Politics

[blueflower999]

Would you mind explaining to me why raising the minimum wage is a good idea? I honestly have no idea and I'm curious about what the logic behind that is.

[Pianist Da Sootopolis]

Because it allows people who work a 40 hour work week at the federal minimum wage to actually have a living wage; if you're a family of two and both parents work 40 hours a week with the federal minimum wage of 7.25 an hour, you're still below the federal poverty line.
Fun fact; had the minimum wage followed the inflation through the 70's, it'd be somewhere around 22 dollars an hour.

[KefkaticFanatic]

More money for lower class workers -> More money put back into lower-mid income neighborhoods and small businesses

Also the people that have to work 2-3 minimum wage jobs to support 3 kids might be able to afford more than mcdonalds every day which might be kinda neat

Think of it as something (somewhat-inversely) similar to Reagan's trickle down, except it's an actual working economic model unlike anything he ever did

[mikey]

everyone who's taken an economics class knows that when the minimum wage goes up the # of people working goes down

[FireArrow]

everyone who's taken an economics class knows that when the minimum wage goes up the # of people working goes down

Then let's not have a minimum wage, everyone gets to work!!!

[mikey]

Then let's not have a minimum wage, everyone gets to work!!!

theoretically speaking, yes, if there were no minimum wage, unemployment would be nonexistent.  If the minimum wage was $20, nobody would have a job (except for the people who already make more than 20 an hour.)  IDK about you but I'd rather keep my job than getting fired cause Walmart can't afford to keep a minor

[FireArrow]

theoretically speaking, yes, if there were no minimum wage, unemployment would be nonexistent.  If the minimum wage was $20, nobody would have a job (except for the people who already make more than 20 an hour.)  IDK about you but I'd rather keep my job than getting fired cause Walmart can't afford to keep a minor

So, obviously, it's a balancing act. People who want to raise the minimum wage think our current rate of $7.25/hr is on the south end of it - don't act like they're bumbling idiots who don't know the first thing about economics.

[mikey]

not a lot of places pay 7.25 any more.  If you think about it, without government interference, the places that don't pay as much wouldn't have as many applicants.  They have to increase their pay to stay competitive with other places.  EG: retail.  Raising the minimum wage would, at the very best, have slight positive consequences.

[blueflower999]

More money for lower class workers -> More money put back into lower-mid income neighborhoods and small businesses

Also the people that have to work 2-3 minimum wage jobs to support 3 kids might be able to afford more than mcdonalds every day which might be kinda neat

Think of it as something (somewhat-inversely) similar to Reagan's trickle down, except it's an actual working economic model unlike anything he ever did

It sounds to me just about as viable as an economic solution as "print more money" does. I mean, if I was a small business owner and I catered to people who work minimum wage jobs (McDonalds, for example, as you just said), then when I saw that the minimum wage went up I would either immediately reduce the number of hours I allow my employees to work, reduce my number of employees, or raise the price of services equivalently. Inflation took a nose-dive during Reagan's administration because he understood how to make an economy powerful. Weakening the power of the American dollar by passing out more of it for the same work isn't going to do that.

Also, Nocturne, take a look at my all-time favorite New York Times article, the kind of thing that you'd never see in that newspaper today:

http://www.nytimes.com/1987/01/14/opinion/the-right-minimum-wage-0.00.html

I don't know if I agree with it but it's something to think about.

[FireArrow]

I'm assuming raising the minimum wage would also entail programs to help people get and keep those jobs. For example, if you read Hilliary Clintons take on the issue, she doesn't just say "lololol guys let's raise the minimum wage because I don't know shit about economics like all those smart republics!" She has plans to make everything work out, because nothing works in a vacuum (likewise, you can't criticize it in a vacuum either.)

Note: I don't support Hilary Clinton more than any other candidate atm, I'm just looking for an easy example.

[Dudeman]

So, I didn't watch the GOP debate last night, but I saw the "important" stuff on Facebook. It seems that the main points our country took away from the debate were:

- Donald Trump knows nothing about Autism/vaccines, and
- there was a really hot guy sitting behind the moderator in the audience.

Truly, this presidential race is leaps and bounds ahead of its time.

[mikey]

So, I didn't watch the GOP debate last night, but I saw the "important" stuff on Facebook. It seems that the main points our country took away from the debate were:

- Donald Trump knows nothing about Autism/vaccines, and
- there was a really hot guy sitting behind the moderator in the audience.

Truly, this presidential race is leaps and bounds ahead of its time.

not sure which is worse, the candidates for this year or the people in america this year

[Pianist Da Sootopolis]

IMO the way compensation needs to happen is that the CEO's need to stop paying themselves fucking ridiculous amounts of money when their workers have to rely on government welfare programs (the things the right is always bitching about), making it so the government is essentially paying them in the form of their worker's healthcare and food costs.

[mikey]

IMO the way compensation needs to happen is that the CEO's need to stop paying themselves fucking ridiculous amounts of money when their workers have to rely on government welfare programs (the things the right is always bitching about), making it so the government is essentially paying them in the form of their worker's healthcare and food costs.

you make it sound like 3/4 of the nation is relying on the government for their living instead of cursing them for taking their money

[Pianist Da Sootopolis]

Not 3/4, but just short of 1/2.
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/terence-p-jeffrey/census-49-americans-get-gov-t-benefits-82m-households-medicaid