SOTU- I didnt watch but caught 1 sound byte..............$9/hr minimum wage?

[Vteckidd]

Family of 4? Who the fuck is providing for a family of 4 at minimum wage?

If you're making minimum wage probably shouldn't be having 2 kids.

[David88vert]

Family of 4? Who the fuck is providing for a family of 4 at minimum wage?

If you're making minimum wage probably shouldn't be having 2 kids.

A lot of families lost their jobs in the downturn in the economy. Perhaps you missed the multitudes of articles on people that lost their IT jobs, and ended up working in fast food at minimum wage. They already had kids and lost their homes, so they had no chance but to rent.

[BenjaminJunu]

Family of 4? Who the fuck is providing for a family of 4 at minimum wage?

If you're making minimum wage probably shouldn't be having 2 kids.

People get laid off and lose jobs all the time... Their kids don't just stop living. Instead of waiting around for a job that paid your previous salary; you take a job that pays minimum wage so that you can get by.

[Vteckidd]

Let's just subsidize hard times so no one has to deal with it. Let's just subsidize failure. Let's pass a law that says you can't layoff anyone. Or fire anyone.

Yeah that'll work greaaat

[Sinfix_15]

Let's just subsidize hard times so no one has to deal with it. Let's just subsidize failure. Let's pass a law that says you can't layoff anyone. Or fire anyone.

Yeah that'll work greaaat

The hardest thing to be in america is a financially responsible single person. There's no reward for responsible decisions. The more you do to try and get ahead, the more they chip away at you to take care of someone else. I chose not to have kids so that i could have more financial freedom. My money is taken away to support people who cant take care of their 2-3-4-5-6 kids. Having children is a luxury that you should be responsible for. If you cant afford to take care of children, then quit fucking.

I move closer to work to save money. People who dont work get section 8 housing.
I buy a cheaper cell phone service to save money. People who dont work get free cell phones.
I buy cheaper food to save money. People who dont work get food stamps.
I work extra hours to make more money. People who dont work are issued an allowance on a credit card.

Some people go through hard times at their own hand, the same way people can avoid hard times through responsible decisions. At what point did we just become entitled to a good life? My parents said "you can have anything you work for" not "you can have anything"

[Vteckidd]

The guy with a family of 4 living in minimum wage should be OUTRAGED that Obamas plan to help him is to give him $2/hr more instead of creating an environment where he can get a job like he used to have.

[Elbow]

Family of 4? Who the fuck is providing for a family of 4 at minimum wage?

If you're making minimum wage probably shouldn't be having 2 kids.

Oh crap my bad, they don't work at all.

[bu villain]

Yes I don't have the real numbers but $9 an hour seems high to me as I run basic numbers. That's all I'm getting at. Also people try to live outside their means.

All I'm saying is we need to run the numbers a little more thoroughly before we jump to conclusions. As you stated before, I agree we should base the minimum wage off a minimum living standard. If people choose to spend their money on non-essentials we can't stop them but that shouldn't factor into the minimum wage discussion anyways.

OK well fuck let's just give everyone who gets laid off free $50k/year jobs right? Why stop at $9 hr.

Let's just give everyone a free house and food and a car. Fuck it let's do it. No more poverty.

The argument you're making is ridiculous with all due respect.

I think it's ridiculous that raising minimum wage to $9/hr is analagous to giving everyone 50k, free food, and a free car. If you say it's cold in your house and I suggest you turn the thermostat up a couple degrees, will you respond with "Well fuck why not turn it up to 150 degrees!"?

The guy with a family of 4 living in minimum wage should be OUTRAGED that Obamas plan to help him is to give him $2/hr more instead of creating an environment where he can get a job like he used to have.

They are not mutually exclusive. Raising the minimum wage a couple dollars does not prevent economic growth in any serious way.

Having children is a luxury that you should be responsible for. If you cant afford to take care of children, then quit fucking.

Why do you assume everyone who has kids and is working a minimum wage job was in that position before they chose to have kids?

Some people go through hard times at their own hand, the same way people can avoid hard times through responsible decisions. At what point did we just become entitled to a good life? My parents said "you can have anything you work for" not "you can have anything"

You aren't entitled to a good life. You aren't even entitled to a minimum wage job. Even if you have a minimum wage job, I don't know if I would call $9/hr "the good life".

[BanginJimmy]

If you are a small business turning a profit right now after EVERYONE is paid, and you can't afford to give everyone a raise, you're probably not doing so well as a business anyway OR you're paying yourself too much.

And here it is. If you are a business owner that pays minimum wage, the fed govt should step in and tell you how much you are allowed to make. This sounds like a great idea.
[QUOTE=Vteckidd;39490950]Family of 4? Who the fuck is providing for a family of 4 at minimum wage?

A lot of families lost their jobs in the downturn in the economy. Perhaps you missed the multitudes of articles on people that lost their IT jobs, and ended up working in fast food at minimum wage. They already had kids and lost their homes, so they had no chance but to rent.

Work a second job then. Maybe both parents should be working. Maybe sacrifices need to be made.

All I'm saying is we need to run the numbers a little more thoroughly before we jump to conclusions. As you stated before, I agree we should base the minimum wage off a minimum living standard. If people choose to spend their money on non-essentials we can't stop them but that shouldn't factor into the minimum wage discussion anyways.

Minimum wage needs to be set, at whatever and then tie it to the CPI. If the CPI rises, so does minimum wage. If it drops, so does minimum wage.

Walmart isnt going to be affected by this, we all know that. McDonalds and every other chain restaurant will be though.


Lastly, a couple people mentioned the rise in employers' costs due to minimum wages, they forgot 1 major factor in it. Their taxes will also rise dramaticly. In the example about the 16k rise in wages, the actual number is 17k because of the federal taxes. This does not account for unemployment insurance and other state taxes that are tied to payroll.

[David88vert]

Work a second job then. Maybe both parents should be working. Maybe sacrifices need to be made.

I know of several families where both parents were working and making close to $100K - each. They had nice houses, cars, and only moderate debt. Then both parents lost their jobs within a couple of months of each other. Two parents working at McDonalds or similar do not make even close to half the income of even one parent. It's simply not possible for a family to survive. There was no option to sell their houses and downgrade, as no one could get loans to purchase the houses, and they were already underwater.

If you really want to understand the economic policies that allowed all of this to occur, I suggest that you watch "Inside Job" from Sony Pictures. It came out in 2010.

[BanginJimmy]

If you really want to understand the economic policies that allowed all of this to occur, I suggest that you watch "Inside Job" from Sony Pictures. It came out in 2010.

I know the basics of what happened, but to be honest, the more intricate pieces are beyond my education. If that movie explains them better I will take a look at it.

[David88vert]

I know the basics of what happened, but to be honest, the more intricate pieces are beyond my education. If that movie explains them better I will take a look at it.

Its worth watching.

[Vteckidd]

I know of several families where both parents were working and making close to $100K - each. They had nice houses, cars, and only moderate debt. Then both parents lost their jobs within a couple of months of each other. Two parents working at McDonalds or similar do not make even close to half the income of even one parent. It's simply not possible for a family to survive. There was no option to sell their houses and downgrade, as no one could get loans to purchase the houses, and they were already underwater.

If you really want to understand the economic policies that allowed all of this to occur, I suggest that you watch "Inside Job" from Sony Pictures. It came out in 2010.

Thats life man, plain and simple. Dont take a mortgage you dont understand and cant payback, people lose jobs all the time. Ive been laid off, had friends laid off, lost money, made money, its life.

YOu dont subsidize bad times to keep people from pain. Pain breeds innovation, determination, drive, work ethic, etc.

Its a slippery slope to say "we will just pay everyone $9 an hour to solve the economic problem".

[Sinfix_15]

Why do you assume everyone who has kids and is working a minimum wage job was in that position before they chose to have kids?

Not my problem. Planning for the future is part of life. If i was going to have children, my financial situation would have to be pretty secure. If you're living week to week on a fixed income, you should consider the risk youre taking when you decide to have kids. Why should my income obtained from responsibility be given to those who are irresponsible. Your view on life is dependent on forcing independent people to be a part of it. Social programs would not exist without people who dont need social programs being forced to participate.

You aren't entitled to a good life. You aren't even entitled to a minimum wage job. Even if you have a minimum wage job, I don't know if I would call $9/hr "the good life".

I dont feel entitled to anything........ other than my own money that i earn. I dont need anything given to me. The only thing i need is less taken away from me. I dont want food stamps, welfare, section 8, social security or an Obama phone. I would rather do without.