Self-Centered Person Rants About Minimum Wage Increase, Gets Shut Down Immediately
Not everyone dreams of being a billionaire many just want to make a living wage, but for those who don’t know what it’s like to struggle to make ends meet, their ideas on the topic can be wildly out of touch with reality.
This week New Jersey became the 4th state to raise the minimum wage to $15, alongside California, Massachusetts, New York and the District of Columbia. And if you have lived/live in these states you know that even with that wage increase, the cost of living in these states can be financially debilitating. While many support the paycheck hike, one internet user still wasn’t convinced and had some criticisms. Well, nobody on the internet goes unchecked, so another internet user quickly stepped in and gave them a history lesson on why their view was “shitty.” Scroll down below to see the whole exchange.
Image credits: Danny Choo (not the actual photo)
Commenters agreed with the response but still gave the original poster the benefit of the doubt
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Share on FacebookThese multi-billion dollar companies like Walmart, 7-11, and McDonalds underpay their employees in order to build profits. Meanwhile, the middle class pay taxes to support social services for these underpaid employees.
And they say we are a Capitalist society! What happened to healthy competition? Equal opportunity? Nope, we have monopolies, conglomerates, loopholes, off shore banking, and worse. Grocery store clerks are going nowhere. Unless you work for companies like Costo or Trader Joe's. Funny, they respect their employees, pay living wages, offer benefits, promote from within, and are profitable.
Load More Replies...Funny, there was a time when you could support a family on a minimum wage job. Almost all jobs offered pension plans and health insurance. Also, companies promoted from within. Sure start as a grocery store bagger or in the mailroom, but you could go far from there. It was called..........the American Dream. Remember? It was real.
So many companies today consider their employees to be disposable. That pretty much includes all income levels. There is no loyalty. Any wonder why employees lose their morale and work ethic?
Load More Replies...I believe in a $485 minimum wage. That way everyone can be millionaires, drive two cars and have big a*s mansions with servants.
Everything doesn't get more expensive if you raise wages, because companies have competition. If you want more good information in favor of the minimum wage, Google "Nick Hanauer minimum wage." He's a billionaire who was one of the original non-family investors in Amazon. He has some excellent arguments for the minimum wage. "The Pitchforks are Coming" is a great essay by him also.
Actually, it does. Employment goes down as well. My company is on a hiring freeze because of this exact increase.
Load More Replies...The problem is this. Everyone is complaining about the suggestion of nearly doubling the current minimum wage. I get it. People figure, hey.....why should you see your income go up by such a large amount. However, had the minimum wage kept up with inflation/etc we wouldn't be talking about a $15 wage like it's the end of the world. In fact, if minimum wage had kept up with inflation we'd be looking at an hourly rate of over $20.
I'm curious, i know it doesn't exist in my country but does the "bagging groceries" job exists at all outside USA?
There are certain stores in Canada that still do it.
Load More Replies...I find it funny that people will defend the workers and such, but be against socialism. Socialism comes about when you try to force things to be fair and equal because greed and power have made them askew. All socialism really does is keep things fair, like flat taxes with no loopholes. Like everyone who wants a house and works a job should be able to have SOME KIND of a house. No one is saying that people who bust their butt shouldn't get the mansion and those that work at mcd's should. But that's how the rich attack the idea, because it means 6 houses they own instead of 7, or that 3rd beach house, or that 5th Bentley. There is a such thing as more than you need, like obscenely more. The only issue with socialism is the reality (like in Venezuela) where someone corrupt or greedy in charge just steals it all. it honestly only works when everyone cares about being fair to everyone else, and sadly, we don't like in that world yet.
Socialism DOES work. It has. It does today. And if you thought you didn't live off of socialist concepts, then your a moron, and should definitely go read some books. Did you think SOCIAL security came from some other concept? idiot. Did you think having public roadways and airports and police and fire departments were capitalist ideas? Are you confused because you didn't bother to learn that Socialism is an ECONOMIC system and not GOVERING system? Which seems to work are not work depending on the governing concept it's coupled too. I'll give you, AS STATED, it's risky and can be corrupted like any other system. But to say it doesn't or never works?? Time for you to expand that lack of education you have.
Load More Replies..."Oh no! People who aren't able to get a well paying job are actually going to be able to make a living now! This hurts me so much!"
There should be NO SHAME in any job one works! You have done nothing but shame those that aren't "teenagers" and work in fast food restaurants. Just because some one is working in fast food doesn't mean they have to. I'm sure some don't like it, but I hope the majority do. Not every day is going to be peaches and cream. I'm sure having to deal with people like you makes their job much more difficult. I think everyone should have to wash dishes, wait tables, seat people, and take out the trash. ALL of these jobs are just as important as the rest. I'm sure you wouldn't set foot outside if the garbage company didn't come by every week. I am a firefighter and barely make above this minimum wage after 24 years on the job. I am highly educated and choose to do this job because I like helping people and hopefully make their day a little better when they have to call us. Like any job, there are days when I'd much rather flip burgers than tell a mother she has just lost her 1 year-old child.
One of the comments made an interesting observation about inflation. The United States deliberately has somewhere around 2% structural inflation per year. That's on purpose, because it allows us to adjust the money supply to keep the economy rolling without burning out. Among other things, it's designed to keep people from just hoarding money -- if you are rich and sit on your money, 2% a year evaporates, so you need to keep it out in the world where it's doing useful work -- that's the theory, anyway. Inflation is a tool and I'm not inherently against it. But. 2% a year adds up real fast. And minimum wage doesn't go up 2% a year. Nor do people really think about that 2% a year anywhere near as often as they should. For instance, if your salary doesn't go up by 2%, your employer is cutting your pay. If you get a 2% raise, they're keeping it the same. I generally like to plug all my numbers into https://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm before talking about them.
Just because you work a low paying job doesn't mean you shouldn't get paid at all
Did you know that doctors dont make a $15/hr wage during residency? Residency can be from 3 to 7 years. And this wage is set by the government. Think about it next time you are in the Emergency room. The doctor working on you makes about $8.40 /hr
Paid interns do not make a lot of money. They should certainly be paid better than that. However, unpaid internships are the rule in some professions and they basically serve to keep the children of the less wealthy out of that profession. Ought to be illegal to force anyone to work without remuneration.
Load More Replies...I do believe that this is needed. I also believe that this is a bandaid on a growing problem, however. If we could also install a cap on rental cost, that would help immensely. Also penalizing land owners who reside out of the country as well by heavily taxing them. Its nonsense that we have so much empty housing and yet housing prices are skyrocketing.
The thing is... I agree with the original poster and the first reply to an extent. "I mean the wages for a decent living." "Decent" is very subjective. Decent for some is having a $700-$900 smartphone with the latest clothes.... Also Decent for some is having food in your fridge, living with no cable, internet, etc. and saving money for something bigger. This by any means isn't just placed on people who work minimum wage jobs because i know people who make decent money and will blow it all to fit their definition of a "Decent Living"
A "Decent Living" should mean being able to afford a fair standard of accomodation, furnishings and appliances appropriate for your needs not just your desires. To have the means to run a basic vehicle.To be able to pay for your utilities, and a good diet. To be able to buy clothing as and when needed. To have a standard of living that most people take for granted without getting into debt, to care for your family and have a little money left over to save up for emergencies and small luxuries like an anual vacation.
Load More Replies...Take a look at where the money goes--the minimum wage earner doesn't save anything--it all goes back into the economy with the least amount of taxes. A high-income earner pays more in taxes and buys non-essential things.
Shawn, you need facts. Massachusetts minimum wage is $12/hour, based on working 40 every week, $24,000 a year. After state and federal taxes of 16%, the average monthly income is about $2,000. Monthly costs: share a 2 bedroom $500, basic utilities $80, limited use of public transportation $100 is $680. You have about $330 a week or $1320 a month for cellphone, cable tv/internet, car, food, and the rest. Look at your expenses last month.
Load More Replies...While I agree with this 100%, I feel the words " wages of a decent living" are skewed. What does that mean? Does it mean to be able to own a home, because you most certainly cant do that on minimum wage. Does it mean to feed, water, clothes, and house yourself? Because you can barely rent a room in some places for minimum wage. Minimum wage is a joke, and depending on the meaning of the aforementioned quote, it isnt doing its job.
Making the minimum wage a living wage will have big benefits in the long run. #1: Less dependence on food stamps, welfare, etc. = lower taxes. #2: More money to spend = more stimulation of the economy, and paying more income and sales taxes. The real "welfare queens" are the big corporations mooching off corporate subsidies.
Do remember that there are people with fixed incomes. Whenever the minimum wage gets hiked, the employers necessarily shift those costs downstream, and it results in higher prices and inflation. Eventually the minimum wage gets normalized to near where it had been, relative to other earned. — Except that the minimum wage people effectively received a COLA decrease. But who cares about them, right? They're retired or on disability or whatever.
Can I offer another perspective? I live in a place where we recently implemented $15/hour min wage. A lot of people, like servers , who relied on going the extra mile to get tips are now making less money because no one is tipping people that make $15 an hour. A lot of places have also banned the opportunity for overtime work and aren't hiring for FT positions (no full time, no benefits) very often anymore. These people have also seen an increase in their taxes. Overall it seems like It's been alright for those younger people without kids or debt and kids leaving high school but so far it hasn't been well received by most in my area. Hopefully things balance out
I dont think it is fair that servers should have to go the extra mile with rude, drunk and insulting customers and accept humiliation whist keeping a smile on their face in the hope of getting a tip out of the table at the end of the night. They should have the dignity of a proper wage so they can silently say "f*ck you" to the idiots.
Load More Replies...My brother said that increasing the minimum wage to $15/hour would cause huge inflation, and the problem would be just the same. Do y’all know if that is true or not? I do not know what to think, aside from my opinion that the minimum wage should be a living wage.
When I was in my 20's (20+ years ago) I worked 3 part-time jobs to make ends meet. Minimum wage has never been enough to sustain a decent lifestyle. Its a sticky subject. I feel for the people that have worked their way up to $15/hour - its a slap in the face.
I understand the concern for current pay rates in other jobs, but that is a separate issue. I make $16/hr in a specialized field. Will my pay go up when minimum wage does? Probably not. That has nothing to do with minimum wage. I may switch fields and work an entry level position after minimum wage increases. Or, I may just stay where I am because I love my job.
This also reminds me of a time I was working for a company that started all new hires at $9/hr. Every six months, I got a twenty-five cent raise. At the end of two years, I was making $10/hr. At that time, the company started paying new hires $10/hr, meaning that new hires were getting paid the same as me (and my four raises). I asked if my pay would be raised to reflect the new rate. Nope. That was a d**k move by the company, but I didnt blame the new hires.
Load More Replies...Minimum wage earners aren't going to squirrel away the money like the selfish a******s who are trying to prevent the minimum wage going up. They will spend that money, and it will end up in the local community. Small business owners, and places who now have pay that higher wage will end up directly benefiting again, because now their customers have more money. It's win-win. To say that increasing the minimum wage will cause businesses to go bankrupt or force higher prices is b******t. It's just an excuse from the greedy or uneducated.
If I could make a living wage working without a master's I probably would have never gone to college. You get what you work for.
All the news keeps saying that productivity is increasing. They have been saying that for decades, but does anything get any cheaper? In 1900 you could go on a nice evening's entertainment for 50 cents. In 1950 is was a dollar. In 1970 it took $10, today $10 won't get you into a movie.
The argument doesn't fly. Roosevelt's time was talking about blue collar jobs which were more plentiful. Nowadays you have too many other factors. There is blue collar and white collar. But I feel there should be a third collar, if you will. I do believe people in blue and white collar jobs should be paid a wage to pay for homes, but that third collar should be the teen/early 20 year old jobs. Learn to become an adult and earn a minimum wage that makes them understand the value. The problem with increasing wages drastically will be the end of small business if it is not done properly. Sadly, increasing minimum wage does not mean that all wages would increase also. It's not possible until the revenue increases so then you are back to the beginning where $15 wage won't be enough for a home.
There are lots of people in this world who aren't very smart, aren't very talented, and aren't very lucky. They DESERVE A HOME TOO! They deserve a family, and a dry roof over their heads. If you make $15 or more an hour, congrats! You are advantaged. If the minimum wage is raised to $15 or more and your employer doesn't give you a raise... perhaps then it's time to look for a new job, or petition your employer to give you a raise to account for the difference. Too many once well paid jobs are gone, because computers and robots are taking a lot of jobs out of the market. Capitalism is not going to work for human society much longer, we NEED to find a new way. What happens when only 10% of society works because all the labor is done by robots????? Go ahead call me a socialist, while you are driving on public roads, depending on civil services of police and schools, and eating foods that are government subsidized.
Ridiculous. My 15 year old sister doesn't need to be able to pay for a mortgage from her wage at her ice cream stand job and that level of skill doesn't deserve that sort of wage.
a 15 year-old at an ice-cream stand is hardly paying rent. Who says an adult selling fast food and soft drinks is not entitled to have a home?
Load More Replies...BUT- As an American, I STARTED at minimum wage (around $4.25), at the time and WORKED MY WAY UP to $15+/hour. WHY shouldn't I get an equivalent raise?!?!? The min wagers are getting a raise for merely working, whereas I worked my a*s off for YEARS... These folks working fast food and bagging groceries are paid what is expected of those professions. They want to be paid better money, then get a better paying job.
Look, I feel for you, I really do, and I agree that those who have been working at jobs for years, like yourself should get equivalent wage increases. But saying that everyone else should just 'get a better paying job' is both incredibly selfish AND ridiculous. It's hard enough for people to find a job nowadays, even when they have impressive university degrees. They still end up working in retail for minimum wage. Everyone deserves a decent living wage.
Load More Replies...Yes, race relations are different enough today that many employers aren’t going to turn someone away just for being black in the same way that they used to. The government should interfere because it’s a matter of public health and safety. The government also interferes with two people having sex by providing medical care that relates to sex, like testing and vaccines at the health department and such. The government doesn’t force people into relationships, the same way it doesn’t force you to have a job. But if employers are endangering society itself by not paying enough to live, then the government will step in. Same way they step in and provide free vaccines to people who choose to have sex.
Load More Replies...You’re bad at life and you haven’t starved to death yet so there goes your theory.
Load More Replies...“F**k you, I got mine. Nobody should be able to advance more than I did.” - Tara O
Load More Replies...There has to be the better employment available to begin with.
Load More Replies...How is people suposed to paid the ridiculus student fees in USA if the only jobs that you can do before education pay nothing?
Load More Replies...Not everyone is capable or able to get more skills - only experience at their job - and jobs are pretty scarce in many areas. I am a highly experienced administrator/secretary in the health sector and after relocating was only able to get short term-contract positions via agencies at barely over the minimum wage. Are you suggesting that only well-paid, skilled people have the right to have a family. True - dont have kids you cannt afford to care for. But adults who work full-time SHOULD be able to afford basic housing and care for a couple of children without having to rely on benefits/welfare.
Load More Replies...That's the thing though the prices of everything have gone up again and again and again without wages increasing. You shouldn't have to choose between food and rent or food and gas.
Load More Replies...You should be afraid. Ooooo, living waaaagggeee! Call the ghostbusters. It’s getting spooky in here. F*****g idiot lol.
Load More Replies...How very dare people expect to be able to eat AND pay their bills every month! You're such an a*****e.
Load More Replies...Uhmmmm.... If there are laws that actually protect the citizen, rather than the authorities, then the minimal wage thing is one of these. It's for your own good, trust me. *nod nod*
Load More Replies...These multi-billion dollar companies like Walmart, 7-11, and McDonalds underpay their employees in order to build profits. Meanwhile, the middle class pay taxes to support social services for these underpaid employees.
And they say we are a Capitalist society! What happened to healthy competition? Equal opportunity? Nope, we have monopolies, conglomerates, loopholes, off shore banking, and worse. Grocery store clerks are going nowhere. Unless you work for companies like Costo or Trader Joe's. Funny, they respect their employees, pay living wages, offer benefits, promote from within, and are profitable.
Load More Replies...Funny, there was a time when you could support a family on a minimum wage job. Almost all jobs offered pension plans and health insurance. Also, companies promoted from within. Sure start as a grocery store bagger or in the mailroom, but you could go far from there. It was called..........the American Dream. Remember? It was real.
So many companies today consider their employees to be disposable. That pretty much includes all income levels. There is no loyalty. Any wonder why employees lose their morale and work ethic?
Load More Replies...I believe in a $485 minimum wage. That way everyone can be millionaires, drive two cars and have big a*s mansions with servants.
Everything doesn't get more expensive if you raise wages, because companies have competition. If you want more good information in favor of the minimum wage, Google "Nick Hanauer minimum wage." He's a billionaire who was one of the original non-family investors in Amazon. He has some excellent arguments for the minimum wage. "The Pitchforks are Coming" is a great essay by him also.
Actually, it does. Employment goes down as well. My company is on a hiring freeze because of this exact increase.
Load More Replies...The problem is this. Everyone is complaining about the suggestion of nearly doubling the current minimum wage. I get it. People figure, hey.....why should you see your income go up by such a large amount. However, had the minimum wage kept up with inflation/etc we wouldn't be talking about a $15 wage like it's the end of the world. In fact, if minimum wage had kept up with inflation we'd be looking at an hourly rate of over $20.
I'm curious, i know it doesn't exist in my country but does the "bagging groceries" job exists at all outside USA?
There are certain stores in Canada that still do it.
Load More Replies...I find it funny that people will defend the workers and such, but be against socialism. Socialism comes about when you try to force things to be fair and equal because greed and power have made them askew. All socialism really does is keep things fair, like flat taxes with no loopholes. Like everyone who wants a house and works a job should be able to have SOME KIND of a house. No one is saying that people who bust their butt shouldn't get the mansion and those that work at mcd's should. But that's how the rich attack the idea, because it means 6 houses they own instead of 7, or that 3rd beach house, or that 5th Bentley. There is a such thing as more than you need, like obscenely more. The only issue with socialism is the reality (like in Venezuela) where someone corrupt or greedy in charge just steals it all. it honestly only works when everyone cares about being fair to everyone else, and sadly, we don't like in that world yet.
Socialism DOES work. It has. It does today. And if you thought you didn't live off of socialist concepts, then your a moron, and should definitely go read some books. Did you think SOCIAL security came from some other concept? idiot. Did you think having public roadways and airports and police and fire departments were capitalist ideas? Are you confused because you didn't bother to learn that Socialism is an ECONOMIC system and not GOVERING system? Which seems to work are not work depending on the governing concept it's coupled too. I'll give you, AS STATED, it's risky and can be corrupted like any other system. But to say it doesn't or never works?? Time for you to expand that lack of education you have.
Load More Replies..."Oh no! People who aren't able to get a well paying job are actually going to be able to make a living now! This hurts me so much!"
There should be NO SHAME in any job one works! You have done nothing but shame those that aren't "teenagers" and work in fast food restaurants. Just because some one is working in fast food doesn't mean they have to. I'm sure some don't like it, but I hope the majority do. Not every day is going to be peaches and cream. I'm sure having to deal with people like you makes their job much more difficult. I think everyone should have to wash dishes, wait tables, seat people, and take out the trash. ALL of these jobs are just as important as the rest. I'm sure you wouldn't set foot outside if the garbage company didn't come by every week. I am a firefighter and barely make above this minimum wage after 24 years on the job. I am highly educated and choose to do this job because I like helping people and hopefully make their day a little better when they have to call us. Like any job, there are days when I'd much rather flip burgers than tell a mother she has just lost her 1 year-old child.
One of the comments made an interesting observation about inflation. The United States deliberately has somewhere around 2% structural inflation per year. That's on purpose, because it allows us to adjust the money supply to keep the economy rolling without burning out. Among other things, it's designed to keep people from just hoarding money -- if you are rich and sit on your money, 2% a year evaporates, so you need to keep it out in the world where it's doing useful work -- that's the theory, anyway. Inflation is a tool and I'm not inherently against it. But. 2% a year adds up real fast. And minimum wage doesn't go up 2% a year. Nor do people really think about that 2% a year anywhere near as often as they should. For instance, if your salary doesn't go up by 2%, your employer is cutting your pay. If you get a 2% raise, they're keeping it the same. I generally like to plug all my numbers into https://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm before talking about them.
Just because you work a low paying job doesn't mean you shouldn't get paid at all
Did you know that doctors dont make a $15/hr wage during residency? Residency can be from 3 to 7 years. And this wage is set by the government. Think about it next time you are in the Emergency room. The doctor working on you makes about $8.40 /hr
Paid interns do not make a lot of money. They should certainly be paid better than that. However, unpaid internships are the rule in some professions and they basically serve to keep the children of the less wealthy out of that profession. Ought to be illegal to force anyone to work without remuneration.
Load More Replies...I do believe that this is needed. I also believe that this is a bandaid on a growing problem, however. If we could also install a cap on rental cost, that would help immensely. Also penalizing land owners who reside out of the country as well by heavily taxing them. Its nonsense that we have so much empty housing and yet housing prices are skyrocketing.
The thing is... I agree with the original poster and the first reply to an extent. "I mean the wages for a decent living." "Decent" is very subjective. Decent for some is having a $700-$900 smartphone with the latest clothes.... Also Decent for some is having food in your fridge, living with no cable, internet, etc. and saving money for something bigger. This by any means isn't just placed on people who work minimum wage jobs because i know people who make decent money and will blow it all to fit their definition of a "Decent Living"
A "Decent Living" should mean being able to afford a fair standard of accomodation, furnishings and appliances appropriate for your needs not just your desires. To have the means to run a basic vehicle.To be able to pay for your utilities, and a good diet. To be able to buy clothing as and when needed. To have a standard of living that most people take for granted without getting into debt, to care for your family and have a little money left over to save up for emergencies and small luxuries like an anual vacation.
Load More Replies...Take a look at where the money goes--the minimum wage earner doesn't save anything--it all goes back into the economy with the least amount of taxes. A high-income earner pays more in taxes and buys non-essential things.
Shawn, you need facts. Massachusetts minimum wage is $12/hour, based on working 40 every week, $24,000 a year. After state and federal taxes of 16%, the average monthly income is about $2,000. Monthly costs: share a 2 bedroom $500, basic utilities $80, limited use of public transportation $100 is $680. You have about $330 a week or $1320 a month for cellphone, cable tv/internet, car, food, and the rest. Look at your expenses last month.
Load More Replies...While I agree with this 100%, I feel the words " wages of a decent living" are skewed. What does that mean? Does it mean to be able to own a home, because you most certainly cant do that on minimum wage. Does it mean to feed, water, clothes, and house yourself? Because you can barely rent a room in some places for minimum wage. Minimum wage is a joke, and depending on the meaning of the aforementioned quote, it isnt doing its job.
Making the minimum wage a living wage will have big benefits in the long run. #1: Less dependence on food stamps, welfare, etc. = lower taxes. #2: More money to spend = more stimulation of the economy, and paying more income and sales taxes. The real "welfare queens" are the big corporations mooching off corporate subsidies.
Do remember that there are people with fixed incomes. Whenever the minimum wage gets hiked, the employers necessarily shift those costs downstream, and it results in higher prices and inflation. Eventually the minimum wage gets normalized to near where it had been, relative to other earned. — Except that the minimum wage people effectively received a COLA decrease. But who cares about them, right? They're retired or on disability or whatever.
Can I offer another perspective? I live in a place where we recently implemented $15/hour min wage. A lot of people, like servers , who relied on going the extra mile to get tips are now making less money because no one is tipping people that make $15 an hour. A lot of places have also banned the opportunity for overtime work and aren't hiring for FT positions (no full time, no benefits) very often anymore. These people have also seen an increase in their taxes. Overall it seems like It's been alright for those younger people without kids or debt and kids leaving high school but so far it hasn't been well received by most in my area. Hopefully things balance out
I dont think it is fair that servers should have to go the extra mile with rude, drunk and insulting customers and accept humiliation whist keeping a smile on their face in the hope of getting a tip out of the table at the end of the night. They should have the dignity of a proper wage so they can silently say "f*ck you" to the idiots.
Load More Replies...My brother said that increasing the minimum wage to $15/hour would cause huge inflation, and the problem would be just the same. Do y’all know if that is true or not? I do not know what to think, aside from my opinion that the minimum wage should be a living wage.
When I was in my 20's (20+ years ago) I worked 3 part-time jobs to make ends meet. Minimum wage has never been enough to sustain a decent lifestyle. Its a sticky subject. I feel for the people that have worked their way up to $15/hour - its a slap in the face.
I understand the concern for current pay rates in other jobs, but that is a separate issue. I make $16/hr in a specialized field. Will my pay go up when minimum wage does? Probably not. That has nothing to do with minimum wage. I may switch fields and work an entry level position after minimum wage increases. Or, I may just stay where I am because I love my job.
This also reminds me of a time I was working for a company that started all new hires at $9/hr. Every six months, I got a twenty-five cent raise. At the end of two years, I was making $10/hr. At that time, the company started paying new hires $10/hr, meaning that new hires were getting paid the same as me (and my four raises). I asked if my pay would be raised to reflect the new rate. Nope. That was a d**k move by the company, but I didnt blame the new hires.
Load More Replies...Minimum wage earners aren't going to squirrel away the money like the selfish a******s who are trying to prevent the minimum wage going up. They will spend that money, and it will end up in the local community. Small business owners, and places who now have pay that higher wage will end up directly benefiting again, because now their customers have more money. It's win-win. To say that increasing the minimum wage will cause businesses to go bankrupt or force higher prices is b******t. It's just an excuse from the greedy or uneducated.
If I could make a living wage working without a master's I probably would have never gone to college. You get what you work for.
All the news keeps saying that productivity is increasing. They have been saying that for decades, but does anything get any cheaper? In 1900 you could go on a nice evening's entertainment for 50 cents. In 1950 is was a dollar. In 1970 it took $10, today $10 won't get you into a movie.
The argument doesn't fly. Roosevelt's time was talking about blue collar jobs which were more plentiful. Nowadays you have too many other factors. There is blue collar and white collar. But I feel there should be a third collar, if you will. I do believe people in blue and white collar jobs should be paid a wage to pay for homes, but that third collar should be the teen/early 20 year old jobs. Learn to become an adult and earn a minimum wage that makes them understand the value. The problem with increasing wages drastically will be the end of small business if it is not done properly. Sadly, increasing minimum wage does not mean that all wages would increase also. It's not possible until the revenue increases so then you are back to the beginning where $15 wage won't be enough for a home.
There are lots of people in this world who aren't very smart, aren't very talented, and aren't very lucky. They DESERVE A HOME TOO! They deserve a family, and a dry roof over their heads. If you make $15 or more an hour, congrats! You are advantaged. If the minimum wage is raised to $15 or more and your employer doesn't give you a raise... perhaps then it's time to look for a new job, or petition your employer to give you a raise to account for the difference. Too many once well paid jobs are gone, because computers and robots are taking a lot of jobs out of the market. Capitalism is not going to work for human society much longer, we NEED to find a new way. What happens when only 10% of society works because all the labor is done by robots????? Go ahead call me a socialist, while you are driving on public roads, depending on civil services of police and schools, and eating foods that are government subsidized.
Ridiculous. My 15 year old sister doesn't need to be able to pay for a mortgage from her wage at her ice cream stand job and that level of skill doesn't deserve that sort of wage.
a 15 year-old at an ice-cream stand is hardly paying rent. Who says an adult selling fast food and soft drinks is not entitled to have a home?
Load More Replies...BUT- As an American, I STARTED at minimum wage (around $4.25), at the time and WORKED MY WAY UP to $15+/hour. WHY shouldn't I get an equivalent raise?!?!? The min wagers are getting a raise for merely working, whereas I worked my a*s off for YEARS... These folks working fast food and bagging groceries are paid what is expected of those professions. They want to be paid better money, then get a better paying job.
Look, I feel for you, I really do, and I agree that those who have been working at jobs for years, like yourself should get equivalent wage increases. But saying that everyone else should just 'get a better paying job' is both incredibly selfish AND ridiculous. It's hard enough for people to find a job nowadays, even when they have impressive university degrees. They still end up working in retail for minimum wage. Everyone deserves a decent living wage.
Load More Replies...Yes, race relations are different enough today that many employers aren’t going to turn someone away just for being black in the same way that they used to. The government should interfere because it’s a matter of public health and safety. The government also interferes with two people having sex by providing medical care that relates to sex, like testing and vaccines at the health department and such. The government doesn’t force people into relationships, the same way it doesn’t force you to have a job. But if employers are endangering society itself by not paying enough to live, then the government will step in. Same way they step in and provide free vaccines to people who choose to have sex.
Load More Replies...You’re bad at life and you haven’t starved to death yet so there goes your theory.
Load More Replies...“F**k you, I got mine. Nobody should be able to advance more than I did.” - Tara O
Load More Replies...There has to be the better employment available to begin with.
Load More Replies...How is people suposed to paid the ridiculus student fees in USA if the only jobs that you can do before education pay nothing?
Load More Replies...Not everyone is capable or able to get more skills - only experience at their job - and jobs are pretty scarce in many areas. I am a highly experienced administrator/secretary in the health sector and after relocating was only able to get short term-contract positions via agencies at barely over the minimum wage. Are you suggesting that only well-paid, skilled people have the right to have a family. True - dont have kids you cannt afford to care for. But adults who work full-time SHOULD be able to afford basic housing and care for a couple of children without having to rely on benefits/welfare.
Load More Replies...That's the thing though the prices of everything have gone up again and again and again without wages increasing. You shouldn't have to choose between food and rent or food and gas.
Load More Replies...You should be afraid. Ooooo, living waaaagggeee! Call the ghostbusters. It’s getting spooky in here. F*****g idiot lol.
Load More Replies...How very dare people expect to be able to eat AND pay their bills every month! You're such an a*****e.
Load More Replies...Uhmmmm.... If there are laws that actually protect the citizen, rather than the authorities, then the minimal wage thing is one of these. It's for your own good, trust me. *nod nod*
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