Working Class can’t afford the American Dream in Pittsburgh (Rutherford: house, employment)

[tyovan4]

Originally Posted by gladhands

Count me among those who believe that we should have a living wage in this country. Unfortunately, we have people who currently earn a living wage and feel threatened by the prospect of people they deem beneath them also earning a living wage. You can see it right here in this thread. America has a wage problem and housing cost. Pittsburgh is easily one of the most affordable cities in the country, yet this thread seems to single it out as unaffordable.

Well, of course I feel threatened by the Progressive agenda.

If minimum wage is increased to my current wage, there will be inflation of prices. Businesses will not conjure out of thin air the extra money to pay for their increased labor costs. This is simple economics. Those costs will be passed on to consumers. Folks like me. It's basic economics and basic math that an increase in the minimum wage will decrease my quality of life by making goods and services more expensive for me, and for people like me.

I hate the Progressive push for "affordable housing". Our local Politburo wanted to jack up the real estate transfer tax even higher, putting another barrier in the way of people like me on the path to home ownership. Meanwhile, working class people like me would get bent over the barrel so that our Enlightened leadership could give away public housing to other people. Public housing that costs much more, per unit, than my house cost. I live in an unsexy, untrendy, poor/working-class neighborhood. I bought a home 3.5 years ago for $45,700. Move-in ready. No work needed.

For university - I went to community college, CLEP tested everything I could, went to a second-tier state university (an SSHE school), and graduated with a BA in 2.5 years. Joined the National Guard in the middle of two unpopular wars, in part motivated by college money. I'm 30 and I've been student debt-free for several years. I have no sympathy for people who took out six figures of student debt and have their Progressive allies look to folks like me to bail them out with my tax dollars.

I don't feel threatened - it is more of a hatred. I live modestly. I live within my means. I make financially-wise decisions. I support myself and am content with my current quality of life. After all of my bills are paid (on-time, in-full, and my credit card is paid off completely at the end of every billing cycle), I have a few hundred dollars left over. Frankly, I'll be damned if I'm willing to share any of that little bit left over with people that made decisions that weren't as wise as mine. I can take care of myself, and I'm not interested in having my quality of life penalized because other people aren't wise enough to take care of their own business.

[PghYinzer]

The professions used to calculate the income in the article are a couple comprised of an in-home appliance repairman and a manicurist.

[Paul2421]

Originally Posted by gladhands

Also, allow me to say that this entire thread is dripping with entitlement. My parents were working poor, as were there for us. None of them owned a home. I believe all people should be able to raise their children in a safe neighborhood, but not everyone is entitled to home ownership, which is exactly what this thread is about. You want to be part of the landed gentry? Do better.

this argument seems to go against raising the minimum wage, though? people can just get better jobs for higher wages.

[szug-bot]

Originally Posted by RogersParkTransplant

For what it's worth, I see the debate as being much more about the obligation of corporations to share profits with workers... .Liberals like me love CostCo, for example, in part because they have sensible rules about decent wages for their workers, hiring practices that encourage promotion from within....

Just want to remark that that there ARE non-libs as well that feel the same way!

[Faer]

Originally Posted by tyovan4

I don't feel threatened - it is more of a hatred.[/i]

CRAB MEET BUCKET!

If you seriously find yourself making minimum wage with a BA, the blame lies with YOU. Anything else is just loser talk. Learn to negotiate, get a new job or something. If unskilled labor makes 15, skilled labor will have cost more than that. Otherwise there would be no skilled labor, it would be pointless to achieve, and businesses that require skilled labor would not be able to operate at all. Its just basic economics.

[tyovan4]

Originally Posted by Faer

CRAB MEET BUCKET!

If you seriously find yourself making minimum wage with a BA, the blame lies with YOU. Anything else is just loser talk. Learn to negotiate, get a new job or something. If unskilled labor makes 15, skilled labor will have cost more than that. Otherwise there would be no skilled labor, it would be pointless to achieve, and businesses that require skilled labor would not be able to operate at all. Its just basic economics.

I make more than double the current minimum wage.
I have a pension and excellent health insurance.
I also don't work in the private sector.

[Faer]

Originally Posted by tyovan4

I make more than double the current minimum wage.
I have a pension and excellent health insurance.
I also don't work in the private sector.

And I make six figures. So what? That doesn't change this ridiculous notion you seem to have that we need to keep others poorer to make ourselves better. Does 'Make America Great Again' really mean Make America ****ty So I Can Look Good By Comparison?

Oh and the 'live within your means' narrative doesn't mean jack when you pair it with trying to keep people from having any means to begin with.

[gladhands]

Originally Posted by Faer

And I make six figures. So what? That doesn't change this ridiculous notion you seem to have that we need to keep others poorer to make ourselves better. Does 'Make America Great Again' really mean Make America ****ty So I Can Look Good By Comparison?

Oh and the 'live within your means' narrative doesn't mean jack when you pair it with trying to keep people from having any means to begin with.

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Faer again.

[tyovan4]

Originally Posted by Faer

And I make six figures. So what? That doesn't change this ridiculous notion you seem to have that we need to keep others poorer to make ourselves better. Does 'Make America Great Again' really mean Make America ****ty So I Can Look Good By Comparison?

Oh and the 'live within your means' narrative doesn't mean jack when you pair it with trying to keep people from having any means to begin with.

Never said that.
Also not trying to "make myself look better". If anything - the opposite. I live in a poor neighborhood. I went to community college and then poor people state university. I live within my means. And I'm tired of having wealthier, enlightened folks like yourself tell me that I'm bad because I'm not interested in subsidizing people less responsible than me to have nicer things than I do. If I don't pay for it for myself - why should I pay for it for others?

I've been very open about my financial situation, so that people can better understand why I'm making the arguments that I am. If you're cool with me having to pay more, out of my meager salary, to better support those who are less well-off than me - than pray tell how many thousands per year you donate to charity, out of your six-figure salary? Do you put your money where your mouth is??

[_Buster]

Minimum wage was never meant to provide a middle class income capable of buying a middle class house. I don't know where people got this idea. It is the lowest skilled and least responsible and stable of jobs available. It will therefore provide lower than middle class wages. I don't know why that is a difficult concept.

The idea is that minimum wage is where unskilled workers begin, then they make more through raises and promotions which can happen rather quickly.