Raising the minimum wage is part of the Democrats platform

[TheGrinch]

But if you live paycheck to paycheck then you aren't going to have enough money to save to invest in any type of job training. It just seems like a vicious cycle. I don't believe everyone working minimum wage wants to stay there the rest of their lives but some of them have no choice.

Then why are you here if you don't beleive what Dr. Paul preaches?

The key to a vibrant economy is a free market, not Keynesian economics. All that has served to is make more people dependent on welfare as they devalue what some have saved their whole lives.

 

[erowe1]

But if you live paycheck to paycheck then you aren't going to have enough money to save to invest in any type of job training. It just seems like a vicious cycle. I don't believe everyone working minimum wage wants to stay there the rest of their lives but some of them have no choice.

But it would be even worse if we took those jobs away from them by raising the minimum wage.

 

[QueenB4Liberty]

We most certainly agree on that note. If the Dems want welfare, then they shouldn't demand minimum wages. As long as the safety net exists for those who earn below a certain wage, then it helps them even less to demand higher wages without earning it. Companies simply will not do that, taking on high-risk employees for higher wages unless there aren't any better choices to fill the position (which there will tend to be as wages rise).

If you give a business a choice between acceptable profits and having to pay essentially welfare to unqualified employees, I think you'll find that it simply won't be worth it to many small businesses.

The unfortunate thing is that the Republicans outside of us are all too quiet about it, treating it like a PR issue rather than an issue to be addressed.

You act as if it's so easy to get government assistance. Granted it is easier than it was a few years ago.

 

[QueenB4Liberty]

Then why are you here if you don't beleive what Dr. Paul preaches?

The key to a vibrant economy is a free market, not Keynesian economics. All that has served to is make more people dependent on welfare as they devalue what some have saved their whole lives.

I do believe what Dr. Paul preaches, thanks. I believe in an Austrian free market economy, but that isn't what we are living in and there's a very slim chance there will ever be a true free market economy the way we want. I'm a realist.

 

[TheGrinch]

You act as if it's so easy to get government assistance. Granted it is easier than it was a few years ago.

Actually there is tons of government assistance and charities that are willing to help someone when they've hit rock bottom. It's not just our unsustainable government spending that makes our people have the highest standard of living in the world, it's our compassion (that unfortunately leads to misguided emotional policy like you're advocating).

Another form of charity would be to give someone a job that isn't worth paying minimum wage for (which you would if it was, because the more you pay, the more you're expecting out of that employee). Then they can gain some marketable skills and a good recommendation to work at a better opportunity.

But the key to good jobs is also a good free market economy. In a robust economy, the demand for more skilled labor will always be there... Not so much in an interventionalist economy where you're devaluing people's currency to the point that they have to go on welfare, while making it tougher for the underskilled poor to lift themselves up out of the vicious cycle.

 

[angelatc]

Yes I realize that we should phase out federal assistance programs, but they aren't going anywhere any time soon. Prices are going to keep rising anyhow, I make 3x the minimum wage, I don't care if they want to raise the minimum wage. I think if you want to work you should be able to afford to live on your own, I'm not talking about a nice apartment or anything, but I don't see a problem with wanting working people to be able to make it on their own. I just don't see why wanting the minimum wage to at least keep up with inflation is a bad thing, especially if it isn't going to cause prices to raise anymore than they already are rising.

Because higher minimum wages take jobs out of the economy. Look it up - states that have higher minimum wages also have higher unemployment rates. So is it better to work at a job that pays $5 an hour, and have a couple of roommates our of necessity, or lose a job when the minimum wage goes from $7.25 to $10.00?

 

[angelatc]

You act as if it's so easy to get government assistance. Granted it is easier than it was a few years ago.

It's not that tough. Convert your retirement accounts into a house, and you qualify.