Should the US have a "living wage"?

Should we have a "living wage"?

Total Votes:

[ 0 ]

This poll closed on January 9, 2005.
No longer accepting new votes.

[ruckingscrumbag]

Dragon the Grimm

Min wage in Britain is ( I think ) about ... £4.85 an hour, which is $9.07556.

see $9 an hour would be close to living wage! how much is rent for a 2 bedroom apartment in a bad neighborhood?

[Sakura Byoujin]

ruckingscrumbag

StickChick09

Raising minimum wage would be bad for the economy, because business owners wouldn't be able to pay all their employees enough to live on. With smart financial planning, minimum wage is enough to live on. If you're a high schooler getting minimum wage in a summer or weekend job, then you don't have to pay to live, and if you're an adult, you should've gone to college!

I've gone to college. there is no financial planning that can make the minimum wage pay your bills. especially now that i have loans from college to pay for.

and business owners are getting paid a lot more than minimum wage themselves. so i hardly feel sorry for them.

So you own a business? You have to fund it with its own profits to make it beable to compete in a competetive world against other businesses? You have to pay the wages of all of your workers? Keep the work environment up to date, and try to keep your customers happy with good quality products?

You don't have the responsibilities of the business owners. You don't have the same expenses.

You need more money? Find a higher paying job. Or cheaper products/services.

Because you still have not addressed the issue of higher wages leading to higher prices. Or are you a person that thinks that businesses have unlimited resources at their disposal?

[ruckingscrumbag]

Sakura Byoujin

ruckingscrumbag

StickChick09

Raising minimum wage would be bad for the economy, because business owners wouldn't be able to pay all their employees enough to live on. With smart financial planning, minimum wage is enough to live on. If you're a high schooler getting minimum wage in a summer or weekend job, then you don't have to pay to live, and if you're an adult, you should've gone to college!

I've gone to college. there is no financial planning that can make the minimum wage pay your bills. especially now that i have loans from college to pay for.

and business owners are getting paid a lot more than minimum wage themselves. so i hardly feel sorry for them.

So you own a business? You have to fund it with its own profits to make it beable to compete in a competetive world against other businesses? You have to pay the wages of all of your workers? Keep the work environment up to date, and try to keep your customers happy with good quality products?

You don't have the responsibilities of the business owners. You don't have the same expenses.

You need more money? Find a higher paying job. Or cheaper products/services.

Because you still have not addressed the issue of higher wages leading to higher prices. Or are you a person that thinks that businesses have unlimited resources at their disposal?

no. i understand the concept that things will cost more. that doesnt make our society right. people cant afford to live. but i guess i am speaking to the wrong people here... everyone here can afford a computer. i bought mine in college and soon probably will no longer be able to pay for internet service.
and i found the cheapest way to pay rent, i rent off of a relative. but my student loans are still excessive and i had financial aid for being poor in the first place.

i have friends in europe who get paid MUCH less than we do for our minimum wage jobs, but they were paying so much less for rent in their country. designer jeans still cost them $60 but an apartment didnt cost $1000 a month like it does in massachusetts. my old boss just visited europe and paid $28 a night for a furnished apartment.

[J. Thorn]

Okay, let's not raise the mininmum wage......can the companies at least afford to let it's workers have medical/dental insurance?If everyone is so ironclad on leaving the wage where it is, why not make sure your workers are healthy enough to come in and be productive?

[A New World Fool]

ruckingscrumbag

The current minimum wage in america is not enough to eat, drive to work and pay rent. should we have a "living wage", meaning should our minimum wage (at least for adults) be set at a rate that would pay for lifes necessities?

For those who are not in the US how does the minimum wage work in your country?

That'd be good, but wouldn't that be a lot? The problem is, if EVERY person were to be paid more, there would be less money. They can't make more money without having something to back it up, and if they did, the amount a dollar was worth would go down. So, there'd be many disadvantages, because is there really enough that the business owners have in order to pay their employees enough? They'd probably have to lay off people, which leads to people not having a job at all, thus NO money at all. @_@

[feigned facsimile]

J. Thorn

Okay, let's not raise the mininmum wage......can the companies at least afford to let it's workers have medical/dental insurance?If everyone is so ironclad on leaving the wage where it is, why not make sure your workers are healthy enough to come in and be productive?

i completely agree. when i was laid off from my last job i thought "well i need $15 an hour to pay all of my bills and save a little now and then, but i would take $10 with insurance" now i have neither. i had to settle for less because i had bills that were overdue and two jobs told me they wanted me. i am still looking for work but its hard to go to interviews when you have two jobs.

[Slayer Meoway]

I get paid a lousy $6.50 for busting my a** and dealing with assholes. I can barely support myself even working overtime (40 hrs. a week)

[ruckingscrumbag]

Ikazuchi

ruckingscrumbag

The current minimum wage in america is not enough to eat, drive to work and pay rent. should we have a "living wage", meaning should our minimum wage (at least for adults) be set at a rate that would pay for lifes necessities?

For those who are not in the US how does the minimum wage work in your country?

That'd be good, but wouldn't that be a lot? The problem is, if EVERY person were to be paid more, there would be less money. They can't make more money without having something to back it up, and if they did, the amount a dollar was worth would go down. So, there'd be many disadvantages, because is there really enough that the business owners have in order to pay their employees enough? They'd probably have to lay off people, which leads to people not having a job at all, thus NO money at all. @_@

not everyone needs to be paid more. just the ones who cant afford to eat decent meals and go to the doctor when they are sick.
ive been losing my hearing since september but a visit to the doctor would cost me $150 and i just dont have it. plus if they need to run any tests it would be even more.

[Sakura Byoujin]

ruckingscrumbag

Ikazuchi

ruckingscrumbag

The current minimum wage in america is not enough to eat, drive to work and pay rent. should we have a "living wage", meaning should our minimum wage (at least for adults) be set at a rate that would pay for lifes necessities?

For those who are not in the US how does the minimum wage work in your country?

That'd be good, but wouldn't that be a lot? The problem is, if EVERY person were to be paid more, there would be less money. They can't make more money without having something to back it up, and if they did, the amount a dollar was worth would go down. So, there'd be many disadvantages, because is there really enough that the business owners have in order to pay their employees enough? They'd probably have to lay off people, which leads to people not having a job at all, thus NO money at all. @_@

not everyone needs to be paid more. just the ones who cant afford to eat decent meals and go to the doctor when they are sick.
ive been losing my hearing since september but a visit to the doctor would cost me $150 and i just dont have it. plus if they need to run any tests it would be even more.

But raising minimum wage wouldn't provide for just certain people, it would increase for the ones who didn't need the increase too.

I sympathize with the problems you are having, but raising minimum wage would not help. Worst of all my wife has health insurrance that doesn't cover anything, so we had to pay the premium to get the health insurance and we still have to pay the medical bills. But we both realize that raoising minimum wage wouldn't solve the problem. Yes more money would be nice. but the system is far to complex to pick up one stick to solve everything.

Lower medical bills would be nice too, but the doctors have to pay their bills too such as malpractise insurrance.

So the only things we can really do on our level is find a job that pays more, cut corners with cheaper products and the like.

[HackySackMaster]

ruckingscrumbag

The current minimum wage in america is not enough to eat, drive to work and pay rent. should we have a "living wage", meaning should our minimum wage (at least for adults) be set at a rate that would pay for lifes necessities?

For those who are not in the US how does the minimum wage work in your country?

******** you. You and your demand for minimum wage... look at the countries that dont have one. China, were is cheap labor? China, were do almost all companies go to assemble products? And its cheap and you like it. I dont want to hear you b***h about out sourcing either. Its because you bitches wont quit a** sniffing and crying.

[ruckingscrumbag]

Sakura Byoujin

ruckingscrumbag

Ikazuchi

ruckingscrumbag

The current minimum wage in america is not enough to eat, drive to work and pay rent. should we have a "living wage", meaning should our minimum wage (at least for adults) be set at a rate that would pay for lifes necessities?

For those who are not in the US how does the minimum wage work in your country?

That'd be good, but wouldn't that be a lot? The problem is, if EVERY person were to be paid more, there would be less money. They can't make more money without having something to back it up, and if they did, the amount a dollar was worth would go down. So, there'd be many disadvantages, because is there really enough that the business owners have in order to pay their employees enough? They'd probably have to lay off people, which leads to people not having a job at all, thus NO money at all. @_@

not everyone needs to be paid more. just the ones who cant afford to eat decent meals and go to the doctor when they are sick.
ive been losing my hearing since september but a visit to the doctor would cost me $150 and i just dont have it. plus if they need to run any tests it would be even more.

But raising minimum wage wouldn't provide for just certain people, it would increase for the ones who didn't need the increase too.

I sympathize with the problems you are having, but raising minimum wage would not help. Worst of all my wife has health insurrance that doesn't cover anything, so we had to pay the premium to get the health insurance and we still have to pay the medical bills. But we both realize that raoising minimum wage wouldn't solve the problem. Yes more money would be nice. but the system is far to complex to pick up one stick to solve everything.

Lower medical bills would be nice too, but the doctors have to pay their bills too such as malpractise insurrance.

So the only things we can really do on our level is find a job that pays more, cut corners with cheaper products and the like.

Ive been over qualified for every job Ive applied for (which is why i have two jobs that dont pay much. they want me but cant afford me, i just cant afford to not have a job at all). There just isn't anything out there right now in my area (location not field) unless you are an engineer or nurse. So i cant get a better job until the economy is better. i know there is no one solution, but i also know that there has to be a better way than how things are right now.

While working with children I have seen families that cant afford winter jackets. Luckily their are local coat drives to help, but some of these parents are working hard and still cant make ends meet. there is something wrong

[AbsyntheFairy]

most of the people that don't have enough to live, are here illegally. the people that are here illegally that have enough to live take jobs that people who are legitimately american could use to live. i know this sounds harsh, but one of the reason why this country's poverty level is so high is because a lot of people come here because they see it as a land of opportunity. well america made a successful county out of itself, and i had to get through some pretty hard times. we aren't responsible for the rest of the world just because we earned what successes we've accrewed.

[Sakura Byoujin]

ruckingscrumbag

Ive been over qualified for every job Ive applied for (which is why i have two jobs that dont pay much. they want me but cant afford me, i just cant afford to not have a job at all).

Pad your resume.

Don't answer the questions honestly, answer with what they want to hear. Even if you are over qualified don't tell them everything, just the things they need to hear.

[ruckingscrumbag]

poisonbutterfly9

most of the people that don't have enough to live, are here illegally.

blanket statement with no factual backup.

[johnnyhollow]

First, the definition of a living wage, as set by the Economic Policy Institute.

Quote:

The living wage level is usually the wage a full-time worker would need to earn to support a family above federal poverty line, ranging from 100% to 130% of the poverty measurement. The wage rates specified by living wage ordinances range from a low of $6.25 in Milwaukee to a high of $12 in Santa Cruz.

Yes, there should be a living wage instituted for the entire country. There are so many problems related to minimum wage - that people cannot live and support their families on, even with two jobs, even living out of their cars, even homeless. Minimum wage doesn't help people stay off of the streets and doesn't allow them to have the kind of standards of life that America says all of it's citizens hold. With a living wage, so many disadvantaged families, children, single parents, would finally be able to afford their housing, their food, the essientials they need to live.

One of the problems with a living wage is - would families even be able to afford healthcare? Would this (let's say it's mandatory for all states to institute it for a moment, even though that is highly improbable) raise to a living wage increase outsourcing to other countries for cheaper products? Would employers themselves go out of business if they instituted a living wage?

I'm not sure about healthcare, but according to the Economic Policy Institute, when a living wage was put into place in Baltimore, there was no reported job loss inside of the city.

Quote:

Employers interviewed for the study reported that although wages increased, these costs were absorbed by improvements in efficiency. By raising wages, they decreased employee turnover rates, which decreased recruitment and training costs.

Here are some more frequently asked questions about the living wage that are answered (like does the wage really reduce poverty, does it promote job loss, etc): http://www.epinet.org/content.cfm/issueguides_livingwage_livingwagefaq