How do people survive on minimum wage?

[rdean]

OK, lets put it this way. Republicans think people getting food stamps don't work and don't want to work. The data shows the majority of those households getting food stamps have working members. So if they want people to get a "better paying" job, then what are they doing to help the country so that happens? Getting rid of teachers and rebuilding Iraq are simply not going to do it.

 

[Againsheila]

There are also jobs for which minimum wage does not apply. I think the going rate for table waiters here in Atlanta is $2.13/hr. They are expected to make up the difference by hustling for tips...giving good service, etc. A decent bartender makes $5.00/hr.

I tip rather heavily wherever I eat and drink because I know these people don't make shit compared to my salary...and they're just tryin' to make a livin'...put some bread on the table for those grubby little crumb snatchers crawlin' around the home place.

I feel a bit of guilt every time I treat myself to a new thousand dollar pistol...happened again just yesterday.

You can send your pistol to me to assuage your guilt.

Of course I have no use for a $1k pistol. But whatever.

How about a $2500 Python?

I want a $thousand sig 229, but it ain't never gonna happen.

 

[LoneLaugher]

---(They don't they just exist after 3 years they become zombies)----

Article> One of my clients recently reported getting a job at a fast-food restaurant. Since she's been unemployed and desperately looking for work for nearly a year, I was thrilled for her. She was very excited that she'll be making $7.50 an hour -– a whole quarter more than minimum wage.



After she left my office, I got out a calculator. I've never worked for minimum wage, so I didn't know exactly how much -- or how little -- money that is.



Assuming 80 hours per pay period, my client will be bringing home around $462 every two weeks. That's with no health insurance or retirement contributions.



If I brought home $924 a month, would I even be able to survive? I decided to find out.

read more How do people survive on minimum wage?- MSN Money

Minimum wage jobs are best for kids beginning in the work force and they are the first step. They are also great for a person wanting a part time job or second job. If a person doesn't have an education, they may never rise above minimum wage. Most minimum wage workers who have families receive welfare and do okay. If one can have their rent, utilities and food subsidized, they often have more disposable income than people making $50,000 a year.

My aunt survived on a measley $800 a month social security check. She worked her entire adult life and paid more into SS than she ever got out of it. She was able to keep her good insurance because she had saved money over the years and had a nice retirement nest egg. In other words, she relied mainly on herself rather than fully depend on government to ensure her retirement.

Many of us began with minimum wage jobs and climbed from there. If a person with a big family is still working at a low paying job after many years, I have to ask what went wrong with the person's life that they can only get an unskilled job. If they dropped out of school or are a convicted felon, they have made choices that limited their opportunities and it's not really fair to expect the tax payers to pick up the slack. There are consequences to our actions and that alone can cause a person to make better decision, but when the government puts out the message that tax payers will subsidize them, where is the incentive for people to be personally responsible for their own future?

Of course, these days the good jobs are continuing to disappear, which makes it much harder to increase one's standard of living.

If companies have to pay more for minimum wage jobs, the number of jobs tend to decrease. Even Walmart is talking about not hiring any more greeters and doing away with those jobs. They were great jobs for seniors who wanted to suppliment their social security income.

Prices will rise if minimum wage is increased because the business needs to cover their additional expenses.

It's just best to keep your nose clean and go for the better job rather than rely on big giverment to come through for you.

Undeniably simple.

 

[buckeye45_73]

Many businesses see "Food Stamps" as a "business subsidy". Without food stamps, they would have to cut back on their number of employees. 50% of those on food stamps are children. The majority of those on food stamps are white. The idea that people on food stamps are lazy and don't work is simply one more Republican lie they spew to hurt even their own people Go figure.

Trust me they'd rather have cash than the EBT card.

 

[Againsheila]

---(They don't they just exist after 3 years they become zombies)----

Article> One of my clients recently reported getting a job at a fast-food restaurant. Since she's been unemployed and desperately looking for work for nearly a year, I was thrilled for her. She was very excited that she'll be making $7.50 an hour -– a whole quarter more than minimum wage.



After she left my office, I got out a calculator. I've never worked for minimum wage, so I didn't know exactly how much -- or how little -- money that is.



Assuming 80 hours per pay period, my client will be bringing home around $462 every two weeks. That's with no health insurance or retirement contributions.



If I brought home $924 a month, would I even be able to survive? I decided to find out.

read more How do people survive on minimum wage?- MSN Money

Most people only Start out Making Minimum Wage. If you are still making Minimum Wage at the Same Job 10 Years later. Perhaps you are not a very good worker? Or not very Motivated to go out and find a better Job?

Minimum Wage Jobs are suppose to be Entry level Jobs, not a career.

As I said, more than 75% of those making minimum wage are adults. Sure it's "suppose" to be entry level jobs, but you work for a restaurant for more than 6 months and they have to give you a raise, they'd rather fire you and start fresh with someone they can pay less, that leave you out on the street looking for another minimum wage job and since you can't afford college on mw, your lot in life is NEVER going to improve.

 

[Againsheila]

I make over minimum wage but when I started my job I made minimum wage and was ******* glad to have it too.....You can all ***** about how small amount of money it is but it is a hell of a lot more then nothing you greedy idiot liberals. I got raises based on my performance the way it is suppose to be. I still dont make much money but I still am grateful cause it helps feed my family without being a welfare slave.

Yesterday, I was being called "rw" today I'm a greedy liberal...go figure.

 

[OohPooPahDoo]

Seriously. you dont understand economics, how about you tell me why we dont jack it up to $100/hour?

Because it would ruin the economy.

I'm sorry you're an idiot and need to be told these things.

DING SING DING!!!!! Now WHY would it ruin the economy (knowing this will tell you why the min wage is a bad policy)

Why don't you tell us since you're so smart?

 

[OohPooPahDoo]

WOW. You don't have to work for minimum wage.

No lie. You can work for $5974 an hour if you want. You just fill out what you want to be paid when you get hired. Everyone knows that.

 

[OohPooPahDoo]

Also get a second job if you cant make it on your first..

Amazing what WORK will do for one's soul...

Must be nice to be able to work for your soul and not for money.

 

[zeke]

I'm curious, have you ever had to work two minimum wage paying jobs? Have you ever had a minimum wage job?

Once again, you are either purposely misrepresenting the facts or don't know them.

2.2% of American workers are paid minimum wage.

I don't kmow why you are curious but yes I have. When I was 15. 44 years ago. Why do you ask?

However, the example I considered was based on 10 dollars an hour. How many people in the country work for 10 bucks an hour. Think things are much better for them?

But I sure don't know what facts I am purposely misrepresented. If you think my math was wrong on amount of income or the expense side of rent, food, utilities etc, just say so.
But I don't think I was off by much. 10 bucks an hour just don't go to far.

 

[OohPooPahDoo]

You go from one extreme to another. Forcing an employer to pay an unsustainable pension plan and unrealistic hours only hurts the workers in the long run.

No one forces anyone to pay an unsustainable pension plan. We live in a free country where parties have wide latitude to make whatever contracts they like with one another. If a business signs a contract against their interest then it is their own fault. We call that personal responsibility in the land of the free.



America auto manufacturers failed because they insisted on pursuing a production and marketing model based around big ass gas guzzlers in the fact of increasing gasoline prices. To suggest this massive strategic failure was the fault of the factory worker and not the management is to absolve management of all responsibility for anything.

EDIT:

IF it weren't for the unions our armature and chief would have been more than willing to let American auto industry perish.

AND? You think that would have been a GOOD thing if hundreds of thousands MORE lost their jobs? ***** sake, whose side are you on? Its abundantly evident you WANT people to lose their jobs. We've known that about the right for a while now - any amount of suffering by American workers and their families is justified so long as it gets big government evil OBAMA out of office.

What I'm saying is that unions decimated America's auto industry.

Wow. You actually think the unions got to make the decision to produce and market big gas guzzlers. Sad how brainwashed you are.

Why is unemployment lower in right to work states?

Hey why is the average temperature warmer in right to work states? Must be because the evil unions make the temperatures colder, right? I'm sure if Bill O'Reilly told you that, you'd slurp it right down.

 

[buckeye45_73]

ok, raise thne min wage, what happens things cost more, so you're at the same purchasing power with min wage, yet now things cost more and then you get killed on trade, hence we dont get alot of good from Europe, cuz their shit is expensive!!!!!!

So in essence you raise what people make and you raise the prices. And it keeps going and going and going, hence inflation and then you cant trade with other countries efficiently

 

[buckeye45_73]

WOW. You don't have to work for minimum wage.

No lie. You can work for $5974 an hour if you want. You just fill out what you want to be paid when you get hired. Everyone knows that.

Nope, you cant do that, but why should you be able to?

 

[LoneLaugher]

ok, raise thne min wage, what happens things cost more, so you're at the same purchasing power with min wage, yet now things cost more and then you get killed on trade, hence we dont get alot of good from Europe, cuz their shit is expensive!!!!!!

So in essence you raise what people make and you raise the prices. And it keeps going and going and going, hence inflation and then you cant trade with other countries efficiently

Simple indeed.

 

[OohPooPahDoo]

ok, raise thne min wage, what happens things cost more,

Everything cost more? How much more?
Empirical evidence?

LOL! My bad, I know better than to ask for that!

 

[zeke]

WOW. You don't have to work for minimum wage.
No lie. You can work for $5974 an hour if you want.

That is Jamie Diamond money right there. $5794. an hour. And he only lost 3 billion for Chase.
I could do that for $5795 an hour. Just one dollar more and I could do him one better and lose 4 billion.

 

[bripat9643]

They don't, they can't, I've been saying that for years, more than 75% of those working for minimum wage are adults and minimum wage currently has the lowest spending power in history. In the richest country in the world, the poorest worker should make a living wage.

They may be adults, but the odds are they are living with their parents or they are going to school. In the overwhelming majority of cases their wages are not their sole source of income. The whole "living wage" meme is nothing but a scam.

If you're an adult with at least a high school diploma who has been out in the work force for more than a couple of years and you are still earning minimum wage, then you have to be suffering from brain damage.

 

[OohPooPahDoo]

WOW. You don't have to work for minimum wage.
No lie. You can work for $5974 an hour if you want.

That is Jamie Diamond money right there. $5794. an hour. And he only lost 3 billion for Chase.
I could do that for $5795 an hour. Just one dollar more and I could do him one better and lose 4 billion.

No lie. How to you lose billions on a strategy designed to hedge against risk? I'll tell you how: either a) you're careless and ******* stupid or b) a counterparty fucked you by failing to fulfil a contract. Its a) in this case.

 

[bripat9643]

This is what you get when you have a society where the price is everything.
Like I have said 1000 times...we live in a country where the nations largest company is a retail giant whose company motto is "lowest possible price".

How do you think goods and services should be allocated, according to who kisses some bureaucrat's ass the most?

 

[OohPooPahDoo]

WOW. You don't have to work for minimum wage.

No lie. You can work for $5974 an hour if you want. You just fill out what you want to be paid when you get hired. Everyone knows that.

Nope, you cant do that, but why should you be able to?

Didn't you get the memo? If someone doesn't have a job, they can just "go get one".