According to this gov publication the total number of workers making at or below the federal minimum wage was 3.6 million, which includes workers whose income includes tips (waiters etc.). Of these, half are under 25.
So, adults making minimum wage comprise about 1.5% of all workers in the U.S.
So why is it so important to focus on raising the minimum wage? 98.5% of workers already make more than the federal minimum. When news came out that several million would have their health insurance policies canceled surrounding the ACA, the white house response was that this was ok because “the vast majority” were not affected.
Not looking to get into a debate over the moral imperative of raising wages, but even if you think the minimum wage should be raised, how can the topic even be in the top 100 on the federal governments to-do-list?
[quote]kappa927 wrote:
So why is it so important to focus on raising the minimum wage? [/quote]
Because telling people they are going to make more money is really good politics.
The implications and the reasoning behind your post is irrelevant except to informed people who understand how markets work.
This isn’t the average American. How could making sure churches cannot marry gay people be on the list in Kansas? How can keeping marijuana illegal be on the list? Or any number of other things.
It’s a priority because a side thinks they can do things that will make people happy who keep them in power.
Gotta love two party politics. You want to be the side AGAINST increasing money for our lowest paid workers? That’s crappy politics.
[quote]kappa927 wrote:
how can the topic even be in the top 100 on the federal governments to-do-list? [/quote]
Because just talking about it buys votes from the plethora of people out there that should have failed their high school economics class and been denied graduation.
It makes the “blue team” look like they actually give two shits. So idiots check their box.
[quote]H factor wrote:
[quote]kappa927 wrote:
So why is it so important to focus on raising the minimum wage? [/quote]
Because telling people they are going to make more money is really good politics.
The implications and the reasoning behind your post is irrelevant except to informed people who understand how markets work.
This isn’t the average American. [/quote]
lol, yup.
Your post wasn’t up when I replied…
[quote]countingbeans wrote:
[quote]H factor wrote:
[quote]kappa927 wrote:
So why is it so important to focus on raising the minimum wage? [/quote]
Because telling people they are going to make more money is really good politics.
The implications and the reasoning behind your post is irrelevant except to informed people who understand how markets work.
This isn’t the average American. [/quote]
lol, yup.
Your post wasn’t up when I replied… [/quote]
Do that all the time. Hell when I post, I often edit it and then get pissed off about something else and add to it.
Haven’t made minimum wage in a while though. I think it was 5.15 the last time I did. I probably would have been thrilled as a teen to find out it was going up. I also didn’t understand markets then. I got older and learned more. Most Americans have just gotten older. They haven’t learned shit.
[quote]kappa927 wrote:
According to this gov publication the total number of workers making at or below the federal minimum wage was 3.6 million, which includes workers whose income includes tips (waiters etc.). Of these, half are under 25.
So, adults making minimum wage comprise about 1.5% of all workers in the U.S.
So why is it so important to focus on raising the minimum wage? 98.5% of workers already make more than the federal minimum. When news came out that several million would have their health insurance policies canceled surrounding the ACA, the white house response was that this was ok because “the vast majority” were not affected.
Not looking to get into a debate over the moral imperative of raising wages, but even if you think the minimum wage should be raised, how can the topic even be in the top 100 on the federal governments to-do-list? [/quote]
It’s important because unions, whose members make far above the minimum wage, base their wages on the minimum wage. That’s a significant number of voters.
I get that it is “good politics.” I get that low information voters get sucked in by this type of rhetoric. What I don’t get is why the mainstream media legitimizes the topic. It is disappointing and I don’t see how we can get anything done unless we can effectively sift out this nonsense and focus on what needs to be done to get our economy moving.
[quote]NickViar wrote:
[quote]kappa927 wrote:
According to this gov publication the total number of workers making at or below the federal minimum wage was 3.6 million, which includes workers whose income includes tips (waiters etc.). Of these, half are under 25.
So, adults making minimum wage comprise about 1.5% of all workers in the U.S.
So why is it so important to focus on raising the minimum wage? 98.5% of workers already make more than the federal minimum. When news came out that several million would have their health insurance policies canceled surrounding the ACA, the white house response was that this was ok because “the vast majority” were not affected.
Not looking to get into a debate over the moral imperative of raising wages, but even if you think the minimum wage should be raised, how can the topic even be in the top 100 on the federal governments to-do-list? [/quote]
It’s important because unions, whose members make far above the minimum wage, base their wages on the minimum wage. That’s a significant number of voters.
[/quote]
I was not aware of this. Why do they do this? If minimum wage went up sharply would unions immediately attempt to renegotiate their contracts?
[quote]kappa927 wrote:
I was not aware of this. Why do they do this? If minimum wage went up sharply would unions immediately attempt to renegotiate their contracts?[/quote]
I’m not sure…I just know(as much as I can “know” anything that I don’t have first hand knowledge of) that they do. Richard Berman: Why Unions Want a Higher Minimum Wage - WSJ
-if the link doesn’t work, google “Richard Berman: Why Unions Want a Higher Minimum Wage”
[quote]kappa927 wrote:
I get that it is “good politics.” I get that low information voters get sucked in by this type of rhetoric. What I don’t get is why the mainstream media legitimizes the topic. [/quote]
I think it is because you have some false notion that the main stream media doesn’t just “report” the public relations the state wants them too. When DOJ sues Gallop over a “contract dispute” after putting out polls that don’t show them as the best ever, and tap AP’s phones… “Journalists” tend to snap into line real quick.
The other side of that is the media wants to make money, so they write about shit stupid people will click on…
[quote]countingbeans wrote:
[quote]kappa927 wrote:
I get that it is “good politics.” I get that low information voters get sucked in by this type of rhetoric. What I don’t get is why the mainstream media legitimizes the topic. [/quote]
I think it is because you have some false notion that the main stream media doesn’t just “report” the public relations the state wants them too. When DOJ sues Gallop over a “contract dispute” after putting out polls that don’t show them as the best ever, and tap AP’s phones… “Journalists” tend to snap into line real quick.
The other side of that is the media wants to make money, so they write about shit stupid people will click on… [/quote]
[quote]countingbeans wrote:
[quote]kappa927 wrote:
how can the topic even be in the top 100 on the federal governments to-do-list? [/quote]
Because just talking about it buys votes from the plethora of people out there that should have failed their high school economics class and been denied graduation.
It makes the “blue team” look like they actually give two shits. So idiots check their box. [/quote]
Whats even better about the recent federal worker raise. Assuming wage increase is a good thing with no side effects…
-
I heard it does not affect a huge number of people, so its more good publicity than actual help
-
Everyone who is not a federal worker will think they could be next, so blue vote for them
Budget Deficit + Increase in federal minimum wage = greater budget deficit.
That smartest leaders ever!
The whole minimum wage thing is redickuless 
If some one is hired to do a job the person should be able to live in his environment unassisted by my tax dollar .
I think we should do away with the term part time , either you are employed or not .
I know the devil is in the details , but is that not how it always is
It is just another issue of the Red team stacking the deck for the wealthy , exploit cheap labor and let the tax payer subsidize their work force
[quote]NickViar wrote:
[quote]kappa927 wrote:
I was not aware of this. Why do they do this? If minimum wage went up sharply would unions immediately attempt to renegotiate their contracts?[/quote]
I’m not sure…I just know(as much as I can “know” anything that I don’t have first hand knowledge of) that they do. Richard Berman: Why Unions Want a Higher Minimum Wage - WSJ
-if the link doesn’t work, google “Richard Berman: Why Unions Want a Higher Minimum Wage”[/quote]
It does not work to satisfy my curiosity , in short why would Unions want a higher minimum wage other than to bring the wages up from the bottom up
[quote]pittbulll wrote:
It does not work to satisfy my curiosity , in short why would Unions want a higher minimum wage other than to bring the wages up from the bottom up
[/quote]
[quote]pittbulll wrote:
The whole minimum wage thing is redickuless If some one is hired to do a job the person should be able to live in his environment unassisted by my tax dollar .
I think we should do away with the term part time , either you are employed or not .
I know the devil is in the details , but is that not how it always is
It is just another issue of the Red team stacking the deck for the wealthy , exploit cheap labor and let the tax payer subsidize their work force [/quote]
Lol, like I was saying ^
[quote]pittbulll wrote:
If some one is hired to do a job the person should be able to live in his environment unassisted by my tax dollar .
[/quote]
Pitt thinks this guy:
deserves to actually get paid more than he does for his work.
This?
This deserves a “livable wage”?
No, this deserves a pay reduction.
[quote]countingbeans wrote:
[quote]pittbulll wrote:
If some one is hired to do a job the person should be able to live in his environment unassisted by my tax dollar .
[/quote]
Pitt thinks this guy:
deserves to actually get paid more than he does for his work.
This?
This deserves a “livable wage”?
No, this deserves a pay reduction.
[/quote]
