Plano's Generosity (Dallas, Midland, Odessa: school district, subsidized, incomes)

[Katana49]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

Maybe that was true in the 1970s, but the low-wage sector is where the most job growth has occurred and you don't have to be an economist to realize that wage growth lags far behind inflation...additionally, housing costs have skyrocketed here in recent years.


I doubt there are enough 16-18 year olds in Plano to satisfy demand for every minimum-wage job out there. Plus, who's going to wash the dishes, mop the floors, and flip the burgers while the kids are in school, doing their homework, or participating in the myriad of scheduled activities their parents have planned for them?


When those kids' parents go out to lunch on a weekday with their work buddies, who do you think is cooking the food and working the register? Not high school kids.

Sigh. Yes, I'm sure my post meant that EVERY single minimum wage job is supposed to be held by high school kids.

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

But how is that supposed to work? Are all the nail salons, restaurants, car washes, etc supposed to be closed while kids are in school and magicly open when school gets out at 4pm? Is it realistic to think that high school kids are going to be serving you or making your burrito when you go out to lunch on workdays? College kids have more flexible schedules but UTD and Collin College don't enroll enough students to staff ALL the hourly jobs in Collin County either.

Same comment applies to you as well.


The age group that suffered the most in the last recession and job market were workers 16-25. Those jobs that would normally have been filled by a younger worker were now being taken by 20-30 somethings who had been laid off. People who already had families. These people were not meant to support a family on a minimum wage salary.


For those that can't afford to live in an area, the long term solution is to move. This holds true whether you're pulling down $60-75k in California and can't afford to live where you do or if you're making $25k a year and living in Plano.

[Katana49]

Originally Posted by TheOverdog

That's because plenty of houses and apartments in and near Plano used to be affordable on minimum wage salaries.

Nope. That hasn't been the case in Plano at any time from the mid 80's to now.

[kyam11]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

Yeah, I'm sure all of those vets and low income patients can just feel his disdain for them coming out of every pore on his body. And I bet they love hearing about his Bentley. Not what I would call empathy considering the way he speaks about the less fortunate on this forum.

Actually I just go do it. I was never asked to nor did I get any benefit from it. I realized it could help people with a disease that makes life hard and just show up to do it. I’m real sure what they feel is hope. Most sinply thought there was no path without big $.

Pretty neat to see someone come up to you years later and hug you because their QOL is improved.

[Katana49]

Originally Posted by kyam11

No proving a point that I have probably more empathy than most here do. I guess I better be careful because we know you might cry like a baby and tell a mod you got hurt.

Let me know when you change hundreds of peoples lives for free yearly. I'll wait......likely forever.

By all means, continue with the insults. The forum enjoys when you're given a forced leave of absence.

[kyam11]

Originally Posted by Katana49

By all means, continue with the insults. The forum enjoys when you're given a forced leave of absence.

Wah wah. I would even offer you a tissue for free

See that is empathy.

[EDS_]

So far as minimum wages FDR fought for a minimum wage to be included in The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938(?). FDR said himself that the min. wage needed to be a "living wage" and it was set with his approval at $0.25 per hour or $4.41 in todays money.

When FDR said living wages he meant in reality survival wages. Even then 25 cents per hour probably meant living in a tent, an ultra-garbage apt. or maybe an extra room and eating tortillas and peanut butter - a car? not a chance, a TV? no way, a radio? probably not because there'd be little chance of affording electricity.

Today about 2% of workers over 25yo make the minimum wage - that's straight from the BLS. Around half of min. wage earners are 16-25 even though workers in that age cadre account for a only 1/5 of all hourly paid workers.

The take away is Katana's point that min. wages are currently mostly for/about young workers is right on. He's 100% right there's no rational counter argument.

Just a pro tip. It's never a bad idea to at least consider what an economist says about matters of economics.

[HP48G]

Originally Posted by EDS_

So far as minimum wages FDR fought for a minimum wage to be included in The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938(?). FDR said himself that the min. wage needed to be a "living wage" and it was set with his approval at $0.25 per hour or $4.41 in todays money.

The take away is Katana's point that min. wages are currently mostly for/about young workers is right on. He's 100% right there's no rational counter argument.

Just a pro tip. It's never a bad idea to at least consider what an economist says about matters of economics.

Since the business lobbying arms have been very busy pressing Congress/WH not to mandate or even discuss expanding e-Verify because businesses would lose their unauthorized workforce and be forced to pay HIGHER WAGES to hire legal workers, It’s clear that everything Katana said is pure BS to justify paying poverty wages.

[stan4]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

Nobody said "affordable to all," but wouldn't it be better if businesses in affluent areas lacking good public transportation options made it easier for some of the low-wage workers to live closer to work?


I mean, seriously...y'all want to have your cake and eat it too. You can't expect people to wash dishes for minimum wage and pay $1300 in rent every month. Someone working full-time on minimum wage doesn't even net $1300/mo. They'd struggle to pay half that amount in rent.


The number of low-wage workers stacked half a dozen deep in motel rooms/extended stay "hotels" or sleeping in their cars would probably shock you. I wonder if you'd care. You do realize that a lot of people in homeless shelters actually have jobs, right?

You fly to extremes pretty quick, don't you?
I think better solutions than creating high density housing (which really benefits no one) would be to invest in transportation infrastructure, etc. [Even though 80% of people living in poverty have access to a car, and you know, TONS OF US COMMUTE.]
Better for the environment and road congestion.
I was against the "luxury" apartments, too.

And spare me. I'll go head to head with anyone on here re: direct and monetary charity work with the local poor and homeless folks.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by HP48G

Since the business lobbying arms have been very busy pressing Congress/WH not to mandate or even discuss expanding e-Verify because businesses would lose their unauthorized workforce and be forced to pay HIGHER WAGES to hire legal workers, It’s clear that everything Katana said is pure BS to justify paying poverty wages.

You're emotional let that go. Discussions around economics broach the impossible when participant's vision is clouded with emotion.

I've never heard Katana discuss e-Verify so I don't know if you are right or wrong about his thoughts in that area.

I support something like e-Verify. As it is 100% clear that illegals do indeed debase pay rates among lower and no skilled jobs.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by stan4

You fly to extremes pretty quick, don't you?
I think better solutions than creating high density housing (which really benefits no one) would be to invest in transportation infrastructure, etc. [Even though 80% of people living in poverty have access to a car, and you know, TONS OF US COMMUTE.]
Better for the environment and road congestion.
I was against the "luxury" apartments, too.

And spare me. I'll go head to head with anyone on here re: direct and monetary charity work with the local poor and homeless folks.

I'm somewhat flattered that you took anything I said personally enough to think we had a beef or something.