USA, Lower classes, get off your asses!

Interesting map you can view to put the whole thing into perspective:

http://www.dol.gov/esa/minwage/america.htm

Notice most of the gulf states hit by Katrina have no state minimum wage laws, perhaps thats one of the reasons we were so long in responding in their time of need.

 

The arguments all seem to suggest that companies only pay the minimum wage. I live in a state that has not set a minimum above the Federal level and most places still pay over that minimum. The market has pushed up the price of labor on its own. I highly doubt that when choosing a location companies look at the minimum wage of the area since they will most likely be paying over it anyway if they wish to keep good skilled workers. They are much more interested in all the tax breaks they will be getting from the local governments for moving to the area, which will be much more valuable to them.

Again I live in an area with the lowest set minimum wage and the area is fairly cheap to live in yet where I work you can get hired with only a high school diploma or GED and be able to pass a drug test and start out at around $11 an hour. All the businesses around here have signs out that they are hiring for $8+ an hour.

The minimum wage is suppose to be the minimum, bottom of the barrel. I don't see minimum wage jobs as those that you are even suppose to be making a livable wage at. If a company is only willing to pay you the minimum then it should tell you something about your job. If the minimum wage is suppose to give us all the great life and a great wage and it is so effective, why not set it at $25 an hour so we will all be making good money? I would like a raise too.

 

So then I don't see that raising the minimum wage would impact your state Walker, so why argue it down? What would the motive in that be?

 

That is my point really. This really does not do much of anything except make it look like Democrats are doing something.

 

It does do something, it raises the lower bar, and tells the market this is a low as you can go. It implies a basic responsibility to the least powerful in our society, and in that it is admirable.

The republicans would have been smart to support it more fully. They missed a chance, poor marketing on their part, since so many of you say it won't impact your states anyway.

 

I could be completely wrong here, but I'm just following my own logic which is never really that logical at all. However, if they raise the minimum to say $7/hr ok, and I'm an hourly worker making $11/hr, wouldn't I then expect a pay increase as well? I mean doesn't it really affect a lot more people than just those who are being paid min. wage? Because as a worker making the $11/hr I would argue, I am more highly skilled than that person, so I deserve more too, or I will not settle for less than x. It just pushes everything up and causes more inflation doesn't it? And I'm not even an hourly worker and I make well above min. wage, but I've also worked very hard, from the bottom to get to where I am now. I started at a low pay and the company I was with before increased it regularly, but it was still nothing I could ever live alone off of. (I make much more now, but I'm also 385 miles away). I couldn't even qualify for an efficiency apartment on my own with my previous pay. And I was in the corporate office, not even at the level of hourly workers. I would be extremely pissed if someone just came to my company off the streets with no background and no skills and was started at a rate of pay comparable to mine for doing less work. Mine should increase too. So this is where I think there would be a problem, no?

Like I said, I have no idea if this makes sense, so if someone could help me out with this that would be great.

All I know is that I've worked for 2 corporations in the corporate office for about 7 years now. I recently decided to leave my job and work for the government. I will be making less money and I will work shitty hours, and I will put my life in harm's way every day that I walk out the door. But at least I know that at the end of the day I could just maybe have helped someone. Just one person. And I know that I am not helping some fat ass CEO (who sits around and does nothing, owning 4 houses, and 12 cars) get more rich by ripping off old people by over charging for prescriptions, yet can't pay his employees a decent living wage (let alone remember their name).

 

Nah. There's a bunch of them in politics.

There are LOTS of people who are only a paycheck away from being homeless.

 

raising min wage makes little sence if you don't do something about inflation.


won't we be in the same situation 10 years from now when we need to raise it again?

Is min wage eventually going to be $800.00 an hour?

Seems to me that we needto do something about increasing american's purchasing power by getting back on a gold standard putting up some decent tariffs and fixing the trade deficet and you don't need to up the min wage every couple years.

you could raise it to 10.00 an hour as the fed min wage but what good is that if in 3 years the 10.00 gets you what 5.00 got you today?

am i wrong?

 

so i've heard

despite this its obvious that none of them vote.

just a question for an american citizen.

lets say you are charged with a crime and found guilty, when you serve your prison sentence are you once again a member of the community with voting rights or are they permanently dis barred from voting??

 

In some states once convicted of a felony you lose your voting rights for life. It's complicated, some states require that parole be finished and an application be filed before rights are reinstated.

This article may explain it more for you:

http://media.www.dailytexanonline.com/media/storage/paper410/news/2007/05/08/Opinion/Let-NonViolent.Felons.Vote-2897002.shtml

It's actually a state by state issue.

This article also spells out some of the limitations placed on convicted felons.

http://www.fedcrimlaw.com/visitors/PrisonLore/NYT-CollateralConsequences.htm

 

So nobody has noticed that everytime the minimun wage level is increased the prices increase at a higher percentage rate thus actually making those raises not only worthless but infact making the raise cost you even more to live?? So now instead of the goverment recieving 30% of your current level pay check they can get 30% of even a higher amount and since goods, food, rent and such shall increase the will recieve a boost from that as well. Then to make it even more fun companies can claim hardships, close thier places in the states and move operations overseas higher workers for far less pay just to increase thier profit margins since the goods they make the price wont drop on just increased profits for the top!

SO yes smile over your wage increase and see your money dwindle!

 

"Florida, which has not changed its laws, has the largest number of disenfranchised voters, estimated at more than 600,000 banned for life, according to a lawsuit by the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law. The lawsuit maintains that the ban disproportionately affects Florida's African-American population, prohibiting about one quarter of the state's black men from voting. "

from the links

imagine if 600,000 blackmen moved state before elction and voted in a swinging state. with the downfall of the present system a lot of things could happen.