should minimum wage be mandated?

[manifold]

Of course minimum wage shouldn't be mandated. Feudalism would be a far more efficient method of ensuring that the dregs of society learn and know their place. Not everyone deserves the finer things in life like a fully belly, clothing and shelter. What a silly, utopian fantasy that is!

Where shall we get the money to pay higher minimum wages? Cut the pay for the people who DID work harder to get where they are?

Or, should we just print more?

who is "we" kemosabe?

 

[random3434]

Minimum wage ultimately hurts the worker, just like student loans hurt the student.

How do student loans hurt the student?

For many people, they would not be a student if they did not have student loans.

Maybe these people just want everyone to go on welfare instead of making 8 bucks an hour? I don't get the Catch 22 of some of the posters on here. Not everyone is capable of going to college, but they are capable of working full time jobs for a decent wage, trying to support themselves and maybe their family.

 

[Kevin_Kennedy]

For those who think the minimum wage is a good idea, why don't we mandate that everyone has to earn $100/hour in a 24 hour work week? Then everyone would have a living wage and ample free time, right?

 

[PLYMCO_PILGRIM]

Its tough to say if i'm for or against minimum wages as law. Making it a law has both positive and negative economic impacts.

Some economists oppose establishing minimum wage rates and, by extension, any increases to them. They report that artificially raising wages above the law of supply and demand hurts those it is intended to benefit by increasing unemployment, contributing to inflation, anddiscouraging business investment and growth. The extra labor costs force employers to hire fewer low-skilled employees and/or increase their prices. Some employers offset minimum wage increases by reducing other employee benefits. Minimum wage increases attract middle-class teenagers into the labor market, which creates more competition for low-skilled adults seeking employment.

Other economists that support minimum wages and wage increases report that higher hourly wages have little or no effect on unemployment rates, and actually stimulate economic growth by increasing the purchasing power of low-income employees. At the same time, recipients of higher minimum wages reduce their dependence on financial assistance from the government.

In Other words, minimum wage laws are a double edged sword. IMO

 

[manifold]

I really don't know what people find so offensive about a minimum wage. The government imposes A LOT of regulations on business that translate DIRECTLY into higher costs. I would think that regulations preventing them from exploiting the poor and uneducated would be more on the "tolerable" end of the spectrum, whereas making companies spend billions to jump through Sarbanes Oxley hoops is totally fucking ridiculous.

 

[Care4all]

Of course minimum wage shouldn't be mandated. Feudalism would be a far more efficient method of ensuring that the dregs of society learn and know their place. Not everyone deserves the finer things in life like a fully belly, clothing and shelter. What a silly, utopian fantasy that is!

Where shall we get the money to pay higher minimum wages? Cut the pay for the people who DID work harder to get where they are?

Or, should we just print more?

you sell more....you increase the productivity of your employees, if you fire the lazy one and hire the ambitious one unemployed to do such, so be it....unemployment doesn't go up...it's a net net.... the other ways to afford it, is by dotting your i's and crossing t's when it comes to your fixed overhead costs, you work a few more hours yourself as owner....whatever it takes....50 cents an hour, will not make that much of a difference....most businesses do not have ALL minimum wage employees working for them that would even be affected....most have other higher level employees as well, ones that do payroll, ones that are managers or assistant managers....their overall payroll percentage of their business will NOT go up as much as one might think....

 

[rightwinger]

I don't support a living wage and look at minimum wage as entry level, student and part time wages. However, the minimum wage still remains woefully low.
When I started working, I was paid $1.85 an hour. It sounds low by todays standards but I could earn enough over the summer to pay my College tuition. The wage has roughly tripled over the last 35 years while everthing else has gone up five to six times.
The argument that it is costing jobs has been used to artificially hold down the wage as well as other low end wages. We have created a working poor in this country who can't afford housing, healthcare or education expensed.

 

[The Rabbi]

I really don't know what people find so offensive about a minimum wage. The government imposes A LOT of regulations on business that translate DIRECTLY into higher costs. I would think that regulations preventing them from exploiting the poor and uneducated would be more on the "tolerable" end of the spectrum, whereas making companies spend billions to jump through Sarbanes Oxley hoops is totally fucking ridiculous.

Do you have anything intelligent to add?
The fact that gov't imposes ridiculous costs and mandates is an argument against more of that with the min wage, not for it.
Businesses do not "exploit" poor and uneducated people. They give them opportunities they would not otherwise have. The people who work min wage jobs do not typically have the option of going off and becoming brain surgeons instead. People take the job that gives them the highest total wage level they have available.

 

[The Rabbi]

I don't support a living wage and look at minimum wage as entry level, student and part time wages. However, the minimum wage still remains woefully low.
When I started working, I was paid $1.85 an hour. It sounds low by todays standards but I could earn enough over the summer to pay my College tuition. The wage has roughly tripled over the last 35 years while everthing else has gone up five to six times.
The argument that it is costing jobs has been used to artificially hold down the wage as well as other low end wages. We have created a working poor in this country who can't afford housing, healthcare or education expensed.

Every price has gone up that much, with the exception of wages. Thank inflation for that, thank you, Jimmy Carter.
The argument that is costs job has been firmly established. No more so than recently, when the unemployment rate for black teenagers hit over 50%, having been 30+% just a few months ago.

 

[Yukon]

Minimumwage laws are absolutely necessary in the USA. Here in Canada we have a minimum wage of $10.00 per hour and we all have Medicare. Those two benefits are amzing to people living in countries without minimum wage laws and Medicare.

How far behind the rest of the world are you people?

 

[Soggy in NOLA]

Do you think that $16,640 per year is a livable wage?

Of course not. Herein lies the impetus to not try to make a living at a minimum wage job. What a fucktard.

So.. why not just say the minimum wage is $50,000/year?

 

[Soggy in NOLA]

How far behind the rest of the world are you people?

Go smoke some more pot and have another shitty canadian beer.

 

[The Rabbi]

Do you think that $16,640 per year is a livable wage?

Of course not. Herein lies the impetus to not try to make a living at a minimum wage job. What a fucktard.

So.. why not just say the minimum wage is $50,000/year?

Of course it's a liveable wage. Who gets to define liveable? Most people working that are entry level people, often living at home. It's perfectly fine for that. And most such people don't stay in those jobs long but get raises and move on to more skilled work.

 

[Soggy in NOLA]

That's why I worked full-time and went to college at night so I wouldn't have to work for "wages".

 

[Soggy in NOLA]

Of course it's a liveable wage

Of course. These idiots assume that you should be able to support your seven children flipping burgers at Micky D's. Completely assinine.

 

[Soggy in NOLA]

Anyway.. the minmum wage IS mandated.

 

[manifold]

I really don't know what people find so offensive about a minimum wage. The government imposes A LOT of regulations on business that translate DIRECTLY into higher costs. I would think that regulations preventing them from exploiting the poor and uneducated would be more on the "tolerable" end of the spectrum, whereas making companies spend billions to jump through Sarbanes Oxley hoops is totally fucking ridiculous.

Do you have anything intelligent to add?
The fact that gov't imposes ridiculous costs and mandates is an argument against more of that with the min wage, not for it.
Businesses do not "exploit" poor and uneducated people. They give them opportunities they would not otherwise have. The people who work min wage jobs do not typically have the option of going off and becoming brain surgeons instead. People take the job that gives them the highest total wage level they have available.

The intelligence is there, you've just happened to ignore it. Intentionally or ignorantly is anyone's guess.

My point is that of all the regulations government imposes on business, I don't see why this particular one is so vilified.

I won't even bother asking you to produce any empirical evidence supporting the theory that minimum wages hurt the economy and the wage earner in the long run. Many an accomplished economist have tried and failed.

And the idea that many of you douchebags can walk into a McDonalds and honestly believe that the employees are overpaid at least makes me glad that your retarded, ineffectual ramblings are confined to a pointless messageboard discussion and that none of you actually influence policy.

 

[Soggy in NOLA]

And the idea that many of you douchebags can walk into a McDonalds and honestly believe that the employees are overpaid

This douchebag doesn't give a fuck what they are paid. You should worry about yourself a bit more and stop worrying about what Walmart and McDonalds are paying. UNless of course you are a McDonalds or a Walmart employee.. which would explain your fascination with the minimum wage. What fucking adult gives a shit about entry level wages for unskilled labor?

 

[Soggy in NOLA]

I quit worrying about he minimum wage when I was 17.

 

[Soggy in NOLA]

Pretty sad when an adult's future is tied to the minimum wage.