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President-elect Joe Biden has unveiled a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief proposal on Thursday. A part of it calls for a fatter paycheck for those working on federal minimum pay. Biden suggested boosting the minimum wage to at least $15 an hour, arguing that "No one working 40 hours a week should still be below the poverty line."

While presenting his speech on Thursday night in Wilmington, Delaware, Biden also went ahead of the critics reluctant to believe the plan will come true. “People tell me that’s going to be hard to pass. Florida just passed it—as divided as that state is—they just passed it. The rest of the country is ready to move as well.”

The federal minimum wage hasn’t been increased since 2009, and for over 33 million workers, the proposal feels like a tipping point for the better. But the Republicans balk at the idea, which makes Biden’s plans likely to be delayed. This, of course, has stirred heated reactions on social media, with many people weighing in on the needlessly ‘dramatic’ $15 wage discourse that’s been angering those conservatives.

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Tabitha L
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Right. Think about 2020. Even though there were expanded benefits and stimulus checks, it was still all getting funneled to the richest people. The richest people are still going to get all the money in the long run.

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The federal minimum wage, which is currently $7.25 per hour, has not been updated since 2009 even though it has been called an unlivable income in most parts of the country. But the newly elected president Biden’s “American Rescue Plan” gives hope after the economy lost 140,000 jobs in December and unemployment claims surged in the latest weekly count by the most since March due to the pandemic.

But the procedure to pass the $15/h boost will not be a straightforward one. According to Bloomberg, “The Biden administration, due to take office next week, would need at least 10 Republican votes in the Senate to get its relief bill through Congress—unless it goes through the budget reconciliation process, where a bare majority is enough.”

Other major parts of the $1.9 trillion Biden relief plan include:

  1. $2,000 stimulus checks on top of the $600 that Congress approved in December;
  2. $20 billion national vaccine distribution program that would provide free shots to all U.S. residents regardless of immigration status;
  3. $350 billion in state funding, local and territorial governments, and $20 billion for public transit systems;
  4. extending unemployment benefits;
  5. requiring employers to offer paid sick leave to their workers during the pandemic (estimated to benefit 106 million workers);
  6. expanding tax credits for low- and middle-income families, as well as expanding child tax credit;
  7. $170 billion to help schools to open;
  8. $30 billion rental assistance for low-income households;
  9. financing small businesses and providing grants for such employers.
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EQXL
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Also: Crisis, my government spent 6 billion to keep the economy going. End of the year: The 100 richest people in the country gained 4 billion to their names last year.

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DKS 001
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

when it comes to cleaning your unflushed sht and all the paper towels on the floor next to the trashcan - damn straight us janitors need at least $15 / hr

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Luther von Wolfen
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I work with homeless people. Some of them have jobs - convenience stores, meat processing, driving a snow plow. These are essential jobs and they're in a homeless shelter.

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Andrew Gibb
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When I worked in Burger King in the UK I noticed that the average meal cost around an hour of my time. Funny that it happens world wide and that the price of the meal has gone up when wages have.

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H Edwards
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's so frustrating to hear my 15 year old nephew say that poor people can get rich if they just work hard. Poor people work harder than anyone else.

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WilvanderHeijden
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you can't afford to pay your employees a decent wage, you're doing something wrong.

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H Edwards
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In the UK we have different minimum wage depending on age. It ranges from £4.15 for an apprentice up to £8.72 (about $11.80) for people 25 and over.

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Leo Domitrix
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I always hear "BUT THE STOCK MARKET"! And.... people having money to buy things and stay out of debt is bad how?

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WilvanderHeijden
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Even worse, some of them might even decide to quit their second and third job.

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Luther von Wolfen
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

But you don't have to pay professional athletes more. Or Senators, CEOs, talk radio hosts or plastic surgeons.

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Julia Caruso
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The business you work for IS supposed to pay you enough to pay your rent, bills, and other various costs of living... it's called a job. People have them so they can pay for those things specifically. Heard of it? Or are you so privileged that you've never needed to work in your life to provide for yourself.

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Luther von Wolfen
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

100+ years ago, workers in US were rioting and striking for basic safety and a living wage. I'm just making an observation.

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WilvanderHeijden
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love the "Undercover Boss" series where a CEO goes undercover, finds out how committed his employees are despite their terrible working conditions and in the end comes to the conclusion that he's been underpaying his employees for years. But only a few of them actually raised the wages in the entire company.

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WilvanderHeijden
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Poor American: " Yeah, but it's not actually that he's making that much money because Jeff got his expenses too and, like, you know it isn't actual money like, you know, that he can immediately draw from his bank account in cash, you know what I'm saying? And he earned that money all by himself so why should the government be allowed to, like, rob poor Jeff with a 20% tax rate? "

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Kari Panda
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Unpaid internship is another thing that shouldn‘t exist. I wonder how many countries have that at all. The only unpaid internship I am aware of in my country is a mandatory two-weeks internship for all pupils in 8th grade or so, so they could see what real jobs are like.

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WilvanderHeijden
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Somehow poor people in the US get very offended when you propose a tax system where the extremely rich people pay more on taxes than the poor. The furiosity and vigor they show when they are defending the rich never ceases to amaze me.

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Marlowe Fitzpatrik
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They look back fondly to the times they didn't have to pay anything to their workers at all.

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WilvanderHeijden
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Captions are wrong. People all stare in awe when a guy manages to make millions per day over the backs of underpaid workers, but no one bats an eye when people get underpaid, exploited and have to work in the most terrible working conditions.

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Leo Domitrix
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

people who type run the world.... just try to get anything done without data entry

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