Do you feel pity for the working poor? (minimum wage, health care, how much)

[politically_correct]

A group of us were talking about people in America who work 40-80 hours a week but still are poor. One person said it seemed like a shame for people who work so many hours to not be able to live a middle class life style. But another said that no one should be working a job that only pays $7.00 an hour if they are full time. Instead these jobs should be for kids, college students or part time second jobs. No one is suppose to make a living on these jobs. Anyone worth a dam should either learn a trade or go to college. So there is no pity for the working poor.

[katzenfreund]

Not all people have the mental capacity to work at a job that is more challenging than a job that would pay about $7 or $8 an hour. So yes, I do feel that if someone like that is working full time, they should be able to afford a roof over their head, food, transportation and health care. Should they be able drive a fancy new car, live in a big house and go on vacation twice a year, no. But they shouldn't live in poverty either.

[sean98125]

Originally Posted by katzenfreund

Not all people have the mental capacity to work at a job that is more challenging than a job that would pay about $7 or $8 an hour.

Apparently, they could still become President, though. For two terms, even.

[GregW]

But there does seem to be a lot of pity for the overtaxed executive or the frustrated investor. I guess the idea of Pity the rich- they have so much to loose is more prevalent than any sense of shame that even hard working people in this country can be poor.

[katzenfreund]

Originally Posted by sean98125

Apparently, they could still become President, though. For two terms, even.

lol

there are exceptions to every rule!

[ReefAreCoolToo]

We can't completely ignored the whole working class people. They are the foundation of this country. The foremen, construction workers, janitors, cashier, grocery people, waiters, bus drivers, and so forth....
I believed if they are working full time, they should be able to afford a roof over their head, foods and some cloths. Nothing fancy but able to live decent not in the poverty.

p/s while you and I sitting nicely at our desk..someone is clearing the trash for us at night. vacuuming the floor, clean the bathroom in the office right?

[evilnewbie]

Well, what do you define as "working poor"... are these people working 40 hours a week and earning minimum wage such as janitors, secretaries, etc. So now that we define these people as "working poor"... are they poor because their jobs are unskilled and requires very little education such that anyone can do it... if they are, what do you propose? Increasing their wages? So that we can hire someone to work at McDonald's flipping burgers for $15 an hour? Would that cure the "working poor"? Should someone working at McDonald's be able to buy a $300k house? What do you define as "necessary" other than food, shelter, and clothing... and how much of an income is necessary to have all of that? Should the working poor be excluded from expensive cities like NYC or LA? Basically, are you arguing that we should pay our working poor more because the fact that they are poor or because they are working and not able to buy a $300 house. Is not living in a $300k house the same as living in poverty? Or is living in poverty because they are living in cheap areas? If they don't live in cheap areas, then who lives in the cheap areas?

[NewToCA]

Thread serves no purpose. Nobody with any sense, no matter your political orientation, would look down upon someone working and making little money.

Thread closed.