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Old 10-21-2013, 07:57 AM
 
1,480 posts, read 2,797,300 times
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My sister got a job paying minimum wage and she now works 40 hours a week. A success story for someone who was unemployed for such a long time.

When she was unemployed, she did not cost society and us taxpayers anything. She lived with my other sister and the sister paid for her food (maybe $300 a month) while my lazy unemployed sister sat home and watched television, slept during the day and played with the Internet.

Now she has moved out of my sisters house and social services helped her move into a one bedroom apartment subsidized by the taxpayers and she gets Food Stamps and some other benefits to help pay the difference between her wages as a retail cashier and the her expenses.

In all the talk about the pros and cons of raising the minimum wage, there is no real discussion about how most people who make close to the minimum wage are adults trying to put a roof over their head and food in their stomach. Pretty much anyone who is living on their own and earning minimum wage is being subsidized by the tax payers.

People say the minimum wage worker should improve their skills and get a higher wage job. That's true they should, but then someone else would take their place and be in their situation. 30% of all jobs pay close to minimum wage, someone has to do the work.

We have three choices:

1) Raise the minimum wage and us consumers would have to pay higher prices and business owners would make less money.

2) Keep the current system and the tax payers would have to continue to pay ever increasing money paid by the government for things like food stamps, Earned Income Tax Credit, Section 8 Housing Vouchers, Reduced Lunches, etc.

3) Let the working poor fend for themselves and drastically cut the government provided benefits that are given to the working poor and live with the social and economic problems that will occur as a result.

Which is a better option, considering regardless if the current minimum wage workers do in the future with their education and skills, about 30% of jobs will be paid close to minimum wage.

Someone is going to do the low paying work and who should support them, government through the taxpayers or the corporations that employ the working poor?

** My sister kicked the lazy sister out of the house for freeloading and after living in a homeless shelter for awhile social services helped her get back on her feet and she is now working but still a burden, in this case not to her sister anymore, but to society.

Last edited by I'm Retired Now; 10-21-2013 at 08:39 AM..
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Old 10-21-2013, 08:00 AM
 
9,470 posts, read 6,973,518 times
Reputation: 2177
False premise.

Government is the reason why living costs so much. That's WHY you can't live on minimum wage. The portion of the cost of everything you have to have that is attributable to the actions of government is anywhere from 10 to 95 percent.

That's where the problem is, not a lack of government controlling.
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Old 10-21-2013, 08:02 AM
bUU
 
Location: Florida
12,074 posts, read 10,711,454 times
Reputation: 8798
Quote:
Originally Posted by I'm Retired Now View Post
We have two choices:
If you listen deeply to what some people are saying in our society, they see a third choice: Essentially leaving less affluent folks to "die in the streets". Most of today's political conflicts stem right-wing inclination against anything that would make it possible for those most vulnerable in society to afford or otherwise gain access to what they need to live productive lives. Right-wingers engage in all manner of deception trying to hide the scurrilous nature of their evasions.
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Old 10-21-2013, 08:04 AM
 
33,387 posts, read 34,858,743 times
Reputation: 20030
Quote:
Originally Posted by I'm Retired Now View Post
My sister got a job paying minimum wage and she now works 40 hours a week. A success story for someone who was unemployed for such a long time.

When she was unemployed, she did not cost society and us taxpayers anything. She lived with my other sister and the sister paid for her food (maybe $300 a month) while my lazy unemployed sister sat home and watched television, slept during the day and played with the Internet.

Now she has moved out of my sisters house and social services helped her move into a one bedroom apartment subsidized by the taxpayers and she gets Food Stamps and some other benefits to help pay the difference between her wages as a retail cashier and the her expenses.

In all the talk about the pros and cons of raising the minimum wage, there is no real discussion about how most people who make close to the minimum wage are adults trying to put a roof over their head and food in their stomach. Pretty much anyone who is living on their own and earning minimum wage is being subsidized by the tax payers.

People say the minimum wage worker should improve their skills and get a higher wage job. That's true they should, but then someone else would take their place and be in their situation. 30% of all jobs pay close to minimum wage, someone has to do the work.

We have two choices:

1) Raise the minimum wage and us consumers would have to pay higher prices and business owners would make less money.

2) Keep the current system and the tax payers would have to continue to pay ever increasing money paid by the government for things like food stamps, Earned Income Tax Credit, Section 8 Housing Vouchers, Reduced Lunches, etc.

Which is a better option, considering regardless if the current minimum wage workers do in the future with their education and skills, about 30% of jobs will be paid close to minimum wage.

Someone is going to do the low paying work and who should support them, government through the taxpayers or the corporations that employ the working poor?
so your sisters could have STILL lived together and not cost the government anything, but the one chose to move out and take government assistance.
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Old 10-21-2013, 08:07 AM
 
Location: Portland, Oregon
46,001 posts, read 35,198,674 times
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Sounds like the OP is getting the answer from the far right wingers that I was expecting.
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Old 10-21-2013, 08:07 AM
 
33,387 posts, read 34,858,743 times
Reputation: 20030
Quote:
Originally Posted by bUU View Post
If you listen deeply to what some people are saying in our society, they see a third choice: Essentially leaving less affluent folks to "die in the streets". Most of today's political conflicts stem right-wing inclination again toward anything that would make it possible for those most vulnerable in society to afford or otherwise gain access to what they need to live productive lives. Right-wingers engage in all manner of deception trying to hide the scurrilous nature of their evasions.
rubbish, there is always family to take people in as needed. his example is prime. one sister unemployed was living with another sister, until the on decided to get a job, and then chose to move out. if the sisters had chosen to live together, then the one would not be on government assistance, and thus costing the taxpayers money. you are too marrow minded however to see that.
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Old 10-21-2013, 08:08 AM
 
33,387 posts, read 34,858,743 times
Reputation: 20030
Quote:
Originally Posted by urbanlife78 View Post
Sounds like the OP is getting the answer from the far right wingers that I was expecting.
what, that family is supposed to step up and help other family members? seems to me like the liberals are always wanting to eliminate family then rather than strengthen it.
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Old 10-21-2013, 08:13 AM
 
Location: Portland, Oregon
46,001 posts, read 35,198,674 times
Reputation: 7875
Quote:
Originally Posted by rbohm View Post
what, that family is supposed to step up and help other family members? seems to me like the liberals are always wanting to eliminate family then rather than strengthen it.
And what if that family that is suppose to step up is also struggling and cannot take care of another adult?
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Old 10-21-2013, 08:16 AM
 
11,768 posts, read 10,267,905 times
Reputation: 3444
Quote:
Originally Posted by I'm Retired Now View Post
My sister got a job paying minimum wage and she now works 40 hours a week. A success story for someone who was unemployed for such a long time.

Now she has moved out of my sisters house and social services helped her move into a one bedroom apartment subsidized by the taxpayers and she gets Food Stamps and some other benefits to help pay the difference between her wages as a retail cashier and the her expenses.
Min wage pays too much to qualify for welfare and there is like an 8 year waiting list for subsidized housing.

Quote:
Originally Posted by I'm Retired Now View Post
In all the talk about the pros and cons of raising the minimum wage, there is no real discussion about how most people who make close to the minimum wage are adults trying to put a roof over their head and food in their stomach. Pretty much anyone who is living on their own and earning minimum wage is being subsidized by the tax payers.
Most of the people working for min wage don't have any education and are under 24.

Tables 1 - 10; Characteristics of Minimum Wage Workers: 2012
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Old 10-21-2013, 08:19 AM
 
Location: Portland, Oregon
46,001 posts, read 35,198,674 times
Reputation: 7875
Quote:
Originally Posted by lycos679 View Post
Min wage pays too much to qualify for welfare and there is like an 8 year waiting list for subsidized housing.



Most of the people working for min wage don't have any education and are under 24.

Tables 1 - 10; Characteristics of Minimum Wage Workers: 2012
Actually those working minimum wage that are under 24 and over 24 are almost even on the chart you posted.
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