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I agree with the premise, but when people need to get out it's not easy. Working 2 jobs+ in order to make ends meet is hard enough...and then work even more to pay for education (plus the time to do so). Add in study time, transit time, and family time it gets even harder. Add in health problems, or unstable home situations, and it's damn near impossible.
It asking people to lift themselves by their bootstraps that are knee to waist deep in sticky mud. We should give them the hand up...but the desire, willpower, and effort need to be there in order to do so. Like a easily gripped branch above the mud.
Quote:
Originally Posted by legalsea
What a strange assumption. I actually presume that many of the posters herein are receiving disability benefits from the Federal government. Hence they may spend all day posting here and elsewhere.
Most seem to be on some sort of government assistance. Which is why all the great rants about taking away government programs, or the government itself, is so hilarious. One poster in particular likes to state people that don't make enough are at fault for their decisions, while at the same time whining that he makes under $10k a year but it's not his fault. Copying and pasting his own rants to him about the poor don't go well
None of this would be an issue if the economy didn't suck so badly and we didn't have so many underemployed, low wage workers. Now that they appear to be large enough to exploit as a voting block, Washington is going to do everything they can to hopefully motivate them to vote in a way that benefits certain politicians. Since this is an emotional issue, politicians are going to promise the world and end up doing nothing.
The best defense against having your citizens stuck in minimum wage jobs is an economy where upward mobility can occur for blue collar workers with relative ease. That is something that has been notably absent in this country the past 6 or 7 year outside of areas with an oil boom.
We need manufacturing and construction to roar back into life. We don't need to touch minimum wage, we need more opportunity.
The problem is that no matter how much you invest in the United States, you will never get the same return that you will investing in the emerging markets around the world. Our "mature" economy here is just not as good of an investment as can be found in many places around the world, and that's why the money has been leaving and being invested overseas.
None of this would be an issue if the economy didn't suck so badly and we didn't have so many underemployed, low wage workers. Now that they appear to be large enough to exploit as a voting block, Washington is going to do everything they can to hopefully motivate them to vote in a way that benefits certain politicians. Since this is an emotional issue, politicians are going to promise the world and end up doing nothing.
The best defense against having your citizens stuck in minimum wage jobs is an economy where upward mobility can occur for blue collar workers with relative ease. That is something that has been notably absent in this country the past 6 or 7 year outside of areas with an oil boom.
We need manufacturing and construction to roar back into life. We don't need to touch minimum wage, we need more opportunity.
If you're working for minimum wage then you qualify for govt assistance. (affordable housing, food, healthcare, etc). When you factor that in, some people working minimum wage have more than the average middle class working man. All in all what people need to do is learn to live within thier means. There should be no reason why someone working at a fast food joint should be going out and buying a $200+ pair of Jordans then complain about their salary. That $200 could have gone towards some type of training course to further their education or skill set for a trade of some sort.
I agree with the premise, but when people need to get out it's not easy. Working 2 jobs+ in order to make ends meet is hard enough...and then work even more to pay for education (plus the time to do so). Add in study time, transit time, and family time it gets even harder. Add in health problems, or unstable home situations, and it's damn near impossible.
It asking people to lift themselves by their bootstraps that are knee to waist deep in sticky mud. We should give them the hand up...but the desire, willpower, and effort need to be there in order to do so. Like a easily gripped branch above the mud.
Most seem to be on some sort of government assistance. Which is why all the great rants about taking away government programs, or the government itself, is so hilarious. One poster in particular likes to state people that don't make enough are at fault for their decisions, while at the same time whining that he makes under $10k a year but it's not his fault. Copying and pasting his own rants to him about the poor don't go well
But the key is, don't get yourself in this situation in the first place. As a parent, you need to be stressing to your kids about the value of hard work, going to college, etc.
And, if college isn't your thing, then go to a trade school, become a mechanic, carpenter, whatever. Those jobs pay really well and are always in demand.
But, don't drop out of high school, get a job for $7/hr and then ***** that you can't make ends meet.
This is just one big conservative strawman argument.
Translation:
"I don't like what I'm reading, so rather than go find information which refutes it, I'm just going to blurt out some nonsense about 'conservatives,' which doesn't refute anything, but will make me feel better."
But the key is, don't get yourself in this situation in the first place. As a parent, you need to be stressing to your kids about the value of hard work, going to college, etc.
And, if college isn't your thing, then go to a trade school, become a mechanic, carpenter, whatever. Those jobs pay really well and are always in demand.
But, don't drop out of high school, get a job for $7/hr and then ***** that you can't make ends meet.
That would be nice, but there needs to be a better solution then "never screw up and have great parents."
That would be nice, but there needs to be a better solution then "never screw up and have great parents."
I agree with you there. Your upbringing and environment obviously has a lot to do with your direction in life.
Maybe we should be having the teadhers be emphasizing this more? Maybe have people working MW jobs come to schools to talk to kids about the importance of putting yourself in position so your skills are only MW-worthy.
Kind of like those shows where kids visit a prison and the prisoners try to scare the hell out of them to get them to straighten up their lives.
I agree with you there. Your upbringing and environment obviously has a lot to do with your direction in life.
Maybe we should be having the teadhers be emphasizing this more? Maybe have people working MW jobs come to schools to talk to kids about the importance of putting yourself in position so your skills are only MW-worthy.
Kind of like those shows where kids visit a prison and the prisoners try to scare the hell out of them to get them to straighten up their lives.
I don't really consider someone in a minimum wage job equivalent to people who raped, robbed and killed others to scare others straight.
It also wouldn't really work for people in very bad life situations. You can't go to a kid that's hopeless due to being in an abusive home, dangerous environment, or generations of poverty and expect a pep talk about marketable skills to work. It also doesn't help people rehabilitate after doing the wrong things or recover after being in a hard situation (illness, injury, depression after major life change).
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