[kyle is hk]

Convince me why raising the minimum wage would be a good thing for the US, or convince me why it would be a bad thing. GO

[kyle is hk]

I will declare a winner by the end of the week and Obama will act accordingly

[knash9]

So you'll skew the polls?

I think that it should be tied to CPI. Seems pretty straight-forward to me.

[lp670sv]

Well the fact that the current minimum wage is lower than the living wage in almost all US counties is a pretty good reason to raise it. forcing companies like walmart to pay a living wage is a good thing considering how many employees they have and just how much they hate giving those employees a fair salary.

[Jake Gyllenhaal]

The only people who would want an increase in minimum wage are the workers who are being paid the current minimum wage now. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, of the 73.9 million American hourly-paid workers, 1.7 million earned exactly the prevailing Federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour and about 2.2 million had wages below the minimum. Together, these 3.8 million workers with wages at or below the Federal minimum made up 5.2 percent of all hourly-paid workers.

Only 5.2 percent of the work force. Why should we care about only a small percent?

[kyle is hk]

Originally Posted by knash9

So you'll skew the polls?

I think that it should be tied to CPI. Seems pretty straight-forward to me.

But wouldn't a wage change in itself affect the CPI?

[suicidesaints]

I don't know if raising/not raising the minimum wage would be a good or bad thing, but I think that we need to reevaluate our welfare system and also think about a living wage.

Where I live (Dallas, TX) the minimum wage is $7.25/hr. This equates to $1160 a month BEFORE taxes. After taxes you're looking at somewhere around $900. A one bedroom apartment in a neighborhood where you're not likely to get shot, is going to be at least $500 or more... Leaving you with $100 a week to eat, pay bills, clothe yourself, etc... If you have a child, it's virtually impossible.

I'm not sure what should happen exactly, but I think we need to realistically look at the cost of living.

[birdman]

Another politically demogouged issue. Less than 5% off hourly workers make minimum wage, most of whom are teenagers working part-time. I feel like minimum wage is talked about as though everyone is suffering from it. The fact is, very few people make minimum wage. Most of the people that do aren't in need of a "living wage" because they are only working 20-30 hours a week and living with their parents.

[birdman]

Originally Posted by suicidesaints

I don't know if raising/not raising the minimum wage would be a good or bad thing, but I think that we need to reevaluate our welfare system and also think about a living wage.

Where I live (Dallas, TX) the minimum wage is $7.25/hr. This equates to $1160 a month BEFORE taxes. After taxes you're looking at somewhere around $900. A one bedroom apartment in a neighborhood where you're not likely to get shot, is going to be at least $500 or more... Leaving you with $100 a week to eat, pay bills, clothe yourself, etc... If you have a child, it's virtually impossible.

I'm not sure what should happen exactly, but I think we need to realistically look at the cost of living.

If you are over the age of 18 and you make minimum wage, you are doing something wrong.

[suicidesaints]

Originally Posted by lp670sv

Well the fact that the current minimum wage is lower than the living wage in almost all US counties is a pretty good reason to raise it. forcing companies like walmart to pay a living wage is a good thing considering how many employees they have and just how much they hate giving those employees a fair salary.

Just because WalMart is the devil doesn't mean their wages should be regulated any differently than any other employers. Obviously a small business owner is going to have a harder time paying their employees more, but it shouldn't matter.

Originally Posted by Jake Gyllenhaal

The only people who would want an increase in minimum wage are the workers who are being paid the current minimum wage now. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, of the 73.9 million American hourly-paid workers, 1.7 million earned exactly the prevailing Federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour and about 2.2 million had wages below the minimum. Together, these 3.8 million workers with wages at or below the Federal minimum made up 5.2 percent of all hourly-paid workers.

Only 5.2 percent of the work force. Why should we care about only a small percent?

First off, there may be only a small percentage of people working for minimum wage, but there is a much larger percentage of people working for slightly above minimum wage. If the starting point is (let's say) $7.25, then $10/hr sounds like a lot, right? But it's still next to nothing. The minimum wage is still a guide by which employers will decide to pay their "non-minimum wage" employees. If the minimum wage was $10 instead of $7.25, then the people that are currently making $10, would be making (i dunno) $12... and so on and so forth.

[kyle is hk]

Originally Posted by Jake Gyllenhaal

The only people who would want an increase in minimum wage are the workers who are being paid the current minimum wage now. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, of the 73.9 million American hourly-paid workers, 1.7 million earned exactly the prevailing Federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour and about 2.2 million had wages below the minimum.

Weird that number doesn't include those making minimum wage where teh minimum is above 7.25

Quote:

Together, these 3.8 million workers with wages at or below the Federal minimum made up 5.2 percent of all hourly-paid workers.

Only 5.2 percent of the work force. Why should we care about only a small percent?

Not sure if serious, but that's definitely a large portion.

[knash9]

Originally Posted by kyle is hk

But. Wouldn't a wage change in itself affect the CPI?

I would think it would stabilize eventually . Either way, a full-time job should not allow you to still be below the poverty level. Attaching it to something allows, the minimum wage to change more frequently and more accurately as opposed to waiting for congress and the White House to do something.

[lp670sv]

Originally Posted by suicidesaints

Just because WalMart is the devil doesn't mean their wages should be regulated any differently than any other employers. Obviously a small business owner is going to have a harder time paying their employees more, but it shouldn't matter.



First off, there may be only a small percentage of people working for minimum wage, but there is a much larger percentage of people working for slightly above minimum wage. If the starting point is (let's say) $7.25, then $10/hr sounds like a lot, right? But it's still next to nothing. The minimum wage is still a guide by which employers will decide to pay their "non-minimum wage" employees. If the minimum wage was $10 instead of $7.25, then the people that are currently making $10, would be making (i dunno) $12... and so on and so forth.

Which is why we should raise the universal minimum wage, treating everyone fairly while trying to bring everyone to a living wage.

[kyle is hk]

Originally Posted by birdman

If you are over the age of 18 and you make minimum wage, you are doing something wrong.

What do you say about areas where a store like Walmart comes in and monopolizes all the unskilled jobs and effectively lowering the average wage of the area?

[kyle is hk]

What would be the cons of tying minimum wage to the relative size of the company?