a minimum wage poll for ATOTers

[K1052]

Originally posted by: jupiter57

Originally posted by: FoBoT
we will all be affected, it will slow down the economy

minimum wage laws are anti-free enterprise

http://www.house.gov/jec/cost-gov/regs/minimum/against/against.htm

Economists have studied the job-destroying features of a higher minimum wage. Estimates of the job losses of raising the minimum wage from $4.25 to $5.15 have ranged from 625,000 to 100,000 lost jobs. It is important to recognize that the jobs lost are mainly entry-level jobs. By destroying entry-level jobs, a higher minimum wage harms the lifetime earnings prospects of low-skilled workers.

That is a crock!
Let's not just look at what happens in the first thirty days, but look at the economy one year later: Everyone will eventually prosper!
More money to the less fortunate leads to more spending by them, which leads to more goods & services in demand, which leads to more jobs to manufacture & accomodate those goods & services.
The only ones who actually "suffer" are the wealthy, who aren't going to be spending any more or any less money either way!

How much would you be making right now if the Minimum wage was still $3.15 Hr., as it would be if the Republican party had it's way? (Or $1.35 Hr.as it was when I entered the workforce!)

You are high if you think the service and retail sectors (among others who employ large numbers of hourly employees) are just going to happily eat the increased cost of doing business.

The first thing that would happen at my company after such an increase was signed into law would be a big budget meeting to see how far to raise our pricing when the increase becomes effective.

You, personally, will be paying out of your pocket for this increase if you are a salaried employee.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: yllus
My moronic local newspaper is 100% on board with the idea of raising minimum wage to $10. Splashing kids' faces on the cover and generally doing the whole, "WON'T SOMEBODY PLEASE THINK OF THE CHILDREN?!" act. Makes me want to walk over there (they're a half block from my office) and burn the place down.

Haha, here, check out the front page of the aforementioned paper.

war on poverty? in canada? but you guys are the land of plenty!

 

[Jeff7]

I worked as a cashier at Kmart for PA's minimum wage.


I still don't favor minimum wage. But I do favor legislation to ensure worker's rights. The market should then be able to regulate the wages according to necessity and optimizing efficiency.
I'd also be in favor of eliminating regressive taxes like property tax (earn $200M a year, but only own a small plot of land? You pay the same as someone earning $20K.) I think a carefully set up progressive income tax should do the trick, and perhaps various consumption taxes as well on luxury items.

I think the government should have a hand in guiding the economy, as there will always be those who seek to manipulate and pervert the market. They must be curtailed, or they can partly derail the system.

Originally posted by: mugs
I hear 80% of Americans are in favor of increasing the minimum wage. I guess it sounds like a good idea - if you don't put any thought into it.

Too many Americans probably don't have much knowledge of basic economics. The econ class I had here at Penn State, the average on the final was in the low 60's. I found the material to be fairly simplistic and quite intuitive.

Raise minimum wage to something livable, say $15/hr, and guess what'll happen. McDonalds will fire a lot of people, those that remain will be overworked, your burger will cost $5, and it'll take 20 minutes to make. So now you have several people making $0/hr, or maybe sapping away unemployment money, and inflated prices. Brilliant.

 

[monk3y]

I believe I know someone that would be affected. I have worked for minimum wage when I was just starting college, I was living on my own and it wasn't at a restaurant.

 

[NuclearNed]

Governments have been trying to legistlate poverty out of existence for as long as there have been governments. It has never worked before, it is not working now, and it never will work in the future. But governments keep trying.

One of the classical definitions of insanity is to keep trying the same thing over and over, expecting a different outcome each time. That is exactly what this is.

 

[Flyback]

Min wage was just raised to $8 in Canada I think.

I'm not a big supporter of it, but at the same time it is always funny to see jerks come out of the woodwork and claim that people aren't worthy of xx$ because they don't have a college degree and those using the services had to "endure" undergrad and perhaps grad school.

People get very bitter when it comes to money these days. I can't say how many times I've been at the bar with friends of a friend and they refuse to tip bartenders or waitresses because they don't "deserve" money if they didn't go to college. I've seen people get pretty vocal about it and downright nasty. They get completely irate that someone can go through college working in a bar and make more than the person who graduated with a 4.0 and suma cum laude who has been working in their field of expertise.

I always get a laugh of them and remind myself not to hang out with them again (as to not be embarrassed in public). It is fun to throw around money like its nothing and watch said people get angry, too. I've seen them actually take other peoples tips on a table and pretend it was theirs haha. Sometimes they have actually pocketed some tip money. Cheapo to the max! (that's another thread though-- on cheap people).


Again, I don't support the government telling private businesses what to do (as I myself am a small business owner), but at the same time you have to appreciate the whole experience for letting you see other people for whom they really are: lots of a**holes

 

[DainBramaged]

1) My bro is currently making $6.50
2) Yes, I made $5.50 when I started at a pizza restaurant
3) Paying for school and car insurance
4) Yes, for Red Lobster. I averaged $15-20/hr. Too bad I didn't get more hours.

 

[RaiderJ]

Another one for harming high school and college kids. If you can only work non-school hours, you certainly can't command a high wage. Raising the minimum wage is not helpful. The amount of people living on minimum wage is very small.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
we will all be affected, it will slow down the economy

minimum wage laws are anti-free enterprise

http://www.house.gov/jec/cost-gov/regs/minimum/against/against.htm

Economists have studied the job-destroying features of a higher minimum wage. Estimates of the job losses of raising the minimum wage from $4.25 to $5.15 have ranged from 625,000 to 100,000 lost jobs. It is important to recognize that the jobs lost are mainly entry-level jobs. By destroying entry-level jobs, a higher minimum wage harms the lifetime earnings prospects of low-skilled workers.

 

[50cent1228]

lol

 

[Gunslinger08]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
we will all be affected, it will slow down the economy

minimum wage laws are anti-free enterprise

http://www.house.gov/jec/cost-gov/regs/minimum/against/against.htm

Economists have studied the job-destroying features of a higher minimum wage. Estimates of the job losses of raising the minimum wage from $4.25 to $5.15 have ranged from 625,000 to 100,000 lost jobs. It is important to recognize that the jobs lost are mainly entry-level jobs. By destroying entry-level jobs, a higher minimum wage harms the lifetime earnings prospects of low-skilled workers.

Agreed. Realistic economists understand that raising the minimum wage is a very bad idea.

 

[Engineer]

Everyone between the current minimum wage and the new minimum wage would now be making "minimum wage"...hence, more people making minimum wage.

Companies would probably raise prices, even if they weren't involved in minimum wage hiring. People owing said companies would make more money.

Lower wage people make more money but pay more for goods (break even).
Middle class make same money and pay more for goods (losers).
Upper class make more (much more) and don't give a sh!t what they pay for goods (shrugs).

Any questions?

 

[Delita]

Originally posted by: jupiter57

Originally posted by: FoBoT
we will all be affected, it will slow down the economy

minimum wage laws are anti-free enterprise

http://www.house.gov/jec/cost-gov/regs/minimum/against/against.htm

Economists have studied the job-destroying features of a higher minimum wage. Estimates of the job losses of raising the minimum wage from $4.25 to $5.15 have ranged from 625,000 to 100,000 lost jobs. It is important to recognize that the jobs lost are mainly entry-level jobs. By destroying entry-level jobs, a higher minimum wage harms the lifetime earnings prospects of low-skilled workers.

That is a crock!
Let's not just look at what happens in the first thirty days, but look at the economy one year later: Everyone will eventually prosper!
More money to the less fortunate leads to more spending by them, which leads to more goods & services in demand, which leads to more jobs to manufacture & accomodate those goods & services.
The only ones who actually "suffer" are the wealthy, who aren't going to be spending any more or any less money either way!

How much would you be making right now if the Minimum wage was still $3.15 Hr., as it would be if the Republican party had it's way? (Or $1.35 Hr.as it was when I entered the workforce!)

Well hell lets just raise the minimum wage to $100 and call it quits

 

[ViviTheMage]

good poll.

 

[Linflas]

Originally posted by: NuclearNed
Governments have been trying to legistlate poverty out of existence for as long as there have been governments. It has never worked before, it is not working now, and it never will work in the future. But governments keep trying.

One of the classical definitions of insanity is to keep trying the same thing over and over, expecting a different outcome each time. That is exactly what this is.

Amazing isn't it? Alexis DeTocqueville figured that out in 1831.

 

[nweaver]

Originally posted by: Unheard
I'm assuming most of the raise the minimum wage people are in the same camp that says the gov't has no right to tell a private business to ban smoking?

eh, no....most folk who support private property rights (you can choose to smoke or not) ALSO support the private property rights (you can pay your workers whatever you want)

 

[Rob9874]

I just think for some companies, they're going to pass the extra expense on to the consumers. For companies whose workforce is 100% minimum wage, that's like a 50% increase in labor expense. They'll have to increase their prices to maintain profit levels. So things will cost more, and then $7.15/hr will be relatively the same as $5.25 is today.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: Rob9874
I just think for some companies, they're going to pass the extra expense on to the consumers. For companies whose workforce is 100% minimum wage, that's like a 50% increase in labor expense. They'll have to increase their prices to maintain profit levels. So things will cost more, and then $7.15/hr will be relatively the same as $5.25 is today.

$7.15/hr won't be relatively the same as $5.25. Prices won't go up by 50%, because labor costs don't account for 100% of businesses' expenses. So minimum wage workers will benefit, but everyone else will be paying higher prices without a government-mandated raise.