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Whose intent? Your statement implies that there is a central economic planner who creates jobs for specific people and circumstances. That's not the case. People who spend their lives flipping burgers or doing something menial for Walmart do so because they can't find anything better.
Let's be real here for a moment, shall we? Some people are not able to do anything other than menial labor. There used to be a lot of good paying jobs for these people, so long as they were willing to show up to work on time and work hard while they were there. Those jobs left with NAFTA. That's the problem.
The only job left that pays a decent wage that is available to a person of good character who is able to work hard, but who may not be particularly bright or skilled, is truck driving -- and I hear that lawmakers are working on getting Mexican trucks on U.S. highways, so that job will soon go away too.
So what choices do the menial labor crowd have? They can flip burgers, go on welfare or make do with very, very little. Personally, the solution I like to America's labor problem is that we start paying menial laborers more -- if that means that people at the top of the economic pyramid get less of the profits so that people at the bottom get more -- great! History shows that societies with less disparibty between the rich and everyone else are more stable, prosperous and enjoyable to live in.
Really?
In the State of Michigan you can take a test to become certified as an auto mechanic for $6 per test (8 total) and a registration fee of $30. That means for no more than $78 you can call yourself a certified master mechanic.
After you do that, you can go to the tire and battery center at the same Walmart were you work as a minimum wage greeter and get $12/hr to bust tires and change batteries.
Do that for two months and you'll be able to get a job at Belle Tire, Firestone, Goodyear or any other tire store for $15/hr and get that health insurance you've had you eyes on.
How about that?
Two months and a little effort is all it takes for a minimum wage greeter to double his or her income.
And in some cases, (and why is everyone a "burger flipper" freemarket?), you have more than one job so that should an emergency arise, (your tire went flat, whatever), you can go ahead and get it taken care of.
Lots of burger flippers (and their economic equivalents under $9/hr) out there, read Nickel and Dimed.
"Most Americans know the facts about low-wage work, but many have been lucky enough to avoid actually having to live on $8 or $9 an hour. A computer game called Spent gives you the opportunity to see what it would be like to walk in a poor person’s shoes."
The non-profit that helped design the game opts for a "tough love" approach to choices:
After trying to shop for digital groceries, however, that fact is punctuated by comments like “With these groceries, you’re going to [have a hard time].†If you elect to eat a cheap burger rather than a salad you’re told, “Perhaps that’s why low-income workers like you are more likely to be overweight.â€
Would you be motivated to donate after playing the game or are you put off by the underlying agenda?
The game is dumb.
The assumptions it makes are way off base.
I chose to wait tables because this is something I did for a number of years to earn a living. The numbers they used for wait staff minimum wage was correct but the ones used for tips is laughable. I've never met a coney queen who didn't make at least $100 per day in tips.
And why can't this person take a second job?
I have a second job.
It sucks and I have no life outside of work, but I never run out of money.
In the State of Michigan you can take a test to become certified as an auto mechanic for $6 per test (8 total) and a registration fee of $30. That means for no more than $78 you can call yourself a certified master mechanic.
That's cool, but testing, certification, and licensing is a lot more expensive in some states. LIke Oregon and Washington...Oregon doesn't have a sales tax and Washington doesn't have an income tax, but testing and licensing are astronomical. (But at least the bar exam flunk rates are probably a lot lower since the exams are so expensive to take.)
This a joke.. most of these choices you would not have on 9 dollars an hour. First of all you wouldnt have your own CAR!!!! so that would save you a ton. Also on 9 dollars an hour you are on food stamps and medicade and if not you can get insurance CHEAPER THEN 275!!! Which is more BS!
Give me a budget with real solutions like driving your CAR to a resturant job that pays nothing is a JOKE!!! BUS!! Or Train or live in the town and walk to work!
This a joke.. most of these choices you would not have on 9 dollars an hour. First of all you wouldnt have your own CAR!!!! so that would save you a ton. Also on 9 dollars an hour you are on food stamps and medicade and if not you can get insurance CHEAPER THEN 275!!! Which is more BS!
Give me a budget with real solutions like driving your CAR to a resturant job that pays nothing is a JOKE!!! BUS!! Or Train or live in the town and walk to work!
You're kidding, right? Newsflash: $9 an hour does not qualify you for Medicaid or most other government aid. If you're a single person, that puts you at over 150% of the poverty line.
You can't always afford to live in the town and most places in this country do not have public transportation. I try to be as car-free as possible, but had to get a car when I got diagnosed with cancer and it was no longer safe (because I was immunocompromised) nor practical (no energy) to use public transportation.
This a joke.. most of these choices you would not have on 9 dollars an hour. First of all you wouldnt have your own CAR!!!! so that would save you a ton. Also on 9 dollars an hour you are on food stamps and medicade and if not you can get insurance CHEAPER THEN 275!!! Which is more BS!
Give me a budget with real solutions like driving your CAR to a resturant job that pays nothing is a JOKE!!! BUS!! Or Train or live in the town and walk to work!
Childless adults working full time for $9 an hour do not qualify for food stamps or Medicaid. What if they're middle-aged or older? Don't think a 50-year old can get insurance for cleaper than $275.
Did you catch the cost tradeoff you have to make between rent and transportation costs? You can pay an arm and a leg to live next door to your job or you can pay an arm and a leg to commute to work from your distant low-rent apartment. You don't get to have a cheap apartment next door to work.
You can buy a cheap a$$ condo that was an apartment, converted into a condo to start.
Where?
I live in a slumlord-ran apartment with roommates and pay $600. Oil alone this winter will cost each of us over $150 a month - and we keep the thermostat at 64 and on the "smart" settings, cover the windows with shrink wrap, and wear layers. Where are people who are already on the edge going to get the downpayment for a condo?
We're told "Take a job, any job! Relocate for a job!" Then when we do, we're told "Well why did you move somewhere so expensive? Move elsewhere!" It's ridiculous.
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