrible catch 22!

(in reply to SaphireLynn)
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RE: Minimum Wage - 8/27/2006 12:16:15 PM   
MySweetSubmssive


Posts: 1139
Joined: 2/7/2006
From: Lehigh Valley, PA
Status: offline 		Here's my reflection on the liveability of minimum wage. 

A study was done in Boston years ago to see how many hours a week someone would have to work a minimum wage job to cover the reasonable cost of living.  It turned out to be 88 hours a week.  88 hours a week!!!  A week!!!  And that was probably about 10 years ago.  I know housing prices have gone through the roof in Boston. 

That's a clear sign that we have to work harder at making the country liveable for everyone.

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(in reply to surly)
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RE: Minimum Wage - 8/27/2006 12:17:30 PM   
abytchgoddess4u


Posts: 268
Joined: 10/17/2004
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: cuddleheart50
What are your thoughts on raising the minimum wage?

I think the minimum wage here in Ontario is fair, it'll be $8/hr in Feb./07. But, it does depend on the job one has...
http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/es/factsheets/fs_wage.html

When I was living in TX, the minimum wage for servers was $2.14/hr. That is appalling and disgusting. I couldn't live on the $ I made, as most customers were crappy tippers.

It's been 9yrs since the minimum wage was raised in the States and I think it's about time. Also, I think that servers should make regular minimum wage, as one can never depend on tips.


_____________________________

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Ask all from yourself." Rumi

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(in reply to cuddleheart50)
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RE: Minimum Wage - 8/27/2006 12:21:57 PM   
badkat


Posts: 35
Joined: 6/19/2004
Status: offline 		The last time the minimum wage went up was in 1997.  And Im sure we can all agree that with inflation its way beyond time to raise it.  And by the way.  I live in Ohio, one of the few states that didn't raise it's minimum wage.  Here it's still $4.25 an hour.  And as for medicaid and food stamps etc, the cut off amounts for getting those while working are incredibly low.  I'm a full time student and work a work study job at the university I attend.  When I went to see if I qualified for medicaid through the state they counted my financial aid as income.. regardless of the fact that I dont really see much of that money.  And to add insult to injury Bush cut Pell grants this year... so I (among every other student) lost at least a grand of my financial aid.  But they so nicely allowed me to take out a student loan for the rest.  Don't get me started on the current administration.  I am NOT a fan of any of his policies.

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RE: Minimum Wage - 8/27/2006 12:28:34 PM   
LeMis


Posts: 9255
Joined: 9/24/2005
From: Florida
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: badkat

People need a liveable wage.. which would probably be about $12.00 an hour if not more.  Most of those minimum wage jobs have no benefits.  So the people that work them are trying to raise families on about $210.00 a week give or take a few dollars.  They are without medical benefits, and those with kids have to pay for daycare on top of that.  And as those of us with kids know a good daycare provider is at least $80-100.00 a week.


Here, we have an agency called CDS (Child Development Services) that helps to pay a portion of the day care bill.  This agency is called different things in different parts of FL so it may be called something else where you are at.

Like most all govt. programs, there's a limit to what you have to be making, but so many do meet the qualifications. 

Then there's stupid things that count against you getting aid, like owning a car for example, how ridiculous is that?!  So most people have their car registered in someone else's name, same for a owned home, etc....

*sigh*

(in reply to badkat)
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RE: Minimum Wage - 8/27/2006 12:32:22 PM   
LeMis


Posts: 9255
Joined: 9/24/2005
From: Florida
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Level

quote:

ORIGINAL: badkat

People need a liveable wage.. which would probably be about $12.00 an hour if not more.  Most of those minimum wage jobs have no benefits.  So the people that work them are trying to raise families on about $210.00 a week give or take a few dollars.  They are without medical benefits, and those with kids have to pay for daycare on top of that.  And as those of us with kids know a good daycare provider is at least $80-100.00 a week.  These are the people that are doing the jobs that most people don't want to do.  I would like to see one of those congressmen or senators try to live on 9,600.00 a year and not have any of the perks and benefits they take for granted.  And you guys have to remember that congress voted themselves a 16k raise this year.  How many of them really need that money?


None of them need that money, kat, and it disgusts me that they keep giving themselves a raise.


EXACTLY!!!  Not one of them needed that kind of ridiculous raise!  That is pure B.S.. 

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RE: Minimum Wage - 8/27/2006 12:38:34 PM   
WyrdRich


Posts: 1733
Joined: 1/3/2005
Status: offline 		     Fast Reply:

     I don't look at the minimum wage as a place to stay and try to raise a family.  I've started at the minimum wage several times over my working life. and I've never stayed there longer than a few months.  In one case, I got a $20 a week raise after my first shift and a second a week later. 

     The minimum wage is just that, the lowest you can legally recieve.  Why would anyone plan on staying at the bottom?  Go ahead and raise it on the national level.  It has been a while.

(in reply to badkat)
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RE: Minimum Wage - 8/27/2006 12:39:33 PM   
servitude69


Posts: 20
Joined: 8/6/2004
Status: offline 		The minimum wage is not intended to be a livable wage. Most entry level jobs start low with opportunities to move up. This is still a free Country.Go to school and improve your job skills and you will be making more money. The Federal Govt. has tried wage and price controls before. It's a disaster 

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RE: Minimum Wage - 8/27/2006 12:47:44 PM   
FelinePersuasion


Posts: 4792
Joined: 11/20/2004
Status: offline 		I would not make such generalizations as any one can scrape by on 7 bucks an hour. Unless you ment nobody can.

quote:

ORIGINAL: shadevarr

. Anyone can scrape by at seven bucks an hour.

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RE: Minimum Wage - 8/27/2006 12:58:51 PM   
badkat


Posts: 35
Joined: 6/19/2004
Status: offline 		I agree....if everyone could get an education that would be great.  But again, school is expensive.  And it takes lots of time out of a persons day to attend classes and do homework.  I know people working 2 full time $7.00 an hour jobs and still struggling to feed and house their families.  When can they go to school?

(in reply to FelinePersuasion)
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RE: Minimum Wage - 8/27/2006 1:08:10 PM   
servitude69


Posts: 20
Joined: 8/6/2004
Status: offline 		I would advise then to enlist the help of family, friends or their church while they take some classes. If they are in the predicament you describe, it sounds like they made some bad lifestyle choices when they were younger.

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Profile   Post #: 31
RE: Minimum Wage - 8/27/2006 1:56:26 PM   
badkat


Posts: 35
Joined: 6/19/2004
Status: offline 		So in other words people should be punished throughout their lives for bad choices they made when they were young and stupid?

(in reply to servitude69)
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RE: Minimum Wage - 8/27/2006 2:05:52 PM   
servitude69


Posts: 20
Joined: 8/6/2004
Status: offline 		This discussion got a little off point. In Wisconsin the minimum wage is$5.65 an hour. Fast food restaurants can't get employees to show up for work when they are paying 7 to 8 dollars an hour. What good is raising the minimum???? 

(in reply to badkat)
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RE: Minimum Wage - 8/27/2006 2:12:33 PM   
bandit25


Posts: 3029
Joined: 6/18/2005
Status: offline 		I don't think that's what servitude69 meant.  It's very hard to go to school while trying to raise a family and work full time...especially if you don't have much (or any) support, but it can  be done. 

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RE: Minimum Wage - 8/27/2006 2:46:02 PM   
popeye1250


Posts: 18104
Joined: 1/27/2006
From: New Hampshire
Status: offline 		Minimum wage is a joke!
I'm fairly conservative but I have no problem raising it up to a meaningfull, realistic level like $18 per hour.
That would be good for the economy, people who make that would buy furniture, cars, appliances and houses/condos.
What the hell is someone supposed to buy on $5.15 per hour when rents are $1,200?

(in reply to bandit25)
Profile   Post #: 35
RE: Minimum Wage - 8/27/2006 2:55:33 PM   
cuddleheart50


Posts: 9718
Joined: 2/20/2006
From: Kentucky
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: popeye1250

Minimum wage is a joke!
I'm fairly conservative but I have no problem raising it up to a meaningfull, realistic level like $18 per hour.
That would be good for the economy, people who make that would buy furniture, cars, appliances and houses/condos.
What the hell is someone supposed to buy on $5.15 per hour when rents are $1,200?



I couldnt have said it better myself!

_____________________________

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Profile   Post #: 36
RE: Minimum Wage - 8/27/2006 2:59:19 PM   
Archer


Posts: 3207
Joined: 3/11/2005
Status: offline 		Couple of points here BLM stats show that only a very few people actually make minimum wage.
The majority of those who do are students, and people working second jobs.
Now granted that means someone making 5.20 an hour is not making minimum wage.

Now off of the Facts and on to the opinions and my take on things and some problems with raising it.

Opinion #1

Anyone making minimum wage for longer than 3-6 months is either a slacker or someone not capable or willing to do standard level work. A Fry cook at McDonnalds here makes almost twice minimum wage so I have to ask what is wrong with anyone making minimum wage past the 6 month point. If the employer won't give raises and you are worth a damn then move to another job.

Opinion #2

You're not supposed to try to make a family living off minimum wage, it's the starting wage for someone fresh out of high school or who dropped out and has no skills, if you're starting out in that possition you have no business having a family of your own. I know that sometimes things happen and people are thrown into having to take minimum for a short time when divorce or something happens and that sucks and can be remidied by aid and a working fair child support enforcement system. But it's not the employer's fault.

Opinion/ Question #3

If you are orking for XYZ company and have been there for 4 years and now make $12 an hour, and they raise the minimum wage to $12 an hour and this new guy who knows nothing about the job comes in and is making the same money as you what's that going to make you do?
I conject that you're going to go in to the boss and demand that you get a raise to put th gap between your pay and the new guy's pay back to the level it was before the minimum wage was raised, afterall your experience was worth an extra $7 an hour last month why is it not worth $7 an hour more than a new guy now?

So if you raise minimum and everyone does the exact same thing and goes and demands a raise to make it fair to them what is the end result?

The equilibrium of wage difference between a starting worker and a 4 year worker will basicly return only with a number change, proportionatly they will return to the same status difference.

(in reply to bandit25)
Profile   Post #: 37
RE: Minimum Wage - 8/27/2006 3:18:56 PM   
WyrdRich


Posts: 1733
Joined: 1/3/2005
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: badkat

So in other words people should be punished throughout their lives for bad choices they made when they were young and stupid?


   Yes.  Cruel and Republican as it sounds, that is exactly the way life works.  There is no reset button on your life.

     Some people can adapt and overcome the early mistakes and some remain victims of their own foolishness until the day they die.  If you screw around until you are 30, those years are GONE.

(in reply to badkat)
Profile   Post #: 38
RE: Minimum Wage - 8/27/2006 4:37:47 PM   
perverseangelic


Posts: 2625
Joined: 2/2/2004
From: Davis, Ca
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: servitude69

The minimum wage is not intended to be a livable wage. Most entry level jobs start low with opportunities to move up. This is still a free Country.Go to school and improve your job skills and you will be making more money. The Federal Govt. has tried wage and price controls before. It's a disaster 



This outlook, frankly, sucks.

Last year, I lived in a college town. I had been at my job for over a year and was still making barely over minimum wage. Why? Because there were 10 other people out there who would do my job for less. In situations like this, companies can totally avoid giving raises becuase the job market is totally captive. I could have driven a town over to get a job for more, but the cost of gas would have negated the raise.

How about those of us that ARE going to school. How are we supposed to live while we're in school? I'm doing my graduate work, that means devoting a -lot- of hours a week to studying, thesis work, practica, etc. I need a job that has flexible enough hours that I can do this stuff. I need a job that's ok with me working 20 hours a week, because that's all I'll be able to work and keep my GPA up. Again, captive audience. The place who hires me can pretty much pay me what they want to pay me, because I don't have a lot of options.

I agree that people shouldn't be sticking at the minimum wage, and should be trying for jobs that will pay higher, however "going back to school" isnt' as simple as that. How do we support ourselves while we're in school? I'm taking out student loans, but I'd like to be less than $40thousand in debt when I graduate, so I have to work too. What I need from a job limits my options, which means where I work can pay me less because I basically have to take it.

quote:



Anyone making minimum wage for longer than 3-6 months is either a slacker or someone not capable or willing to do standard level work. A Fry cook at McDonnalds here makes almost twice minimum wage so I have to ask what is wrong with anyone making minimum wage past the 6 month point. If the employer won't give raises and you are worth a damn then move to another job.


This depends so much on where you live. If it's less expensive to the employer to hire someone new at minimum wage, then they -will- fire people who voccaly request raises. Especially in college towns there are so many more people that need jobs than have jobs that you get stuck making minium wage, because you can't aford to leave.


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RE: Minimum Wage - 8/27/2006 4:52:02 PM   
WhipTheHip


Posts: 1004
Joined: 7/31/2006
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: cuddleheart50
What are your thoughts on raising the minimum wage?


Raising the minimum wage does not help the poor, it hurts
the poor.  Low income wage earners ought to be helped by
receiving government subsidies, and certain services for
free like $100/month free electric, free phone service, free
cable, free medical care, free high quality job training,  and
jobs that accomadate people who can't works everyday.

(in reply to cuddleheart50)
Profile   Post #: 40
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