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On this page, we will itemize a sample budget for a single person in order to analyze what a fair standard would be for a minimum-wage worker. It is our position that a person working eight hours a day, five days a week, at any job, should be able to support themselves to a minimum basic standard of living. This practical wage is necessary in order to elevate the class of working poor to contributing members of society. Working for anything less than what is needed to subsist on independently, is nothing short of slavery.
All figures are based on national averages, for a Federal standard
A full-time job at 40 hours per week is 173.2 hours per month calculating 4.33 weeks in each month. To find a reasonable minimum wage, we divide the average basic monthly expenses figure, by the number of hours worked. For the average American worker to support themselves without government assistance or by borrowing beyond their means, that worker must earn...
Paying workers less than they need to live on creates a permanent welfare class.
"The minimum wage was designed to create a minimum standard of living to protect the health and well-being of employees." -Cornell University Law School, Legal Information Institute
Paying workers less than they need to live on creates a permanent welfare class.
"The minimum wage was designed to create a minimum standard of living to protect the health and well-being of employees." -Cornell University Law School, Legal Information Institute
This is so wrong on so many levels. The median rent in the US is $1000? Why should people earning the minimum wage get a median priced apartment of their own? Lots of people who make more than minimum wage in my area share places to live. I live in a studio apartment in an expensive area and my rent is less than $1000 per month.
And everyone's cost of living is different because of the choices they make. If I go out and decide to have 3 kids, my cost of living is going to be higher than someone who doesn't have any, but that has nothing to do with the skills (or lack thereof) I bring to the labor market.
Not to mention if you start paying everyone a minimum $36,000 per year to work in retail and fast food joints, you're going to either create a lot of inflation and/or get a lot more unemployment because businesses will close or jobs will be automated away. You can be sure that $1000 median rent will be going up significantly.
Paying workers less than they need to live on creates a permanent welfare class.
Creating more workers than meaningful work can warrant does that.
Reduce the raw number... and the balance will have some market clout to be paid better.
Paying more than the skill/time warrants isn't wages... it's charity.
Quote:
"The minimum wage was designed to create...
...a guaranteed threshold level of income regardless of negotiating power.
This is so wrong on so many levels. The median rent in the US is $1000? Why should people earning the minimum wage get a median priced apartment of their own? Lots of people who make more than minimum wage in my area share places to live. I live in a studio apartment in an expensive area and my rent is less than $1000 per month.
And everyone's cost of living is different because of the choices they make. If I go out and decide to have 3 kids, my cost of living is going to be higher than someone who doesn't have any, but that has nothing to do with the skills (or lack thereof) I bring to the labor market.
Not to mention if you start paying everyone a minimum $36,000 per year to work in retail and fast food joints, you're going to either create a lot of inflation and/or get a lot more unemployment because businesses will close or jobs will be automated away. You can be sure that $1000 median rent will be going up significantly.
My thoughts exactly. My share of rent is $1K/mo, but people can get that down to $300/mo if they live in a less swanky area and get more roommates.
Paying workers less than they need to live on creates a permanent welfare class.
"The minimum wage was designed to create a minimum standard of living to protect the health and well-being of employees." -Cornell University Law School, Legal Information Institute
Why does a practical min. wage have to support a person living alone? Does every working person have their own apartment or home?
I know when I made 15k/yr I lived with roommates. Crazy idea, but I did.
Also...$300 a month for food? Seems a little high for someone making min. wage. I know my wife and I make nowhere near min. wage and we only spend $350 a month between the two of us.
I notice there is no line item at all for any type of savings. What will that no-skilled worker do when the working years end and their income plummets from 36k to 12k? Or are we going to substantially increase SS benefits too?
It's so awesome that we can create wealth out of nothing, simply by raising minimum wage.
RENT ------------------------------$1000 <------------- Get roommates $500
BASIC UTILITIES --------------$200 <-------------- Get roommates $65
ADVANCED UTILITIES ------$150 <-------------Drop to basic internet only $10
FOOD ------------------------------$300 <---------------Don't eat out or buy too many pre-made items $200
NON-FOOD GROCERY -----$50 <---------------- reasonable. $50
CLOTHING -----------------------$75 <---------------Wear current clothes until they have holes $10
TRANSPORTATION ----------$500 <---------------Live near work and walk $50 - Walk most places and use public transit or Zipcar for incidentals
HEALTHCARE -----------------$350 <---------------Get Obamacare $125 with high deductible plan
MISCELLANEOUS -----------$400 <---------------$250 - $100 taxable savings, $100 retirement, $50 family events, other entertainment, or travel
That list is pretty ridiculous... I don't think anyone pays $500 a month for transportation. I have what I consider to be a fairly long commute and spend less than $150 a month on gasoline.
That list is pretty ridiculous... I don't think anyone pays $500 a month for transportation. I have what I consider to be a fairly long commute and spend less than $150 a month on gasoline.
That was supposed to include depreciation of the vehicle, insurance, and service costs as well as personal property tax and parking cost if they have them.
Paying workers less than they need to live on creates a permanent welfare class.
"The minimum wage was designed to create a minimum standard of living to protect the health and well-being of employees." -Cornell University Law School, Legal Information Institute
It is our position that people who want to live at a certain standard of living must seek the education, skills mastery and initiative to gain employment that provides them the means to live that lifestyle.
Paying people more than their contributions are worth is nothing less than a welfare state and demeans the human spirit that embraces reward for accomplishment and contribution, demoralizes the individual who strives for more than a hand out and diminishes the worth of every human being to the lowest denominator.
- Mack Knife,
Individual
Contributor to the economy
Past employer
Tax Payer
Benefactor to the helpless
Critic of the lazy
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