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

[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.

[bu villain]

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.

An absolutely reasonable suggestion. This would also prevent congress from having to debate the issue every few years. The only small issue is that CPI is not always the most reliable indicator but nothing is perfect.

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.

It's your problem because no matter how much you would like to be, you are not independent of society as a whole. If you leave the least capable people to fend for themselves, their children are likely to continue the poverty cycle and the welfare system will only grow. If you truly want to get rid of the welfare system, you should be advocating for early childhood education and all sorts of other social programs to give poor kids the best chance at becoming a net tax payer.

[Sinfix_15]

It's your problem because no matter how much you would like to be, you are not independent of society as a whole. If you leave the least capable people to fend for themselves, their children are likely to continue the poverty cycle and the welfare system will only grow. If you truly want to get rid of the welfare system, you should be advocating for early childhood education and all sorts of other social programs to give poor kids the best chance at becoming a net tax payer.

If you dont let people fend for themselves, they never learn how to fend for themselves. We will never get rid of the welfare system...... it's a lifestyle choice for many.

[bu villain]

If you dont let people fend for themselves, they never learn how to fend for themselves. We will never get rid of the welfare system...... it's a lifestyle choice for many.

You make a very valid point but don't let your one good argument overshadow all the good arguments on the other side.

[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".