Minimum Wage

[Fleamo]

National minimum wage hasn't increased since the 90s.  Democrats seem to think it's a big thing for them after they take the House to increase minimum wage.  What do you think about it?  

Does it hurt the small business owners too much?  

Does it help or hurt the economy?

Does it reward laziness?

Is it just keeping up with inflation?  

What should the minimum wage be?  Should the minimum wage exist at all?

[The Tao Of Bill]

Yes it does hurt small business. But unfortunatly it is what needs to be done. There isn't a person out there who could survive on $5.15 an hour. Even working 40 hours a day. Especially when someone has a family to feed. It simply is not possible

[Haru to Ashura]

Minimun raise in my state was just raised from 5.15 to 6.75, a huge inscrease.  It's probably for the better, overall, since this is a state of few small business and more corporations to begin with.  

But if I don't get a raise as a result of this, I'm going to be really, really pissed off, because now the higher wage that I earned by being a better, more suited employee isn't as valuable, and some new punk can get paid almost as much just for doing the bare minimum. >

(edit) I agree that you can't live on 5.15 an hour, it's not possible.  Sure, you could maybe manage the rent on your apartment, but vehicle, insurance, family, food, etc?  No way.

[FDLink]

New mininum wage laws are a must, and if Democrats are planning to take this issue on, than more power to 'em.

The middle class of this country is burdened more than ever, with low wages, illegal immigration, outsourcing, and astronomical debt; this makes their spending power low. An increase in minimum wage would increase the spending power of the middle class, and therefore would be beneficial to the economy.

The middle class is the buffer in this country that keeps the poor from tearing out the throats of the rich; therefore it is imperative that more be done to help this critical demographic.

I heard this quote once, and though I can't remember who said it, I shall repeat it here.

Anybody who lives in the richest country in the world and works 40 hours a week should not just barely be getting by.

[Issac]

in my state the min. wage was raised too, but yea no one can live on 5.15 and hour, its simply impossible(or extremly hard) and they need to raise the national min. wage.

[Loki]

You gotta think though. If the minimum wage is increased, then businesses are going to increase the prices of their goods and services to match up with it and make up for the lost funds due to increasing the pay of all of their workers. So in the end, it might just be the same damn thing.

And you can argue against it, but remember. Big businesses are generally greedy and want the most profit they can get. If they're losing money on each worker, especially like $1.60 per hour/per person like Haruto said, then prices of stuff are definitely going to increase. In which case people are going to stop buying certain products.

I.E. Movie theaters. $4 for a small bag of popcorn and $3.50 for a small drink. That's $7.50 just for a 22 oz drink and a small bag of popcorn (can't remember the size), and as you can imagine, people complain about that constantly. If the theater started having to pay all hundred or so employees $1.60 more per hour, that's a ton of money and they'll have to make it up somehow. Which will be concession prices. Which will make people stop buying them. Which will hurt. So yeah, while minimum wage increases sound great and all, and are for most companies, they can also have a huge negative effect, too.

And it hurts small businesses, which is a bad thing. Cause if you start to deter people from making their own businesses, we all feel like we're forced to work for someone, and to some people, that's just the worst idea ever.

So yeah, for now, I'm putting my vote down for no increase. It just feels too pointless.

[Fleamo]

The hurting of small businesses could be greatly lessened by instituting gradual increases.  There is the idea of linking the minimum wage to the Consumer Price Index.

[Essence of the Triforce]

Minimum Wage here is $6.75 and from what I understand it is suppose to go up to &.75 next year not sure if that was a rumor or not

[Mongooseman]

I think that it should vary by the job. A middle-aged man working 40 hrs/wk in a manufacturing plant deserves to earn more, but a teenager working at McDonalds in the summer so he can get more video games doesn't need more than $5.50/hr or so.

[The Tao Of Bill]

Most teens I know save their money for college...

[Mongooseman]

Some do, that's true. I don't know many, though. But even so, flipping a burger is not worth more than $5/hr or so. I don't think that the businesses should be forced to pay them more than what they earn.

[The Tao Of Bill]

Have you ever worked at a fast food resturant? Many people don't last more than a few months there. It's a very high stress job and many rely on it for a living.

[Haru to Ashura]

I think that it should vary by the job. A middle-aged man working 40 hrs/wk in a manufacturing plant deserves to earn more, but a teenager working at McDonalds in the summer so he can get more video games doesn't need more than $5.50/hr or so.

 Absolutely not!  Pay difference based on age?  Not only is that unconstitutional, but that sounds an awful lot like child labor.  Plus, working in the plant, these days....how is that really any more difficult than working in a fast food restaurant?  Everything's automated. In both facilties. >_>;

I agree that the man will put the money to better use than the child, but creating pay differences like that doesn't solve the problem, it makes it much, much worse.

Besdies, not all teenagers earn money just to waste it.  Many use money to pay for a car - that's what I did.

[The Tao Of Bill]

Even if the majority of teens do waste the money they earn that's their choice. It's their money afterall. Also making a seperate wage for teens would make it nearly impossible for hard working teens to find a well paying job. And what about teens in poor familys who have to work to help support their families. Those are all good reasons to give them extra money as well. But whatever the case if a Teen works as hard as an adult in the same position they deserve the same rate. And if they want to blow all their money on video games that's their choice.

[Master Hylia]

I agree with you on that, the age doesn't matter at all, well it does to certain extent, like here you see bunch of 10 year old kids working in awful jobs just to earn like 2 bucks a day and that ain't right at all...here in El Salvador you have to be at least 18 to get a job at a fast food restaurant´and all the homeless and poor people make kids like rabbits just so they can be mantained by their children, here the people is lazy and the kids don't even have the guarantee of a minimun wage, but on the subject it doesn't the age doesnt determine the money you have to be paid, but there should be difference in different jobs like a miner and a fast food guy, I mean the miner works more, get's dirty and has more physical exhaustion IMO

[Fieari]

The teen/working poor problem is rather real.  Stores can get away with paying abysmal rates because there is a labor force who does not need that money to SURVIVE.  Unfortunately, far too many Americans -do- need that money to survive.

I once calculated out that in order to survive, I would need to make a minimum of $10 an hour.  To survive.  And I'm talking about living in a slum, eating mostly ramen and whatever leftovers my friends can spare me (mooching off free dinners and such), and not buying any entertainment at all.  Car insurance and gas is pretty expensive and absolutely required in order to work in many areas where the bus simply doesn't go (and don't think busses aren't expensive either), but the real killer is rent.

The real problem isn't that minimum wage isn't tied to inflation (which would help).  The real problem is that minimum wage doesn't take into consideration HOUSING costs.

Right now, the US Government defines the level of poverty according to the price of food.  The trouble with that, is that the price of food has been pretty steadily increasing by increments according to inflation.  Rent, on the other hand, has not.  Rent has been skyrocketing.

You can have a job that pays well above the so called "poverty line" and not have enough money to eat, so long as you want a place to sleep at night.

That's an even worse issue.

[Haru to Ashura]

Rent has been skyrocketing.

Thank you.  It's true, all too true.  Rent on the average apartment near my school has shot up 200 dollars in the last 3 years - that's absolutely insane.

Public transit is too unreliable, if you want to mantain your job, you need your own mode of transport.  If you rely on the bus, you're late to work, always.  Then you get fired, bam, no money.

[The Tao Of Bill]

I have found that the only way I will ever move out is if I find at least 2 other friends to do it with me. Because there is no way I can afford a single bedroom apartment. So I'd have to split a 3 bedroom apartment. And an extremely cheap one at that. If you are lucky you can split it with a couple who only needs 1 bedroom for the both of them. I am not even going to bother moving out of my parents home until I get my bachelors degree. Why should I bother?

[Unknowngamer]

Out here, minimum wage is $8.00 an hour ($6.50 for anyone under 18), and that may be higher than most other places, but the cost of living is so high it makes littles difference. When most one bedroom apartments cost at least $800 a month, and three bedroom houses can go as high as $5 million (I swear, I read the listing for the house myself), that amount just will not cut it.

[Adventureless_Hero]

The cost of living should go down. $69 FOR A FREAKING X-BOX GAME?!

(that's not much of an educated response I know, but I'm lazy.)