Living Wage OK'd in Chicago Options

[Spectatrix]

And to Christine: What would you call working 7 days a week, 8 to 10 hours a day, to just afford the things that allow you to live, if not slavery?

Life? Such may be hard, but it should be a temporary situation, unlike slavery. While working 7 days a week, my step-father still found time (and money) to go back to college, get his associates degree... few years later he got his bachelor's degree and now he's teaching electronics at Texas State Technical College, most of which he learned about while working weekends at that hardware store, not from school. He went from working 7 days a week near minimum wage to working a normal 8-5 job making 40k or so a year without a rich mommy and daddy paying for college. I don't know if he had any financial aid when he went back to school, but whatever he did was well within the realm of possibility for anybody who has the motivation to do it. And mind you, at the time he was supporting not only himself but also me and my lazy-ass, non-working mother.

[Spectatrix]

I probably should just leave this thread, but I'd like to first outline my thoughts on minimum wage a little more clearly and see what you guys (Billy, Jessica, other supporters of minimum wage) think.

I am of the opinion that most people (not including people with mental or physical disabilities) are capable of learning skills from a job and working their way up. Public education is free and while it may be crappy at some places, it does a decent enough job of giving people basic literacy and math skills at the very least, the basis of all other education.

Working at minimum wage, 40 hours a week, while not much of a living, is enough to support a single teen or 20-something with no kids. If they have a family to support, there's the option of welfare, food stamps, working extra hours, etc. In many jobs, people get raises every 3 or 6 months, so even if they start at $5.15, they won't be there for long IF they ask for their raises. The mistake many minimum-wagers make is not asking for their reviews and raises when they come due. Even if they can't move up at their current job, many skills are transferable to other business. If you're working at McDonald's, for instance, you can go and get a job at Wendy's or Burger King or xyz burger joint fairly easily.

For those with disabilities, either mental or physical, there's the option of government assistance. I think they are the responsibility of society as a whole and if companies are forced to pay them the same wages as other workers for subpar work (if it IS subpar, that is), they probably won't hire those with disabilities at all.

I think that minimum wage, if it's used at all (I oppose it in general, honestly) should be raised in accordance with inflation and should be higher or lower in areas depending on the cost of living. E.g., the minimum wage in Lubbock or Albuquerque would be much lower than that in New York City or San Francisco.

Personally I think that wages are a matter to be decided between a company and an employee, without government interference. The unemployment rate in the US is low enough that we as citizens have pretty good job mobility. If we don't like the wages, benefits, working conditions, etc. at one place, it's relatively easy to find a new job. Even without minimum wage, I feel that companies would need to offer wages of $5/hr or higher in order to attract good employees.

But that's just my 2 cents... with a bit less angry/defensive tone than I've had in previous posts in this thread. Thoughts?

[Mommy]

the federal minimum is $5.15; however states have the right to institute a higher minimum if they so chose....as in the case of Illinois where I believe the article said $6.25 is the minimum. Many states, however, follow the federal guidelines which includes Texas. I have seen several job ads for minimum wage as a starting pay and yes this was recently as in last week. My point all along was that minimum wage should rise slightly along with inflation. I would be glad if they set the limit to $6.50. That seems reasonable to me. I wasnt looking at long term results because yes, the average joe blow can move up in pay. My point was the short term like people who lose their jobs and are forced to flip burgers until they find better. Its not much of a means of getting by when there is a family to support. Thats my point. I wasnt looking at it in theory. I am looking at it in reality (for lack of a better word).

[nickluto]

you know what would make this thread more interesting?


















































whale penis

[FORSAKENR320]

My question to many of you who claim it's "doable" to live on the current minimum wage: have you done it?

Probably not.

yes. from age 17 to 19, and supporting a lazy bitch girlfriend on top. it's doable. but not when you spend $60 every 2 months on clothes.

*gasp!* the poor have to live without the little luxuries of life?!!!






guess we better pay them more for doing nothing extra.



by forcing companies to pay more to their employees, the ones who work for them that aren't making minimum wage are gonna get screwed.


jim bob the alcoholic gets a $2 raise because the goverment says so. the company, in an attempt to cut the cost of the sudden raises, will try to cut corners where they can. often the ones that are above the new minimum won't recieve the raise, or at least all of it. the company trying to rely on the "don't talk about how much money you make to other employees" bullshit to keep it a secret someone is getting screwed.

but thats my overall opinion on it.

[FORSAKENR320]

So why don't we just go ahead and re-legalize slavery? Because that's what it seems to take to just 'live' at minimum wage. The complete sacrifice of your own life, to make someone else rich.

Yeah, that seems like a fair society.

capitalism lol

[Mommy]

i also based my $60 thing on if it was like we grow out of clothes. I was kinda wrong on that. I fluctuate weight a lot so thats why I said that much, but unless you have a thyroid problem like I do or you are a growing kid, $60 is a lot. Get past that now. K thanx

[Dogmeat]

I buy $5 t shirts at k-mart and I am perfectly happy with them quite honestly, heh

[Mommy]

I buy $5 t shirts at k-mart and I am perfectly happy with them quite honestly, heh

only retards and junkies shop for clothes at kmart, hobo

which are you?

This post has been edited by Jessica: Jul 31 2006, 10:59 PM

[Dogmeat]

I'm a kangaroo-fish

[Mommy]

I'm a kangaroo-fish

i know. you have a pouch and gills. you try to cover them up, but I see through your deception

[FORSAKENR320]

you know, how many "retards" have you been around? Im asking seriously. Im not trying to be like "oh well i no cuz i am ones"... No, Im being serious. I harp on the mentally slow thing because I have first hand experience because my brother has autism (not mentally slow but socially inept) and because I worked with special needs kids. Its just one example though, ya know. I know when I was a kid, I could make a penny for every weed I pulled. It was hard work, but I did it to make money. I could pull a good 500 weeds in an hour and make 5 bucks! Its sickening to think that a full grown person can make about the same as that. I was a fucking kid.

Yeah, I guess this hits close to home with me, but maybe thats a good thing because it provides insight to how other people live. The whole government funding thing is bullshit. If jobs paid better, we might some-what eliminate the need for welfare. Do you like to pay taxes that help to pay for the people who are working close to minimum wage's kid's diapers and formula....no, I bet you don't.

I totally agree with what Billy is saying. We are in a very wealthy and prosperous nation where there is money to be had by SOME. Why cant we make it more than some? I know the money is out there. Mcdonalds, walmart, etc are all multi billion dollar companies. What makes our lives fun and worth living for? Simple things like movies, music, and being able to not have to constantly worry about whether we are going to be able to make the next rent payment. Constantly having to worry about money fucking sucks.

ok. the retard angle is worked out all to hell.

1. there are more help groups, fundraisers, grants, loans, and all that crap for the poor people. welfare, WIC, etc. goverment programs that help the poor helpless lazy bastard who won't take the initiative to grow up and better himself.

2. if a tard is seen to be unable to cope with everyday society, then they are usually locked up somewhere. so by that reasoning, they are equal to all of us, and have to work for their damn money. they can handle it, stfu with the tard pity.

3. "if jobs pay better, we might be able to get rid of welfare" how about this: we take away the damn welfare, and force the people that depend on it to grow some initiative and try harder. be like the mother bird, give the baby the nudge out the nest, if he flies, Kudos if not, it's natural selection. stop polluting the gene pool. my Aunt is on welfare, and has a paralegal degree. she's just a lazy bitch.

4. "blah blah blah humanity. blah blah blah idealism" stfu. the world isn't a nice place. you live with it or you die. it's a capitalist society

[Spectatrix]

only retards and junkies shop for clothes at kmart, hobo

which are you?

I often shop at Goodwill. What does that make me?

[woody]

I often shop at Goodwill. What does that make me?

a goodwill shopper

[GOB]

without the physical labor, the mental would go to waste.

i'm pretty sure einstein and edison did just fine