[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by KCornman

Sounds like how I began, and guess what, it wasn't easy--not at all in fact, at one point I even considered joining the military. But I knocked on enough doors and found a start and moved in with 3 others in the same boat as me. There are always options--especially these days. These days, anyone can quite literally start a worldwide business overnight while sitting on the toilet thanks to the internet.

If that was a successful plan for "anyone" then there would be no employees. SOMEONE has to be an employee. The owner of your restaurant isn't also your chef, waiter, bus-boy, bartender, dish-washer, host, janitor, accountant, doing it all himself. He has employees.

Your accountant doesn't also clean the toilets of his office, do the office supply buying, perform his own tech services, greet people as they come in for their appointments, set all the appointments, and do all the filing. He has employees.

911 doesn't operate on single-owner companies. It's a network run by the government - which has employees doing the work.

Again - your idea is impractical for MOST people. Especially most people just starting out with their first job.

[Spianka]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

Once upon a time minimum wage was created to provide workers a living wage, assuming they were working full time jobs.

Someone working a full time job at minimum wage now, would not be earning a living wage.

It was not intended to be enough to support a family for entry level, non skilled work

[Rainger99]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

And I think minimum wage employees who work FULL TIME deserve for their full-time paycheck to be a living wage. Whatever that is, wherever it is. In NYC it'd be much higher than in Pearl River, Mississippi. Minimum wage should reflect affordability in the respective state, based on FULL TIME employment.

Do you really think that an 18 year old dropout (or an 18 year old high school graduate) working full time deserves a living wage?

In New York City, a living wage - which covers only the absolute necessities—housing, food, healthcare, taxes, and basic transportation, with zero budget for entertainment, dining out, or savings—a single adult in New York City (Manhattan/New York County) needs to earn $38.21 per hour or about $79,469 a year. If you live in the Queens or Brooklyn, you only need about $31.50 per hour or $65,510 a year. However, if you want to live somewhat comfortably, you would need $158,954 or $76 an hour.

In Florida, a single adult with no children needs an estimated $24.09 per hour ($50,117 annually before taxes) to meet a basic living wage.

Living Wage Calculator
- Living Wage Calculation for New York County, New York

[Pugchief]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

So high school graduates who are now legally adults, whose parents tell them "you're on your own now" - they deserve whatever job they can get, since they have no experience, no resume, no marketable skills yet, no higher education, no professional certification. The best they can do is minimum wage. And that's all they deserve. And since this minimum wage doesn't pay the bills and won't even afford them a studio apartment somewhere, AND they're working full time - they have no place to live, and no time to look for a better job.

But hey pull yourself up by your bootstraps and all that, they should've been born in a more successful family, sucks to be them.

You sound nice.

No, maybe have more realistic expectations when just starting out and no college degree. Get a roommate (or two) eat ramen/mac 'n cheese/beans & rice/pbj and don't expect the lifestyle your parents gave you. Basically the way I lived during college and a year or two beyond. Never expected more, so was never whining. Also grew up lower middle class, so had reasonable expectations. If you're not spoiled, you'll be fine.

[Spianka]

Originally Posted by Rainger99

If we just paid everyone $100 an hour, no one would be in poverty. For a forty hour work week, that would be $200,000 a year. If the wife works, that is $400,000 a year!

Like they say, we have the money - it is just in the hands of the wrong people!

How many small businesses could afford to pay $100 an hour without raising their products and service to a level no one would pay? They would all close and their employees would be out of work and we would be without those products and services.

[jimhoward]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

Maybe a split could be implemented. This would also help seniors who need their social security checks, but also need to pad those checks with a weekly stipend from a low-paying part-time job.

Make part-time (under 30 hours/week) minimum wage stay at $15/hour. Make full-time minimum wage $20/hour. People who only need a little money, or people who aren't willing to work full time, get the lower wage.

That is not far off from the system we have now. It may not be formalized in law, but it is mostly how it is. Most minimum wage jobs are part time and the employee needs to find two part-time jobs to piece together full time employment. Employers keep the hours of minimum wage employees under 32. They don't want to risk getting into overtime pay if the hours exceed 40, nor do they want to pay benefits, such as medical insurance, which are offered to full time employees. Full time jobs, with benefits, for the most part pay $18 or more. But those jobs are hard to find for unskilled laborers and service workers, particularly those just starting out.

[Rainger99]

Originally Posted by Spianka

How many small businesses could afford to pay $100 an hour without raising their products and service to a level no one would pay? They would all close and their employees would be out of work and we would be without those products and services.

That is the argument against $100 an hour.

At what point do you think the minimum wage is too high?

The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour.

The three highest statewide standard minimum wages are:

Washington: $17.13 / hour
Connecticut: $16.94 / hour
California: $16.90 / hour but fast-food workers in California have a statewide minimum of $20.00 per hour.

[Normal]

When folks use the term Living Wage for a fry cook I have to wonder. Since when has the neo term Living Wage been conflated in with service jobs? I worked two of those jobs simultaneously when I was a kid, but then I smartened up and moved on after graduation. We live in a sad world when ambition is traded for sameness and political terminology.

[Rainger99]

Originally Posted by Normal

When folks use the term Living Wage for a fry cook I have to wonder. Since when has the neo term Living Wage been conflated in with service jobs? I worked two of those jobs simultaneously when I was a kid, but then I smartened up and moved on after graduation. We live in a sad world when ambition is traded for sameness and political terminology.

My first job I was working more than 40 hours a week - usually around 60 hours a week. I was paid $1.25 an hour but since it was agricultural work so I wasn't paid overtime. Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) | U.S. Department of Labor, farmworkers and agricultural employees are completely exempt from the requirement of time-and-a-half overtime pay for working more than 40 hours in a week.

[Pugchief]

Originally Posted by Normal

When folks use the term Living Wage for a fry cook I have to wonder. Since when has the neo term Living Wage been conflated in with service jobs? I worked two of those jobs simultaneously when I was a kid, but then I smartened up and moved on after graduation. We live in a sad world when ambition is traded for sameness and political terminology.

Correct. Equality is desirable and achievable. Equity is not achievable and attempts cause someone to always suffer for someone else's benefit making it also undesirable.

[Bwanajim]

Someone on here actually said the minimum wage should be $100! Does he not realize then that your big Mac is gonna cost you $40?🤷🏼*♂️

[Aces4]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

I hope you're happy to have the opportunity to expand your experience. I've worked minimum wage. I've worked higher than minimum wage. When I was a busker, I earned around 3x minimum wage, except Christmas eve day, when I earned $50 in a half hour, closed my guitar case, and called it a day.

Maybe that's why at this point, we have more expendable income than some. It's not like we're wealthy but rather able to manage financially at time in our lives. If I would have made that $50. in a 1/2 hr busking on Christmas Eve day, I would have played another 2 1/2 hrs even if the income was a little less. Obviously, being Christmas Eve, people were in a generous mood and it was the time to work a little longer. It's really all about push and drive and not relying on the hard work of others to float my boat.