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This. Someone earning federal minimum wage where I live would be lucky to afford the rent on a studio apartment. They'd have nothing leftover for food, healthcare, transportation, clothing etc.
Even if that were true...so what?
Are you trying to say that each and every individual should be guaranteed some particular living situation such as his/her own private accommodations, types of food, entertainment and transportation?
Do you think that the minimum wage is supposed to support that?
Well, it ain't so.
Whatever your wage may be, it's up to you to manage your situation and finances to live within your means. If that means getting roommates to share an apartment, buying groceries and cooking at home instead of eating out, walking or riding a bicycle to work, then that's what you do.
If you want better, then better yourself and get a better job. Budget and save your money. If you can't afford $120/mo for a cable TV package then you don't belong sitting on your keister watching TV anyway, you should be learning something to get a better job or working more.
You think you're supposed to get an apartment, a late-model car, eat out and have all the frills for 40 hours a week at minimum wage? Forget that.
Are you trying to say that each and every individual should be guaranteed some particular living situation such as his/her own private accommodations, types of food, entertainment and transportation?
Do you think that the minimum wage is supposed to support that?
Well, it ain't so.
Whatever your wage may be, it's up to you to manage your situation and finances to live within your means. If that means getting roommates to share an apartment, buying groceries and cooking at home instead of eating out, walking or riding a bicycle to work, then that's what you do.
If you want better, then better yourself and get a better job. Budget and save your money. If you can't afford $120/mo for a cable TV package then you don't belong sitting on your keister watching TV anyway, you should be learning something to get a better job or working more.
You think you're supposed to get an apartment, a late-model car, eat out and have all the frills for 40 hours a week at minimum wage? Forget that.
Implement mandatory E-Verify for employers, many illegals who can't work will leave the country, apartments will be cheaper.
There is more than one way to resolve an affordability problem.
Everyone thinks of fast food when it comes to minimum wage but there are vast sectors out there that just can't pay $15 hour. Lifeguards at community pools, fruit pickers, cashiers at small craft stores, rural mowers, wood splitters, ice-cream servers, etc. I mean, it's not happening. $15/hr seems doable around urban areas and probably is, but get out there where your client is only making $20/hr themselves (if that), the client just can't afford the services offered.
If blueberries sell for $5 a quart and it takes an hour to pick three, where is the profit for the farmer? They aren't large enough to be mechanical nor can afford it. 35-40k/year is typical for them. A rob Peter to pay Paul. The real victims will be the lower middle-class.
If blueberries sell for $5 a quart and it takes an hour to pick three, where is the profit for the farmer? They aren't large enough to be mechanical nor can afford it. 35-40k/year is typical for them. A rob Peter to pay Paul. The real victims will be the lower middle-class.
MW won't be $15/hr in those areas so don't worry.
And there is nothing to stop a business owner from picking his own berries for <MW if he so chooses. Actually the price of berries will rise and sales will be barely impacted if at all.
Everyone who is whining about how awful a higher MW would be for the middle class must also believe that a ton of people are making those crappy wages. In reality expect average prices to rise 1-2%. You won't even notice it.
Those minimum wage increases were done nationally, and was in a period with very high inflation. So of course it didn't affect much.
It is not a problem to have a minimum wage, the problem comes when it gets too high. Minimum wage has historically been between $8-$9 real dollars, not $15.
Too high? Look at the COL in most urban areas today and tell me that eight to nine bucks an hour is anywhere near fair compensation, rent is through the roof in Portland Oregon to the extent that we see weekly public demonstrations in protest of this unprecedented increase---not of rent necessarily--but moreover---greed. Rents near doubling and wages for the poor are flat, sumpins gotta give..
And there is nothing to stop a business owner from picking his own berries for <MW if he so chooses. Actually the price of berries will rise and sales will be barely impacted if at all.
Everyone who is whining about how awful a higher MW would be for the middle class must also believe that a ton of people are making those crappy wages. In reality expect average prices to rise 1-2%. You won't even notice it.
Just curious, how did you come up with your 1-2% calculation? Did you do the math or just make a guess?
It's based on him assuming affected workers earn 4% of national income, and they will need to increase their share from 4% of income to 6% of the income. The math is not right, because the business who do increase prices need to also compensate for fewer customers.
But more importantly this is for all businesses, the average increase may not be so high, but it will be concentrated in a few sectors that employ a lot of low skilled workers per customer.
Too high? Look at the COL in most urban areas today and tell me that eight to nine bucks an hour is anywhere near fair compensation, rent is through the roof in Portland Oregon to the extent that we see weekly public demonstrations in protest of this unprecedented increase---not of rent necessarily--but moreover---greed. Rents near doubling and wages for the poor are flat, sumpins gotta give..
Increasing the minimum wage to compensate for failed housing policies is a very stupid move. Then a MW increase will just increase rent for small houses. The effect will be that unemployed will struggle even more.
The right solution is to build more houses and apartments. MW should always be based on median wage, not cost of living.
The bottom line, the government isn't raising wages for altruistic reasons to improve people's lives, they know that a $15/hr wage earner pays more in SS, fed taxes, state taxes, and medicare, it also disqualifies many from social services. So, it's more about the money into the hands of government. Now, if it really did accomplish those benefits, it could be worth it to raise the MW, but those who would rather live off the government will probably have already figured this out. So the next thing you'll see in the headlines is, "new minimum wage ruined my benefits".
The bottom line, the government isn't raising wages for altruistic reasons to improve people's lives
The government, with only a few local exceptions, has been consistently fighting against raising the minimum wage. There are not enough votes in Congress to move the min. wage. Obama, Clinton, and other Dems only wanted $10.10 or $12 and did not support the $15/hr movement. The only reason there is momentum for raising the min. wage has been because the public outcry for raising wages is reaching critical mass and the politicians are being forced into it.
Take California for example. State government was against $15. It wasn't until people qualified a ballot initiative and polls showed it was going to pass that it forced the hand of the governor to act.
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