So idiotic to have a national minimum wage given the vast differences in cost of living across fifty states. A smart country would create a dynamic minimum wage tied to cost of living. It might be 20 in NY and 8 in West Virginia. The data is available and easy to crunch......we’re just too stupid a country to try and innovate anymore. |
Plenty of people have suggested this. It's more that Congress isn't motivated or rewarded for innovating. We'll just keep fighting the same culture wars and arguing over the same failed policies so long as they can use it to maintain power. |
^This. I feel like 99% of the issues on DCUM threads boil down to this. |
NOT EVERYONE IS CAPABLE OF DOING MORE. What is it about that that you struggle to understand? For some people, getting and keeping a minimum wage job is a significant achievement. For some it's the best they can do. For some, they are unmotivated to do or learn more. ALL of those people still deserve to eat and have shelter. It's not a frickin reward you sick f#ck. |
Want to add this: Almost no bills or policies are data or analysis-driven. It is shameful. |
You can have shelter and food on minimum wage. If you’re unmotivated to do more, why do you deserve a wage that covers more than food and shelter? People here think minimum wage needs to cover food, shelter, car, phone, internet, health care, etc. Why do you keep moving the goalposts? |
What if the economic value of a person’s output is somewhere between a few dollars and 15 dollars an hour? Do they just not deserve to have a job? Is their contribution not valuable to society? Should they just stay home and collect a check? |
Not without government assistance. 40 hours a week for 52 weeks a year at minimum wage = $15,000. |
Let's see how much it would take to just cover food and housing.
The average monthly rental price for a 1 bedroom apartment in the US is $1100. The average monthly food cost for one person is $165-345. Using $165 for food that equals $15,200. So $200 short. Of course that doesnt include anything for clothes, electricity, water, or furniture. It also doesnt include transportation or appliances so there's no way to cook the food and you need to live in walking distance to everything. |
Why do we vote imbeciles into power? It’s an utter disgrace. |
My white 40 year old veteran family member makes $12 an hour. He only has a condo because his parents bought it for him, and health care because of his service. He is not capable of getting a higher earning job (learning disorder, plus emotional damage from the Gulf war), and can not support himself on his salary without his parents help.
This is the type of person $15 an hour helps. Every penny will go back into the economy, and his parents will be able to save more money for retirement. |
And I make a big deal about him being white and a veteran, because I think a lot of people who oppose the minimum wage do so because they think it's all POC and younger people. Not true. |
No one said that. Show me how you'd survive on $15k per year, assuming you always get 40 hours and don't get sick, which is a big assumption. |
Minimum wage is $22k in Maryland, but I’ll play your game. I picked Julian WV at random. Small town, probably a minimum wage type place. Here is an apartment for $550, and plenty of them in that area. Since WV minimum wage is $8.75 you have $1000 a month left over for food... https://www.apartments.com/greenbrier-gardens-apartments-charleston-wv/nvr8edq/ Since I know you’ll change to somewhere else, I’ll use your $15k, even though it’s actually $15,950 and pick Roanoke VA Here’s a place for $500 a month. You have $10k a year left https://www.apartments.com/3750-williamson-rd-nw-roanoke-va/gftftzy/ |
There are so many people like this—they deserve a fair wage and the dignity that comes with it. |