The best way to increase your income is to increase your skill. I'm not sure why this is such a difficult concept to understand. You can be low skill and low wage when you are low responsibility. The problem is lots of people make poor decisions and take on responsibility (kids, car payments, apartments, etc) without gaining the corresponding increase in skill to support the additional liabilities....then it becomes employer's problem, and ultimately the customer's when cost of goods increases and in turn, prices.

Increase in minimum wage is the biggest scam out there. It hurts the poor. It is enough to cause them to lose their government benefits - now they'll make above that threshold and in the end... net less money. Not to mention the fact that there will be fewer jobs and fewer hours to work available. It HURTS the poor.

It really has no impact on the "super wealthy"-- you know the people they claim this will effect?? The McDonalds and Walmarts of the world will buy computer kiosks at a one time fee. Fire a bunch of people and never have to pay hourly wages again. Again, fewer jobs.

It absolutely CRUSHES the middle class. Small business owners suffer the brunt of this. The small business owner should be the backbone and lifeblood of this country... but the government is trying to push them into the "poor" bracket.

You know the ONE group the $15 minimum wage helps? That would be the government! Think of all the extra revenue coming in off the extra taxes on wages AND the extra taxes on employers paying those wages! Not to mention that fewer people are now eligible for public assistance. A $15 minimum wage is an absolute cash cow for the government, which is why, of course, they're all for it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's odd that people feel personally insulted by an increased minimum wage. Like, they want low-wage workers to suffer in order to buttress their sense of self-worth.

Or, basic economics. But I know stuff like that is hard to understand.

No, if it was basic economics you wouldn't take it so personally. You clearly need to feel that there are people below you. It makes you feel better, in some sad little way.

Yes. You're right - I do feel better when there are people who make less than me. I also feel better by the fact there are people who make more than me. We do not live in a communist society where everyone is economically equal, nor should we.

I suspect it twists your gut, actually, that some people make more than you.

Otherwise you wouldn't be so profoundly invested in punching downward.

ok.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's odd that people feel personally insulted by an increased minimum wage. Like, they want low-wage workers to suffer in order to buttress their sense of self-worth.

Or, basic economics. But I know stuff like that is hard to understand.

No, if it was basic economics you wouldn't take it so personally. You clearly need to feel that there are people below you. It makes you feel better, in some sad little way.

Yes. You're right - I do feel better when there are people who make less than me. I also feel better by the fact there are people who make more than me. We do not live in a communist society where everyone is economically equal, nor should we.

I suspect it twists your gut, actually, that some people make more than you.

Otherwise you wouldn't be so profoundly invested in punching downward.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's odd that people feel personally insulted by an increased minimum wage. Like, they want low-wage workers to suffer in order to buttress their sense of self-worth.

Or, basic economics. But I know stuff like that is hard to understand.

No, if it was basic economics you wouldn't take it so personally. You clearly need to feel that there are people below you. It makes you feel better, in some sad little way.

Yes. You're right - I do feel better when there are people who make less than me. I also feel better by the fact there are people who make more than me. We do not live in a communist society where everyone is economically equal, nor should we.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's odd that people feel personally insulted by an increased minimum wage. Like, they want low-wage workers to suffer in order to buttress their sense of self-worth.

So naturally you'll be getting a proportional increase in your own pay, right? In fact, everyone will, right?

Because otherwise, YOUR work and YOUR skillset (and all the education, and trouble you went through to acquire it) are now devalued proportionally. Because people with NO skill are now closer to your wage, while yours did not rise in keeping.

So you're worth less. Despite the fact that you've worked very hard to acquire skills far beyond the minimum.

You know, that doesn't bother me in the slightest. Probably because poor people work far harder, overall, than most professionals.

Anonymous wrote:It's odd that people feel personally insulted by an increased minimum wage. Like, they want low-wage workers to suffer in order to buttress their sense of self-worth.

So naturally you'll be getting a proportional increase in your own pay, right? In fact, everyone will, right?

Because otherwise, YOUR work and YOUR skillset (and all the education, and trouble you went through to acquire it) are now devalued proportionally. Because people with NO skill are now closer to your wage, while yours did not rise in keeping.

So you're worth less. Despite the fact that you've worked very hard to acquire skills far beyond the minimum.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think people should be trying to support a family or even themselves on one minimum wage job.

Of course not. The reality is that millions of people are in precisely that situation.

OK so why are we upping the wage to pay for bad mistakes? I would think a lower wage would spur people on to better jobs.

I would think there would be unicorns and rainbows for all, but that is not the truth of the matter. They aren't staying in burger jobs because they're lazy. They're staying there because:

1. There are no better jobs in their area.
2. They aren't qualified for better jobs, and they have no money for school or retraining.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think people should be trying to support a family or even themselves on one minimum wage job.

Of course not. The reality is that millions of people are in precisely that situation.

OK so why are we upping the wage to pay for bad mistakes? I would think a lower wage would spur people on to better jobs.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's odd that people feel personally insulted by an increased minimum wage. Like, they want low-wage workers to suffer in order to buttress their sense of self-worth.

Or, basic economics. But I know stuff like that is hard to understand.

No, if it was basic economics you wouldn't take it so personally. You clearly need to feel that there are people below you. It makes you feel better, in some sad little way.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Idiots.

Next time you go into Giant or Home Depot and you notice that half of the checkout lanes have been replaced with self-serve stations, you will see what a $15 minimum wage looks like in action.

Next time you walk into McDonalds or Starbucks and place your order on an ipad, you will see what a $15 minimum wage looks like in action.

Are people really this stupid?

Yes. They are.

They see absolutely zero correlation between cost or employment and prices, or automation and job losses. They see the entire world through the filter of feelings and pity. The people who are the proponents of this are killing the jobs of the people they see themselves as the benefactors and protectors of. So yes, they are that stupid.

Can you tell me your proposed alternative solution, then? Because any solution to the issue of people trying to live on minimum-wage jobs - and there are many of them, not just teenagers - will cost money, whether in direct salary costs or less tangible costs. Telling them they simply "should have gone to college" is useless.

Unless you feel they should simply suffer for being born poor, which is the underlying mood of all these threads.

Anonymous wrote:It's odd that people feel personally insulted by an increased minimum wage. Like, they want low-wage workers to suffer in order to buttress their sense of self-worth.

Or, basic economics. But I know stuff like that is hard to understand.

Anonymous wrote:I don't think people should be trying to support a family or even themselves on one minimum wage job.

Of course not. The reality is that millions of people are in precisely that situation.

I don't think people should be trying to support a family or even themselves on one minimum wage job.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Idiots.

Next time you go into Giant or Home Depot and you notice that half of the checkout lanes have been replaced with self-serve stations, you will see what a $15 minimum wage looks like in action.

Next time you walk into McDonalds or Starbucks and place your order on an ipad, you will see what a $15 minimum wage looks like in action.

Are people really this stupid?

Why are those bad things? We need more careers and less starter jobs.

Not everyone has the ability, discipline, or interest to get through college. We need working class jobs for high school graduates, and a $15 minimum will kill them.

How will it "kill them"? If companies require human employees, they need to pay them living wages.

It will kill the jobs, not the people. The reality is that companies will find ways to work around the need for employees....hence the ordering kiosks at McDonalds and Panera. Raise the minimum, and you'll see even more of that.

It may kill certain types of jobs, but people still need nannies and home health aides. No way to automate that--and those jobs deserve a living wage. (I have a nanny and pay her well above this newly announced minimum wage, but have colleagues who pay their nannies just 10$/hr.)

This will benefit low-income workers in service fields. Agree it will kill off even more retail jobs (cheaper to shop Amazon than go to the grocery store.)

Anonymous wrote:Idiots.

Next time you go into Giant or Home Depot and you notice that half of the checkout lanes have been replaced with self-serve stations, you will see what a $15 minimum wage looks like in action.

Next time you walk into McDonalds or Starbucks and place your order on an ipad, you will see what a $15 minimum wage looks like in action.

Are people really this stupid?

Yes. They are.

They see absolutely zero correlation between cost or employment and prices, or automation and job losses. They see the entire world through the filter of feelings and pity. The people who are the proponents of this are killing the jobs of the people they see themselves as the benefactors and protectors of. So yes, they are that stupid.