8/hr won't keep the lights on

states determine their own min wage by using the inflation rate..for the last five years the fed has said it is about 1.2 or so..so they get a 1.2 % raise...now who is lying?....food has averaged 75% increase in the last five years...

 

The lowest paid have received more raises than I have in the last 8 years. The raises I've received have been because I changed jobs, not had "cost of living" wage increases.

 

First off, keep me out of the equation. i said it before, ill say it again.
This isn't about me. Its about everyone who is struggling to stay off the street.
But no, you want to talk crap about me!
I'm fine. I'm the lucky one who found absurdly cheap rent.
Have you been able to find rent for 200/month?
Or did you live with your parents while you found a job?

I left out the part where I started living on my own at the age of 16 with not a single parent to care about whether I had a job or not.
I wouldn't be here talking on the internet if I didn't bust my ass to provide for myself.
So yeah, I think I've done pretty well for myself, no thanks to you.

This discussion is about the minimum wage... not me "wanting more"...
So you can stop trash talking and actually contribute to the discussion or find a thread that cares for your BS.

 

This isn't me (*)(*)(*)(*)(*)ing about myself. This is effecting everyone.
Except you obviously because your life is so perfect? Yeah, didn't think so.
And the prices were cheaper every where. Learn about inflation. Please. I don't have time for personal attacks.

 

when i turned 18 i went o college and worked..two jobs..lived on my own with two friends and paid for college has i went...full time too..finished in 3 1/2 years...i have never worked 40 hours a week since i got married...60 or more so she could take care of the kids...even now i own the business and am my own boss and i start work at 4 am 6 days a week and quit at 5pm or 6 pm...

 

You know, alot of people keep saying "oh you should move here"
There is even a map I posted of Graphic design jobs; how much they pay in certain places, and how many jobs are there, etc.
I've done the research.
I didn't make the OP to whine about myself. And I am bloody sick and tired of people saying so.
This is an issue effecting everyone.
I used myself as an example.
I am comfortable now saving money and working at my goals one day at a time.
I want to hear people put in actual input and not BS.

 

sure wages are less and there are less full time jobs out there..we know that...we are suffering the effexts of inflation..we went through this is the late 70's too...the difference then was the fed gov. didnt lie about the inflation rate and we were able to keep with inflation....but businesses and still making less than they were in 2007 so they dont have the income to give more raises or expand yet...

 

You make it sound like working 60 hours a week is a good thing. How do your kids feel about that?

Back in the post WW2 days, one wage working 40 hours was enough to create the middle class we all know and have come to love. Now, it takes two wages, and many times BOTH parents are absent from raising kids.

Yes, we are a nation of hard working people, but we are working MORE and getting less in return. Of all the industrialized nations, we have the lowest in off-work benefits, take fewer vacations, leave a greater number of our children to be raised by total strangers, and stress ourselves to death...all the while pointing fingers at the poor and calling them lazy.

As the saying goes, on your deathbed, are you going to wish you had spent more time in the office???

 

i make time..i coached soccer two teams..one indoor and high jr varsity team..i taught he girls how to sail, windsurf..and many other things..i just dont require alot of sleep 4 to 5 hours a day is enough

 

So we obviously had two completely scenarios play out here. We both busted our ass to get somewhere. Not one worked harder than the other. I too worked two jobs though college. There is one key difference. You are not me. Your experience was entirely different than mine.
This does not exclude my experience from being more or less difficult. You cannot base a large population's fate based on your experience alone.
You are not them and they are not you.
This isn't a pissing contest. So get over yourself and realize that their are millions of Americans that work their ass off and do not get fairly compensated for the work they do.
Wages have not matched inflation and it is no one's fault. The point is a change needs to be made.

 

As long as your doctor agrees with that...but most recommend at least 7 hours sleep, and we all have only 24 hours in a day.

 

i have been this way since in was 18 or so..too much makes me tired..my doctor doesnt care...

 

(emphasis mine)

Congratulations, sir! You are certainly an exception to the rule. I do hope that you are also extraordinarily grateful for your extraordinary position in life.

I too was in such an enviable position 20 years ago, when the tech boom was booming very well indeed. Back then the economy was strong and creating jobs aplenty...at least for those with technical aptitude. Back then, if you didn't move on to a bigger job with a new firm, some thought that your career had stalled, and you could be branded a "loser". So even if you liked your job and pay, you kept putting resumes out...

Of course 20 years prior to that, the norm was "a job for life". My dad died working for the same company that hired him straight out of college. Oh yes...and back then, if you wanted a college education, you could get one for free if you went to a state college.

Needless to say, for those stuck in minimum wage jobs today, the "raise via job change" method doesn't apply. Neither does COLA--that's why minimum wage workers are protesting and striking! The minimum wage has not been adjusted for inflation!

 

Well it sounds like you are also getting the crap kicked (or otherwise worked) out of you.
Like I said before, "back in the day", my grandfather built our family by working at GM. Never had to worry if the light bill could get paid because he knew he was getting a living wage.
He didn't even need a college education. But thanks to inflation and companies not thinking twice, their profits are beyond through the roof while their customers suffer. Funny thing is their profits don't have to change at all. They simply raise the price of a burger by ten cents and we have ourselves a well greased and working economy my grandfather knew.

I don't understand why people aren't angry that they are being taken advantage of.

 

Hear, hear!

 

compare how many cars gm sold before the crash and see how many they are selling now...its less now...profits are up because we cut cost..i had twice as many employees 5 years ago...

 

If you think staying in Duluth and getting paid the same amount as you would in NYC your dreaming. I don't understand ? You can get a high paid job but you don't want to move with the excuse you can't afford to move . So you stay in a dead end job that doesn't pay you enough but would be very happy in that dead end job and not utilize the skills you wanted to advance with if they paid you $10 an hour.
Would you like NY, Frisco or Miami to move a little closer to you as a convenience.
I suggest you get your ass in gear and stop feeling sorry for yourself and get freaking motivated . Move and get the job you want cause your attitude isn't someone I'd want on my team let alone paying you big bucks for. All the people giving you solace on its thread isn't going to improve you.Only you are going to do that.

 

The automotive industry is a sad story indeed. We only had a boom because we wiped out our competition in WW2.
We have to face the fact that Americans suck at making cars compared to foreign industries.
Brazil actually has one of the best because it outrageously taxes imported cars.

 

10/hr job is not a job for life. Its a job to get on your feet. 8/hr makes it so that you are on your knees.
If I could save money, I would totally land an interview in Cali and pay my own expense to move there.
Problem is, saving money isn't easy when you are throwing your entire check in just to survive.
Again it isn't just me. There are millions of people who are suffering worse than me due to this lack of wage adjustment.
You can't move without money.
I am not looking for people to feel sorry for me. I even feel I should have used an example other than myself.
This is about the Americans working for more than what they are earning.

 

Suppose that I am a landlord and my tenants (most of whom work at minimum wage) are all struggling to pay the rent. Now suppose that the minimum wage is increased by two dollars an hour. As the landlord, I notice that my tenants now have more money … now I can raise their rents. Every time the poor earn more money their landlords always take the pay raise for themselves … by increasing their rent demands. This is why every place that wages are higher, rents are always higher also, and the poor are no better off.

Higher wages will just create higher rents and more money being stuffed into the pockets of land monopolists. Read this chapter of 'Progress and Poverty' for a deeper understanding of why increasing the minimum wage will not work: http://www.henrygeorge.org/pchp23.htm

 

No one lied about inflation rates. You can see them for yourself if you pay attention to foreign prices and the exchange rate between the American dollar and Euro.
They raise the minimum wage every other year to shut people up. But its not working anymore and that is why people are getting angry.
Businesses are NOT making less. They are making MORE.
Production is hire than it has ever been. The issue is the consumers aren't being fairly compensated for their work so that they can afford the products they make.
It is the whole reason the economy is so (*)(*)(*)(*)ty. The companies raise the price of the products with out touching the wages. So they make more than they did the previous year, but it doesn't add up because of inflation. They fool everyone by crying about the economy and making people panic because stocks are down. Yet they are causing their own gears to grind by not oiling them.
Again they would have the income to support the wage and keep their profits if they raise their prices the correct percentage. Like I said, only 10 cents more for a BigMac meal and mcdonalds could pay their employees 10/hr

 

You used yourself as an example. So you are saying...people like me need government to force companies to pay me more. You feel entitled.

Companies will pay more..if you or people like you are an asset. I guarantee that if you told a company during an interview that pay should be set by government--and based on your needs.....you probably wouldn't get the job. That is not an attitude that is an asset for most companies that are trying to stay afloat. They expect you to be an asset to them before they pay you more.

 

No, you are just throwing a wrench in the gears. That is just another issue that needs to be addressed outside of this topic. You have no reason to raise their rent. I am sure you heard the campaign "Rent is too damn high!"
They have had rent control in discussion forever now, but nothing has been done about it.
It is part of this fear that people have that if the government regulates the market too much it will collapse. But its unreasonable when it is already collapsing on itself without regulation.
Things do not work by themselves without order. With out order there is chaos.

 

Yes, the government needs to force companies to match wages with the inflation rate. <<< This is the key to the problem.
No, I bust my ass no matter what because I have a good work ethic. I can give you a list of references. All Americans deserve to be paid fairly. Not being able to pay your bills when you are willing to bust your ass to the fullest extent is not what I call fair.

 

Oh, I think you are only one of the many people getting mad. And you're probably at the right place to get mad at. With the present laws and attitudes there I don't see a change any time soon.

There appear only two viable actions you can take to correct the situation. The first is to organize yourself with others in your same position for a labor action. Under the present laws that's a tough thing to do and even if you're successful in forming a union it will tough to strap on the big corporations. Big Business has stacked the deck against you so you're in for a fight.

The second thing you can do is get involved in politics and change things at the ballot box. This thread should show you how tough a fight you'll have there as well. But it's better than doing nothing and accepting a life of watching the American Dream slip away. The fact there are still some of us around that remember much better days should tell you it is possible. Elect people that will support a living wage, will revoke special tax treatment that assumes the EITC should be used to supplement business profits, that will ease the path to labor organization in both the public and the private sectors.

Nobody said it would be easy, but it is possible.