[QuikMike]

I am kinda curious and would like to know you guys(and gals) thoughts on the Senate's decision against raising the minium wage. Currently, it is $5.15 an hour and I think the proposal was to raise it to $7.25 an hour. It has been at $5.15 since 1997, but the cost of living has increased yearly.

If a person work 40hrs/wk at 52 weeks a year, they make roughly $11K before taxes...well, below the poverty line. What are some of the pros/cons of not raising the minimum wage? Why did the Senate vote to keep it at $5.15? Just curious

FOXNews.com - Senate Votes Against Raising Minimum Wage - Politics | Republican Party | Democratic Party | Political Spectrum

[esoteric]

Not much to say about it, but looking at this:
DOL WHD: Minimum Wage Laws in the States
...should draw some more interesting comments.

[phobiaphobe]

I won't even touch this one with a ten foot pole.

[BDA116]

Somewhere around 2% of the workforce are minimum wage workers.
Anyone trying to support a family on minimum wage is a complete life ****up to begin with and doesn't deserve getting more money by force.
There shouldn't even be minimum wage laws, let the free market shake it out.
Those jobs are for students and flunkies anyway. It's a total non-issues that is used year after year as a political plaything to draw attention away from real issues.

[Purpdust]

I will touch it. In our society we need poor minimum wage people to supply the middle class and Upper class with services and the products they make. It is a vicious cycle if we pay the lower class more then the services and products will cost more. When this happens we need to make more to stay in the middle/upper class.

As sick as it may sound, we need poor people to work for us in order for us to be rich.

[esoteric]

I thought we needed poor exploitable immigrants to work for us to make us rich. No? I didn't think minimum wage Americans made anything. Mostly just pump gas, sweep floors, and teach.

[sheepofblue]

Originally Posted by BDA116

Somewhere around 2% of the workforce are minimum wage workers.
Anyone trying to support a family on minimum wage is a complete life ****up to begin with and doesn't deserve getting more money by force.
There shouldn't even be minimum wage laws, let the free market shake it out.
Those jobs are for students and flunkies anyway. It's a total non-issues that is used year after year as a political plaything to draw attention away from real issues.

Plus I would add that people with extreme cost of living rates want to force a wage on those that are not living in a tax hell. $7.25 in Mississippi is a lot different than New York.

Oh wait I am being harsh lets just legistlate $100000 for everyone so we can all live in perfect harmony and hold hands while singing (not religious songs though) on the weekend.

[Custom900]

Kansas, according to the site posted is only making employers pay $2.65 an hour.
Oklahoma has an option that allows small businesses to pay $2.00 an hour.

Alabama doesn't even have a wage law. Neither does Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, or Tennessee.

In my opinion that's taking advantage of people.
I can see to a certain degree having this type of wage for students (not college students), but............

[Repeater]

minimum wage hasn't kept up with the cost of living. 7.25 if not 8 an hour should be the minimum wage. How can someone bring themselves up when they can't afford rent and food. People end up on welfare becuase they can't afford to work and make so little. sick circle.

My

[tuffy6969]

Originally Posted by phobiaphobe

I won't even touch this one with a ten foot pole.

I will - and here is the problem:

Minimum wage was designed for young adults and or teens who are getting through school. It was NOT designed to support entire families. I guess that's what welfare was designed for. I do NOT believe in raising the minimum wage for the following reasons:

1. It breeds comfort zones. If you give them a raise - they will most likely STAY at the minimum wage job and not try to better themselves by going to school or getting vocational training for a higher paying job.

2. It will drive the cost of every day items through the roof. Mr. Boss Man isn't going to close his mom & pop restaurant because the minimum wage increased.....he will just up the cost of his food. WAY UP....depending on how many employees he has at the minimum wage level.

3. I believe raised should be EARNED and not forced upon an employer or company because the BIG GOVERNMENT thinks it's a good idea. We are a democracy. We are a Capitalistic society -

[booracer]

unions regularly forces raises onto companies. it does not take a brain to scan groceries, but albertson's checkers act like it does.

i do agree, however, that minimum wages are not designed to raise an entire family. don't have a kid at 16 and complain about not making enough money to support your family.

[tuffy6969]

Originally Posted by booracer

unions regularly forces raises onto companies. it does not take a brain to scan groceries, but albertson's checkers act like it does.

i do agree, however, that minimum wages are not designed to raise an entire family. don't have a kid at 16 and complain about not making enough money to support your family.

Yup........ If you think that's bad - I watched an idiot from the local Iron Worker's Union picket a new building for over a month - EVERY DAY. If he's so damn interested in union work and union pay....he should get off his worthless ass and WORK. What a moron - hel ooked like an absolute FOOL.

[esoteric]

Originally Posted by Repeater

minimum wage hasn't kept up with the cost of living. 7.25 if not 8 an hour should be the minimum wage. How can someone bring themselves up when they can't afford rent and food. People end up on welfare becuase they can't afford to work and make so little. sick circle.

My

That may be fine for our locality, where rent/property is rediculous and we all pay fairly high taxes on materials as it is. Once you get out of the metropolitan areas of CA, I'm sure that those higher rates don't make sense again. It would be interesting to find a map depictign cost of living and contrast it to the state minimum wage.

[ccwilli3]

wouldn't an increase to $7.25 still have your earnings remaining below the poverty line?

[MACI4LIFE]

regardless of everyones genuine caring about wanting people to be successful in life by keeping minimum wages down so that the individual can push themselves to the better job ( NOT), i believe minimum wages should still be raised so that it at least can keep up with inflation.

whether you're a student or a person raising a family, costs are going up. Unfortuantely you cannot leave it to the market to dictate the wages because of the US' ongoing illegal immigrant issues ( which are one of the main reasons why wages are down in the first place).

[gthotchkiss]

Originally Posted by tuffy6969

I will - and here is the problem:

Minimum wage was designed for young adults and or teens who are getting through school. It was NOT designed to support entire families. I guess that's what welfare was designed for. I do NOT believe in raising the minimum wage for the following reasons:

1. It breeds comfort zones. If you give them a raise - they will most likely STAY at the minimum wage job and not try to better themselves by going to school or getting vocational training for a higher paying job.

2. It will drive the cost of every day items through the roof. Mr. Boss Man isn't going to close his mom & pop restaurant because the minimum wage increased.....he will just up the cost of his food. WAY UP....depending on how many employees he has at the minimum wage level.

3. I believe raised should be EARNED and not forced upon an employer or company because the BIG GOVERNMENT thinks it's a good idea. We are a democracy. We are a Capitalistic society -

+1000000

Minimum wage should definately not be raised. There are many people out there who are making much more than they are worth because of the current minimum wage. These people think they are owed money simply because they live here. Hell I know of places where even illegals can get jobs that pay more than minimum wage, if you want more money get off your lazy ass and get another job! Get a second job if you have to, yes it sucks, but thats what you have to go through if you don't think ahead and get yourself an ejumacation.

If we jack up minimum wage we're simply making business pay more money for the same inadequate workers... How many times have you gone into a restaurant (tipped or fast food) the workers were rude, screwed up your order, etc??? Do you really think they are going to start getting things right just because you jacked up their pay? All its going to do is pass the costs onto the consumers, with the same shitty service!

Originally Posted by Custom900

Kansas, according to the site posted is only making employers pay $2.65 an hour.
Oklahoma has an option that allows small businesses to pay $2.00 an hour.

Alabama doesn't even have a wage law. Neither does Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, or Tennessee.

In my opinion that's taking advantage of people.
I can see to a certain degree having this type of wage for students (not college students), but............

These places may not have state minimum wage laws, but there are MANY companies covered by FLSA and have a Federal Mandatory Minimum Wage:

• A Federal, state, or local government agency
• A hospital, or an institution primarily engaged in the care of the sick, the aged, or the mentally ill or mentally retarded who live on the premises (it does not matter if the hospital or institution is public or private or is operated for profit or not-for-profit)
• A pre-school; elementary or secondary school or institution of higher learning (e.g., college); or a school for mentally or physically handicapped or gifted children (it does not matter if the school or institution is public or private or operated for profit or not-for-profit)
• A company/organization with annual dollar volume of sales or receipts in the amount of $500,000 or more

The last one is a biggy, this covers pretty much most of your big name stores... Okay, so it doesn't cover small stores... Well if these smaller stores don't pay well, why don't people just go someplace else... IMO if you don't like the pay at a certain location GO SOMEPLACE ELSE. These small companies should be able to pay whatever they want for labor. To compete with the larger companies they will need competent employees, to get competent employees you need to pay more.

GET RID OF MINIMUM WAGE!!! In the end it just ends up hurting the consumer!

[tuffy6969]

Originally Posted by gthotchkiss

Minimum wage should definately not be raised. There are many people out there who are making much more than they are worth because of the current minimum wage. These people think they are owed money simply because they live here. Hell I know of places where even illegals can get jobs that pay more than minimum wage, if you want more money get off your lazy ass and get another job! Get a second job if you have to, yes it sucks, but thats what you have to go through if you don't think ahead and get yourself an ejumacation.

If we jack up minimum wage we're simply making business pay more money for the same inadequate workers... How many times have you gone into a restaurant (tipped or fast food) the workers were rude, screwed up your order, etc??? Do you really think they are going to start getting things right just because you jacked up their pay? All its going to do is pass the costs onto the consumers, with the same shitty service!



These places may not have state minimum wage laws, but there are MANY companies covered by FLSA and have a Federal Mandatory Minimum Wage:

• A Federal, state, or local government agency
• A hospital, or an institution primarily engaged in the care of the sick, the aged, or the mentally ill or mentally retarded who live on the premises (it does not matter if the hospital or institution is public or private or is operated for profit or not-for-profit)
• A pre-school; elementary or secondary school or institution of higher learning (e.g., college); or a school for mentally or physically handicapped or gifted children (it does not matter if the school or institution is public or private or operated for profit or not-for-profit)
• A company/organization with annual dollar volume of sales or receipts in the amount of $500,000 or more

The last one is a biggy, this covers pretty much most of your big name stores... Okay, so it doesn't cover small stores... Well if these smaller stores don't pay well, why don't people just go someplace else... IMO if you don't like the pay at a certain location GO SOMEPLACE ELSE. These small companies should be able to pay whatever they want for labor. To compete with the larger companies they will need competent employees, to get competent employees you need to pay more.

GET RID OF MINIMUM WAGE!!! In the end it just ends up hurting the consumer!

[QuikMike]

Originally Posted by ccwilli3

wouldn't an increase to $7.25 still have your earnings remaining below the poverty line?

depends on a few factors....the "poverty line" is based on the family size, area in which you reside, cost of living, etc....for instance, the poverty line for a family of three living in the contiguous 48 somewhere around 16,100/year...in Alaska, it's around 20,100(according to the 2005 data)...

[QuikMike]

Originally Posted by gthotchkiss

Minimum wage should definately not be raised. There are many people out there who are making much more than they are worth because of the current minimum wage. These people think they are owed money simply because they live here. Hell I know of places where even illegals can get jobs that pay more than minimum wage, if you want more money get off your lazy ass and get another job! Get a second job if you have to, yes it sucks, but thats what you have to go through if you don't think ahead and get yourself an ejumacation.

If we jack up minimum wage we're simply making business pay more money for the same inadequate workers... How many times have you gone into a restaurant (tipped or fast food) the workers were rude, screwed up your order, etc??? Do you really think they are going to start getting things right just because you jacked up their pay? All its going to do is pass the costs onto the consumers, with the same shitty service!



These places may not have state minimum wage laws, but there are MANY companies covered by FLSA and have a Federal Mandatory Minimum Wage:

• A Federal, state, or local government agency
• A hospital, or an institution primarily engaged in the care of the sick, the aged, or the mentally ill or mentally retarded who live on the premises (it does not matter if the hospital or institution is public or private or is operated for profit or not-for-profit)
• A pre-school; elementary or secondary school or institution of higher learning (e.g., college); or a school for mentally or physically handicapped or gifted children (it does not matter if the school or institution is public or private or operated for profit or not-for-profit)
• A company/organization with annual dollar volume of sales or receipts in the amount of $500,000 or more

The last one is a biggy, this covers pretty much most of your big name stores... Okay, so it doesn't cover small stores... Well if these smaller stores don't pay well, why don't people just go someplace else... IMO if you don't like the pay at a certain location GO SOMEPLACE ELSE. These small companies should be able to pay whatever they want for labor. To compete with the larger companies they will need competent employees, to get competent employees you need to pay more.

GET RID OF MINIMUM WAGE!!! In the end it just ends up hurting the consumer!

wow

[ccwilli3]

Originally Posted by QuikMike

depends on a few factors....the "poverty line" is based on the family size, area in which you reside, cost of living, etc....for instance, the poverty line for a family of three living in the contiguous 48 somewhere around 16,100/year...in Alaska, it's around 20,100(according to the 2005 data)...

So, even a raise in minimum wage would still keep you below the 'poverty line' in most, if not every, state.

[tuffy6969]

Originally Posted by ccwilli3

So, even a raise in minimum wage would still keep you below the 'poverty line' in most, if not every, state.

Then if that's the case - don't do it. Don't do something that won't help anyway.

[gthotchkiss]

Originally Posted by ccwilli3

So, even a raise in minimum wage would still keep you below the 'poverty line' in most, if not every, state.

Just curious, is this a stance, or just a statement

According to Federal Poverty Guidelines
For 1 person in the 48 Contiguous States in 2006 is $9,800
For 2 people it is $13,200
For a family of three it is $16,600. Family of 4 is $20,000.

So working at $5.15 hour for 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year = $10,712
Also working at $7.15 hour for 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year = $15,080

If you have 2 people working @ $5.15 you will have more than the poverty level... If you have more than 2 children, and are working for minimum wage, you have made some piss poor decisions...

If we raise the min. wage to $7.15, we will be essentially giving a little over $4K a year to ALOT of people who don't deserve it!!