AOC

[Walrus]

Why not make it $50 an hour?

"Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) on Monday criticized certain Democrats for failing to support progressive demands for a $15 minimum wage, contending they are living in a “dystopian capitalist nightmare” and adding that the minimum wage should actually be $24 an hour.

“Any person who thinks that a $15 minimum wage is the ‘crazy socialist agenda’ is living in a dystopian capitalist nightmare. And we should not prop that up. We should not continue that,” she said.

“There are basic goods that people can’t afford to live on on $7.25 an hour, she continued, arguing that it is “deeply, deeply shameful” that they are having this conversation in the first place.

“Because when you take the minimum wage from several decades ago and you actually account for inflation and productivity gains to today, it should be $24 an hour,” she continued."

[Deleted User 89]

so, you’re ok with the minimum wage not increasing proportionally with inflation? or productivity?

[PhDhawk]

I mean, which is crazier, raising the minimum wage to $15/hour or the fact that it hasn't been raised at all in 12 years?

I'd be more willing to hear the arguments against a large increase if the republicans had been themselves putting through modest increases to the minimum wage along the way.

[Deleted User 89]

https://pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/ ... imum-wage/

since it was raised to $7.25, it has LOST at least 9.6% of its purchasing power

at least 23% of those earning minimum wage are aged 25-34 (aka, it isn’t just snot-nosed high school kids in their first jobs)

29 states have their own, higher minimums

20.6 million people, 30% of hiurky workers are at or very near minimum wage

[Sparko]

People forget the reason for a minimum wage—poverty. It is far better for taxpayers that people have enough wages upon which to live. We make up the difference with taxes for social programs. False choices are a Republican favorite. Are there no prisons? Rinse. Repeat.

[ousdahl]

Yeah. I guess I can see how raising wages may eliminate certain positions, maybe.

But overall I don’t get how raising wages will be this huge job killer. Couldn’t it also be that giving consumers more buying power will create more jobs in the long run?

Does that mean to suggest that consumers with more money won’t be buying more things? Or won’t be buying more things beyond the basic necessities they’re often already struggling to buy?

And does that mean to suggest that certain jobs exist only because wages are so cheap, irrespective of consumer demand?

Unless jobs really are created not by consumer demand but by tax cuts for the job creators, I guess.

[sdoyel]

Republicans don’t understand math.

[ousdahl]

turns out, most temporarily embarrassed millionaires don’t.

[Deleted User 89]

Yeah. I guess I can see how raising wages may eliminate certain positions, maybe.

But overall I don’t get how raising wages will be this huge job killer. Couldn’t it also be that giving consumers more buying power will create more jobs in the long run?

Does that mean to suggest that consumers with more money won’t be buying more things? Or won’t be buying more things beyond the basic necessities they’re often already struggling to buy?

And does that mean to suggest that certain jobs exist only because wages are so cheap, irrespective of consumer demand?

Unless jobs really are created not by consumer demand but by tax cuts for the job creators, I guess.

the benefits (equality, raising folks out of poverty, etc) far outweigh the cost (lost jobs), imo

the minimum wage should be a living wage, and should be adjusted to account for regional variation in cost of living and inflation

[ousdahl]

Who’s loosing jobs though?

What business model depends so explicitly on paying the lowest wages legally allowed? How is that a sustainable business model either way?

What business couldn’t offset an increase in wages with an increase in consumer prices?

It just seems like hyperbole - that there’s all these business owners who would rather close up shop than just pay employees better. Cut off your nose to spite your face, why dontcha.

It almost sounds like those job creators aren’t shit without employees - who needs whom more, again?

[Deleted User 89]

Who’s loosing jobs though?

What business model depends so explicitly on paying the lowest wages legally allowed? How is that a sustainable business model either way?

What business couldn’t offset an increase in wages with an increase in consumer prices?

It just seems like hyperbole - that there’s all these business owners who would rather close up shop than just pay employees better. Cut off your nose to spite your face, why dontcha.

It almost sounds like those job creators aren’t shit without employees - who needs whom more, again?

i generally agree with you on the business model aspect

but, there will undoubtedly be some job loss...likely from the smallest of small businesses

[zsn]

The easiest way to fix the entire system is to tie the salaries of all Legislative Branch employees (Congresspersons, staff etc) to a multiple of the Federal minimum wage. For easy math, if a position’s salary is $90k/year then it would be revised to “equivalent of 6000 hours at FMW”. A Congressperson salary would then be something like “9000 hours of FMW”, or “2000 hours at 4.5x FMW”.

Problem solved. We’ll then see how fast the minimum wage gets adjusted!!

[zsn]

The hypothesis that raising the minimum wage raises unemployment is brought to you by the same crowd who keep telling you that lowering taxes on the wealthy and corporations will reduce the deficit and create prosperity, ie. the trickle down economics crowd. So, there is that.

[ousdahl]

Here’s a thought:

If anyone thinks raising minimum wage is such a bad thing, then would anyone like to argue that the minimum wage should be done away with?

[ousdahl]

The easiest way to fix the entire system is to tie the salaries of all Legislative Branch employees (Congresspersons, staff etc) to a multiple of the Federal minimum wage. For easy math, if a position’s salary is $90k/year then it would be revised to “equivalent of 6000 hours at FMW”. A Congressperson salary would then be something like “9000 hours of FMW”, or “2000 hours at 4.5x FMW”.

Problem solved. We’ll then see how fast the minimum wage gets adjusted!!

Good post!

And while we’re at it, pass a law that says a lawmaker is ineligible for reelection unless a balanced budget is passed.

Another thought on wages, tho - we wouldn’t have to rely on the gummint to raise wages if unions weren’t such a controversial thing.

[Walrus]

It would be better to let the free market determine the minimum wage. Singapore does this. The real reason why wages are low and will continue to stay low is because we just don't produce very much in America anymore.

[Deleted User 89]

there ya go again

the majority of minimum wage workers are in the food industry

but by all means, don’t let facts cloud your view

edit: actually, i misrepresented that statistic. the food industry is single biggest sector employing minimum wage workers

[twocoach]

so, you’re ok with the minimum wage not increasing proportionally with inflation? or productivity?

ZSN beat me to the same thought so I have deleted this. Sort of.

[twocoach]

It would be better to let the free market determine the minimum wage. Singapore does this. The real reason why wages are low and will continue to stay low is because we just don't produce very much in America anymore.

It's low because we have allowed it to stay low. It's low because companies make more money by reducing expenses and the best way to reduce expenses is to refuse to pay employees more money.

[ousdahl]

I didn’t realize Singapore’s sitch with minimum wage, and am now more curious.

In Merica though, didn’t the whole idea of minimum wage come to be a thing precisely cuz so many felt so screwed by the free market about it?

Cuz in Merica, at least, if we leave it up to the job creators, so many will be working 90 hour weeks for a nickel an hour.

Oh, and what’s that? The machine at work just ripped your arm off? Just rub some dirt on it and get back to work.