What should minimum wage be??

[Hotwire]

Since the minimum wage thread got to be such a hot debate, let's add a poll.

 

[Tangled Web]

$8 an hour.

 

[heypapajinx]

i think it should be at least $7.25.
that would at least get things started.
i think the only people who are against a raise in minimum wage are *******s that get paid $13/hr. and more.

 

[Extromaniac]

To adjust for inflation in the past decade or so.. probably around $6.00-6.50

Also, to dispel the argument that minimum wage is directly related to unemployment and the price of goods.. it isn't. Interest rates set by the BGFRS (Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System) on loans and money taken out by federal banks affects what inflation is most directly. If the interest rates are low, inflation is high. If the interest rates are high, the inflation is low.

 

[heypapajinx]

To adjust for inflation in the past decade or so.. probably around $6.00-6.50

Also, to dispel the argument that minimum wage is directly related to unemployment and the price of goods.. it isn't. Interest rates set by the BGFRS (Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System) on loans and money taken out by federal banks affects what inflation is most directly. If the interest rates are low, inflation is high. If the interest rates are high, the inflation is low.

oooOOO!
i had someone say to me that "if we raise minimum wage, that will just give way to inflation. then NOBODY will be able to afford the cost of living!! they should leave it as it is." so i replied "most people can't afford it now! and those are people that are getting paid well over the minimum wage! so how do you explain to those people who ARE getting minimum wage why they can't afford a home and food!?". and he said "well, then maybe they should just get 2 jobs. or at least better ones.".
ARRRGH!! i HATE people!!

 

[Black Mamba]

$15/hr.

 

[Dwarf lord]

Also, to dispel the argument that minimum wage is directly related to unemployment and the price of goods.. it isn't. Interest rates set by the BGFRS (Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System) on loans and money taken out by federal banks affects what inflation is most directly. If the interest rates are low, inflation is high. If the interest rates are high, the inflation is low.

Not entirely true. Let's say you own a business and you are originally forced to pay each employee 5 dollars an hour. Then the Government hikes it up to 6 bucks an hour. The product you produce doesn't change and the demand for it will more or less stay the say, but you have to pay employees more. Wouldn't you cut back on employees to maintain some sort of equilibrium? Plus, the demand for jobs will increase, but the supply of jobs will decrease. You can get that out of any college level economics class. (Don't know about inflation though, we haven't gotten to that yet.)

 

[droogiedroogie2]

Not entirely true. Let's say you own a business and you are originally forced to pay each employee 5 dollars an hour. Then the Government hikes it up to 6 bucks an hour. The product you produce doesn't change and the demand for it will more or less stay the say, but you have to pay employees more. Wouldn't you cut back on employees to maintain some sort of equilibrium? Plus, the demand for jobs will increase, but the supply of jobs will decrease. You can get that out of any college level economics class. (Don't know about inflation though, we haven't gotten to that yet.)

However, businesses wouldn't actually HAVE to raise prices or fire anybody. Prices and the cost of living have continued to rise, while the minimum wage stagnates and the average wage declines. Businesses have room to pay their workers more. If it cuts profits for a little bit, so be it. Businesses have been raking in cash on the backs of employees for a long time now.

 

[Pyro Max]

Minimum wage is bullsheit. If I have my own company, and I want to pay all the workers $2 a day, so what. If you dont want to make $2 a day, dont work here. If I cant get anyone to work for me, I either raise the amount I pay, or go out of business. Its really quite simple.

 

[heypapajinx]

Minimum wage is bullsheit. If I have my own company, and I want to pay all the workers $2 a day, so what. If you dont want to make $2 a day, dont work here. If I cant get anyone to work for me, I either raise the amount I pay, or go out of business. Its really quite simple.

yes, but by that rational. if big companies all decided "hey. let's ALL pay them **** wages and it's not like they can decide to go work for another company because you will all be paying the same wages as us, then they'll HAVE to work for us at this pay". it seems like that's the mentality behind outsourcing. giving **** wages to people who have no other choice. and do you really think America should be the country of "well, i have no other choice" jobs?
the rich will always be rich, but those who are working on hourly wages will be the ones who suffer. and i don't know if you're rich, but wouldn't you like to make more money if you're not?

 

[Pyro Max]

I live in the real world where we are loosing jobs to outsourcing. The company I work for is currently doing it, and I expect my job will go that way in the future. I look around and see many large manufacturing jobs going away. Believe me I am not particularly happy about this. I also expect that the Rich always will be Rich, and people who work for hourly wages will never, ever, ever get rich based on them. I also dont believe that hourly employees necessarily suffer. I do agree with you though. If a company wants to pay sheit wages, they may inspire all the companies to do it, that is their choice, as it is yours whether to work there or not.

I will never object to you making a choice, as long as you accept the responsibility of that choice.

 

[Arkady Rossovich]

7.15,Americans need more money.

 

[X-Ray]

$8 an hour sounds fair.

 

[Darth Elektra]

$8 bucks.