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So we've established that there are people who will work hard and will not work hard. I wonder which ones will get ahead....
The ones that work smart, which is how it has always been. No way in hell I would work for $8 an hour. What we have established is that people will not work for grossly less than their skill set commands. Me not working for $8 an hour does not mean I will not work hard. It means I will not work, period, for $8 an hour. I do still do work/volunteer at one of the junior colleges in my area at what comes out to be about $15/hour depending on how much unpaid time is necessary. It is a very part-time gig helping out a few classes a year. Basically I am working for a cup of coffee, a sandwich, and the cost of gas to drive there. My full rates for that start $150/hour, generally with two unpaid hours for each billed hour which is part of why the hourly rate is so high. A fifteen hour schedule is considered full-time. Nor is it a number drawn out of a hat, that is what the going hourly rate is that employers pay. What they charge their clients I have no idea, but it is certainly more than $150/hour since they have overhead to cover and are in it to make a profit.
A lot of these low paying scheit jobs are in bad locations, and/or offer schedules that basically lock you in and make it nearly impossible to conduct a successful job search while being employed there. They give you "the 30 minute lunch" so you really can't leave to an interview and be back on time.They give you irregular schedules so you basically live day to day and can't plan anything in advance of your shift or after it's over.
Have you seen some of the people who work at those low tier places? Many are felons, druggies, deadbeat fathers, school drop outs and other low demographic types. That's right. You might be ok but this demographic next to you will make your life unbearable. You'll be doing their job and covering for them. Prison without bars.
Seriously??? Fuggetaboutit.....as we say in NY.
Maybe that's how it is in -your- neighborhood, but where I live, it's a wee bit more upscale. I work a minimum-wage job (I get paid more than minimum but that's because came into it with over 15 years experience). One of my co-workers is a teacher with a college degree, working on her master's degree, who works at our store to supplement her teachers' income. Another one is an eccentric bachelor, I believe in his early or mid 40's, who is returned to school after having graduated, and received his advanced degree, and is continuing in hopes of getting a doctorate. He has no ambition beyond that, he's in school to improve his mind. Another has come to this country from Africa and speaks four languages fluently, and enjoys his job but is hoping the experience in the States will bump him up to a more professional environment in IT. Three more are just out of high school (one is attending her last year, this year), and have no intention of staying at the store permanently. All three have college plans.
The rest are either semi-retired (like myself) who just want to interact with other human beings and supplement our family income, making it easier on our spouses, or are college students home for the summer break.
Yet another is the mother of a couple of kids, who has a second job and is studying to enter the criminal justice department.
We did have a druggie, he was fired. We had two criminals, but we didn't know they were criminals until we caught them stealing from the store. They weren't criminals up until that point. They are now, and they no longer work for us.
Pretty mundane stuff here in my neck of the woods, and we're not all that far from NYC.
I stand by what I said. Come here to NYC and take a look around. Go to the Bronx, to Queens, to Brooklyn and of course, Manhattan.
Your reality may be "better" than mine and that's your truth. You can celebrate it and shout it from the rooftops.
My truth is based on what I observe and experience here. It's true for me. I'm not here to argue or prove that my truth is better than yours or anyone else's. It's my experience and is valid for me and countless others I deal with every day.
So yes, that's how it is in -my- (surrounding) neighborhood. Please don't come off like you work for Sotheby's International Realty Inc.
Back to the question: Would you work as hard for $8 an hour?
The answer: NO. I wouldn't work at all for that money. I would politely decline over the phone to come to the interview.
Why? My immigrant parents made much, much more than that and they spoke bad English, had no college education and had no marketable skills.
Why should I regress below what they made with their limited backgrounds?
That's not why they brought us here. I understand they did what they had to so that food and shelter could be procured.
We must move ahead and progress. There's no other way.
. Exactly. They brainwash you into believing you will get raises and promotions "if you work hard enough." Yea sure, and I'm the Easter Bunny. That's how they get the best low wage slaves in the company to stay indefinitely "hoping for advancement." Same thing with all those welfare to work programs (Workforce1, Goodwill, America Works, etc.) How come none of them place you into liveable wage jobs? How come none of them offer real life training or education? They only look to place a person into home health aide and retail ($8) jobs. What happened to clerical admin jobs in the white collar world? What, they don't even have receptionist or file clerk jobs?
The (top) people who run those programs and the employees who are supposed to place you are vultures who profit from your misfortune. That's how they like to keep it. They only have $8 jobs.
So go ahead and take those jobs. You ain't never moving up from those.
Something to add to this. There is a way out of this, but it takes a big effort. For instance, I've taken minimum wage jobs. However, I have had roommates, It splits up the rent. Financial aid has helped a bit. However, for those who don't have college to fall back on have to depend on others. I notice immigrants taking jobs that don't pay well. However, I've noticed many immigrant families might stay with relatives or find other ways to make living much cheaper. You might have some friends or cousins staying in crowded quarters helping each other.
"Work hard" only works if you have other hardworking people backing you up. You can't do it alone. This whole "Horatio Alger pull yourself up by your bootstraps" stuff isn't totally true in my opinion. It is good to work hard, but you have to be goal oriented, and it is important to have someone to help you achieve those goals. Very people have done anything without help. This is why I think the way some things are set up, it is set up as such to keep people working in a revolving door, and at the same time, to keep those on the bottom competing with one another. If you're not competing with the other work, and you and the other working co-op with on another, you can help each other get out of minimum wage and to move up higher.
The ones that work smart, which is how it has always been. No way in hell I would work for $8 an hour. What we have established is that people will not work for grossly less than their skill set commands. Me not working for $8 an hour does not mean I will not work hard. It means I will not work, period, for $8 an hour. I do still do work/volunteer at one of the junior colleges in my area at what comes out to be about $15/hour depending on how much unpaid time is necessary. It is a very part-time gig helping out a few classes a year. Basically I am working for a cup of coffee, a sandwich, and the cost of gas to drive there. My full rates for that start $150/hour, generally with two unpaid hours for each billed hour which is part of why the hourly rate is so high. A fifteen hour schedule is considered full-time. Nor is it a number drawn out of a hat, that is what the going hourly rate is that employers pay. What they charge their clients I have no idea, but it is certainly more than $150/hour since they have overhead to cover and are in it to make a profit.
Why the heck would you take an $8/hr job (the preface for this thread) if you weren't willing to do the work? I understand not taking an $8/hr job in the first place. I wouldn't either. But that's not what the OP is asking.
It's pretty messed up for you to accept a job that pays $8/hr and then say you're not going to do the work.
*What part of the country do you live in? Tennessee
*Do you live with a spouse? Yes
*If you do live with a spouse, what does the spouse make? More than $8 but it all goes to child support, hospital bills, and car payment.
*Do you operate a business on the side? No
*Do you receive any government assistance? No
I find it very hard to believe you're living perfectly fine on ONLY $7.25/hr.
My idea of fine differs from yours. I can sit at home, no tv, and eat a bologna and cheese sandwich or a cup of ramen noodles. I dont smoke, i dont drink, i dont go see movies. i dont go driving around wasting gas. if i dont have to go to work or go get groceries i dont leave the house. i dont have to buy birthday & Christmas presents. There are no kids living with us. We cook roughly one meal a week. Our rent is $700 a month for a 2/2 on 2 acres of land. Youre probably bored already but i have no problem sitting outside watching the deer eat, or the hummingbirds eat, the meteor showers, the sky full of stars at night, laying in bed reading a book, etc. Doesnt take a bit of money to do that.
I guess you could ask your cable company if they would offer you all the HD channels at the basic rate.
A few years ago i called up the local cable company and told them i wanted to deactivate my cable. I told them i could no longer afford to pay $65 for internet per month. She then asked me if id be willing to stay with them if my rate was reduced to $29.99 a month for the next 2 years. I said yes and they reduced my rate right then and there.
On a side note, when the guy came to install the cable we asked him about getting cable tv. He said "dont bother. When you get cable internet it activates all the cable outlets in your home. Youd be paying twice for what already have".
Raise your hand if you remember making it just fine (and i dont mean private jets and going on cruises) back when jobs paid $3.35
(Raises hand)
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. Exactly. They brainwash you into believing you will get raises and promotions "if you work hard enough." 
Yea sure, and I'm the Easter Bunny. That's how they get the best low wage slaves in the company to stay indefinitely "hoping for advancement." Same thing with all those welfare to work programs (Workforce1, Goodwill, America Works, etc.) How come none of them place you into liveable wage jobs? How come none of them offer real life training or education? They only look to place a person into home health aide and retail ($8) jobs. What happened to clerical admin jobs in the white collar world? What, they don't even have receptionist or file clerk jobs? 
