Minimum Wage Increasing Again

XZeroII

Lifer
Jun 30, 2001
12,572
0
0
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25822136/

Here's some of the best parts about this magnificent news:
About 2 million Americans get a raise Thursday as the federal minimum wage rises 70 cents. The bad news: Higher gas and food prices are swallowing it up, and some small businesses will pass the cost of the wage hike to consumers.

Here's more good news.

David Heath, owner of Tiki Tan in College Station, Texas, said the increase will force him to raise prices for his monthly tanning services by about 12 percent. Tiki Tan had been paying its employees $6 per hour. "There just isn't any room for profit, and so this is why prices will have to go up," he said, citing the wage increase and higher fuel costs. "I have to recoup those costs."

but wait! There's more!
But he said he did not expect the change to have a major impact on the economy because recent increases in productivity, which enables companies to produce more with fewer workers, are keeping labor costs in check.

Fewer workers??? so basically they can recoup those costs by making the survivors work harder and by laying a bunch of people off! What good news!

This is the best thing in the world. Wow. I love it when the government goes and starts mucking with stuff. It's so wonderfull for everyone.
 
May 16, 2000
13,526
0
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Meh, we're at $8.07 in WA. If the CPI we use included fuel costs we'd be over $10 now. While I'm not a fan of artificial floors and ceilings there's really no alternative in a world run by corporations. Without it 1/4 of Americans would starve to death on the streets inside a year.
 

dmcowen674

No Lifer
Oct 13, 1999
54,894
46
91
www.alienbabeltech.com
Originally posted by: XZeroII
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25822136/

Here's some of the best parts about this magnificent news:
About 2 million Americans get a raise Thursday as the federal minimum wage rises 70 cents. The bad news: Higher gas and food prices are swallowing it up, and some small businesses will pass the cost of the wage hike to consumers.

Here's more good news.

David Heath, owner of Tiki Tan in College Station, Texas, said the increase will force him to raise prices for his monthly tanning services by about 12 percent. Tiki Tan had been paying its employees $6 per hour. "There just isn't any room for profit, and so this is why prices will have to go up," he said, citing the wage increase and higher fuel costs. "I have to recoup those costs."

but wait! There's more!
But he said he did not expect the change to have a major impact on the economy because recent increases in productivity, which enables companies to produce more with fewer workers, are keeping labor costs in check.

Fewer workers??? so basically they can recoup those costs by making the survivors work harder and by laying a bunch of people off! What good news!

This is the best thing in the world. Wow. I love it when the government goes and starts mucking with stuff. It's so wonderfull for everyone.

What's a fair price then since obviously $6 an hr is too much that he can't make a profit?

$3hr ?

$2hr ?

$1hr ?

25 cents?
 

umbrella39

Lifer
Jun 11, 2004
13,819
1,126
126
Haven't MW increases always been met with the cost being passed on to you and I? Were they to all of a sudden drop the MW to $4 an hour, do you think they would pass the savings on to us? Hmm.
 

jackace

Golden Member
Oct 6, 2004
1,307
0
0
Originally posted by: XZeroII
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25822136/

Here's some of the best parts about this magnificent news:
About 2 million Americans get a raise Thursday as the federal minimum wage rises 70 cents. The bad news: Higher gas and food prices are swallowing it up, and some small businesses will pass the cost of the wage hike to consumers.

Here's more good news.

David Heath, owner of Tiki Tan in College Station, Texas, said the increase will force him to raise prices for his monthly tanning services by about 12 percent. Tiki Tan had been paying its employees $6 per hour. "There just isn't any room for profit, and so this is why prices will have to go up," he said, citing the wage increase and higher fuel costs. "I have to recoup those costs."

but wait! There's more!
But he said he did not expect the change to have a major impact on the economy because recent increases in productivity, which enables companies to produce more with fewer workers, are keeping labor costs in check.

Fewer workers??? so basically they can recoup those costs by making the survivors work harder and by laying a bunch of people off! What good news!

This is the best thing in the world. Wow. I love it when the government goes and starts mucking with stuff. It's so wonderfull for everyone.

I'm a firm believer that if a business can't pay it's employees a decent wage and still make a profit then maybe the service/product the business is offering is something people should be doing themselves instead of paying someone else to do it for them.
 

BrownTown

Diamond Member
Dec 1, 2005
5,314
1
0
Originally posted by: PrinceofWands
Meh, we're at $8.07 in WA. If the CPI we use included fuel costs we'd be over $10 now. While I'm not a fan of artificial floors and ceilings there's really no alternative in a world run by corporations. Without it 1/4 of Americans would starve to death on the streets inside a year.

since when have 1/4 of people lived on minimum wage?
 

ChrisFromNJ

Member
Jul 4, 2008
52
0
0
I know what is a good idea!

How about capping the minimum wage at $3.50 so that corporations don't have to raise prices? We all know that with that low of a minimum wage, corporations will never raise prices. In fact, prices will go down! :disgust:

$6.55 isn't a livable wage for those who have families to feed. In the 1960s, adjusted for inflation, the minimum wage was the equivalent of what would be $10 dollars today. Families could live on the minimum wage back then. Not so today.

Since the 80s, the minimum wage has been raised at an pace so infrequent that we haven't seen anything like it for decades. Another great accomplishment of the Ronald Ray Gun administration. :roll:
 

BoberFett

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
37,563
9
81
Originally posted by: ChrisFromNJ
I know what is a good idea!

How about capping the minimum wage at $3.50 so that corporations don't have to raise prices? We all know that with that low of a minimum wage, corporations will never raise prices. In fact, prices will go down! :disgust:

$6.55 isn't a livable wage for those who have families to feed. In the 1960s, adjusted for inflation, the minimum wage was the equivalent of what would be $10 dollars today. Families could live on the minimum wage back then. Not so today.

Since the 80s, the minimum wage has been raised at an pace so infrequent that we haven't seen anything like it for decades. Another great accomplishment of the Ronald Ray Gun administration. :roll:

You think a family can live on $10/hr?
 

JD50

Lifer
Sep 4, 2005
11,465
1,580
126
Originally posted by: ChrisFromNJ
I know what is a good idea!

How about capping the minimum wage at $3.50 so that corporations don't have to raise prices? We all know that with that low of a minimum wage, corporations will never raise prices. In fact, prices will go down! :disgust:

$6.55 isn't a livable wage for those who have families to feed. In the 1960s, adjusted for inflation, the minimum wage was the equivalent of what would be $10 dollars today. Families could live on the minimum wage back then. Not so today.

Since the 80s, the minimum wage has been raised at an pace so infrequent that we haven't seen anything like it for decades. Another great accomplishment of the Ronald Ray Gun administration. :roll:

No one should be trying to raise a family on minimum wage. No one that has been in the workforce for more than a year should still be making minimum wage. Who are these retards that spend their whole career making minimum wage?
 

dehemke

Senior member
Nov 17, 2004
322
0
76
#1, maybe you shouldn't be raising a family on 10/hour.

#2, a fair price is whatever price the worker demands.

If you offer to mow my lawn for $5, why should some third party deny you the right to do so?
 

ChrisFromNJ

Member
Jul 4, 2008
52
0
0
Originally posted by: dehemke
#1, maybe you shouldn't be raising a family on 10/hour.

What other option do most working class families have?

It's easy to say that you shouldn't raise a kid on such a wage, but it's another thing in practice.

People need to make due with what they have.

For many families, it is the best they can do.

Which is why a minimum wage should be a livable wage... and as of right now, it isn't anything close. Minimum wage has failed to keep up with inflation.
 

BoberFett

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
37,563
9
81
Originally posted by: ChrisFromNJ
Originally posted by: dehemke
#1, maybe you shouldn't be raising a family on 10/hour.

What other option do most working class families have?

It's easy to say that you shouldn't raise a kid on such a wage, but it's another thing in practice.

People need to make due with what they have.

For many families, it is the best they can do.

Which is why a minimum wage should be a livable wage... and as of right now, it isn't anything close. Minimum wage has failed to keep up with inflation.

You said that accounting for inflation, minimum wage should be $10/hr. A family cannot live on $10/hr. If that's the case, then a family could never live on minimum wage. So what's your point?
 

JS80

Lifer
Oct 24, 2005
26,271
7
81
Great some poor chump who wants to make some side money willing to work for $6 can't get a job.
 

ChrisFromNJ

Member
Jul 4, 2008
52
0
0
Originally posted by: BoberFett
Originally posted by: ChrisFromNJ
Originally posted by: dehemke
#1, maybe you shouldn't be raising a family on 10/hour.

What other option do most working class families have?

It's easy to say that you shouldn't raise a kid on such a wage, but it's another thing in practice.

People need to make due with what they have.

For many families, it is the best they can do.

Which is why a minimum wage should be a livable wage... and as of right now, it isn't anything close. Minimum wage has failed to keep up with inflation.

You said that accounting for inflation, minimum wage should be $10/hr. A family cannot live on $10/hr. If that's the case, then a family could never live on minimum wage. So what's your point?

A family can almost certainly live on $10.00 an hour. Although the living conditions are certainly not going to be ideal, that is enough to make ends meet.

If two parents are earning a $10.00 minimum wage hourly, that is more than enough to feed a family.





 
May 16, 2000
13,526
0
0
Originally posted by: BrownTown
Originally posted by: PrinceofWands
Meh, we're at $8.07 in WA. If the CPI we use included fuel costs we'd be over $10 now. While I'm not a fan of artificial floors and ceilings there's really no alternative in a world run by corporations. Without it 1/4 of Americans would starve to death on the streets inside a year.

since when have 1/4 of people lived on minimum wage?

These are very rough for easy math:

$5/hr (an easy number to work with) equates to about $12,000/yr.
Roughly 12% of American citizens able to work earn under that.
Some states have higher minimums...up to $8/hr, which is roughly $16,000/yr.
Another 7% of American citizens able to work earn between 12 & 16k/yr.

Now, accounting for the number of persons cared for by others, who cannot themselves work (kids, elderly, handicapped, etc) we can estimate that a few percent is added as they would be dependent upon persons earning that wage. This gets VERY close to 25%.

I realize there are other explanations which would drop the numbers, but there are also other explanations which would raise them, so it all balances out in the end.
 
May 16, 2000
13,526
0
0
Originally posted by: BoberFett
Originally posted by: ChrisFromNJ
I know what is a good idea!

How about capping the minimum wage at $3.50 so that corporations don't have to raise prices? We all know that with that low of a minimum wage, corporations will never raise prices. In fact, prices will go down! :disgust:

$6.55 isn't a livable wage for those who have families to feed. In the 1960s, adjusted for inflation, the minimum wage was the equivalent of what would be $10 dollars today. Families could live on the minimum wage back then. Not so today.

Since the 80s, the minimum wage has been raised at an pace so infrequent that we haven't seen anything like it for decades. Another great accomplishment of the Ronald Ray Gun administration. :roll:

You think a family can live on $10/hr?

About 20% of people do.
 
May 16, 2000
13,526
0
0
Originally posted by: JD50
Originally posted by: ChrisFromNJ
I know what is a good idea!

How about capping the minimum wage at $3.50 so that corporations don't have to raise prices? We all know that with that low of a minimum wage, corporations will never raise prices. In fact, prices will go down! :disgust:

$6.55 isn't a livable wage for those who have families to feed. In the 1960s, adjusted for inflation, the minimum wage was the equivalent of what would be $10 dollars today. Families could live on the minimum wage back then. Not so today.

Since the 80s, the minimum wage has been raised at an pace so infrequent that we haven't seen anything like it for decades. Another great accomplishment of the Ronald Ray Gun administration. :roll:

No one should be trying to raise a family on minimum wage. No one that has been in the workforce for more than a year should still be making minimum wage. Who are these retards that spend their whole career making minimum wage?

The people that work for corporations, who will only pay minimum wage except to a few. Manufacturing, high tech, industry...all being offshored. This leaves only minimum wage service industry jobs for a large number of Americans.
 

HombrePequeno

Diamond Member
Mar 7, 2001
4,657
0
0
EITC>MW when it comes to supplementing the incomes of the poor. The vast majority of people making minimum wage are in households that are above the poverty line.
 
May 16, 2000
13,526
0
0
Originally posted by: Gobadgrs
I've yet to meet anyone who makes minimum wage.

Never been to a store? Never been to a restaurant? Never seen an office temp? Even called customer service?

Then you've met people who make minimum wage.
 

JD50

Lifer
Sep 4, 2005
11,465
1,580
126
Originally posted by: ChrisFromNJ
Originally posted by: dehemke
#1, maybe you shouldn't be raising a family on 10/hour.

What other option do most working class families have?

It's easy to say that you shouldn't raise a kid on such a wage, but it's another thing in practice.

People need to make due with what they have.

For many families, it is the best they can do.

Which is why a minimum wage should be a livable wage... and as of right now, it isn't anything close. Minimum wage has failed to keep up with inflation.

Ummm....most working class families do not work for minimum wage, I doubt any of them do. Right now, it seems like you're just making a lot of stuff up as you go, would you mind providing some stats backing up your claims? From quickly reading through the thread, it looks like 2 million Americans are making minimum wage right now. I'd venture to guess that the majority of those are high school kids, or incredibly stupid people that don't deserve to make more than minimum wage.

I'm sorry, but if you can't get promoted from fries to the register (thats how I got above minimum wage when I was 15), you don't deserve to make more than minimum wage.
 
May 16, 2000
13,526
0
0
Originally posted by: JD50
Originally posted by: ChrisFromNJ
Originally posted by: dehemke
#1, maybe you shouldn't be raising a family on 10/hour.

What other option do most working class families have?

It's easy to say that you shouldn't raise a kid on such a wage, but it's another thing in practice.

People need to make due with what they have.

For many families, it is the best they can do.

Which is why a minimum wage should be a livable wage... and as of right now, it isn't anything close. Minimum wage has failed to keep up with inflation.

Ummm....most working class families do not work for minimum wage, I doubt any of them do. Right now, it seems like you're just making a lot of stuff up as you go, would you mind providing some stats backing up your claims? From quickly reading through the thread, it looks like 2 million Americans are making minimum wage right now. I'd venture to guess that the majority of those are high school kids, or incredibly stupid people that don't deserve to make more than minimum wage.

I'm sorry, but if you can't get promoted from fries to the register (thats how I got above minimum wage when I was 15), you don't deserve to make more than minimum wage.

With all respect, $1/hr more than minimum wage is still minimum wage. A few pennies won't make any difference in the long run.
 

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