Morally Speaking: Should Politicians Spend 90 Days Living on Minimum Wage?

Your hypothetical situation is silly--no one should expect to raise a family on minimum wage, even if it was increased to $9.00.

Minimum wage jobs are entry level jobs, period, end of story.

 

An extra: I went to one of the sites (State of MA) in which one can calculate food stamp allowance.

A family of 4 at 9/hr qualifies for about 200/mo in food stamps with "assistance" for utilities (unknown amount).

After ObamaCare kicks in there would be no medical expenses of course.

HankD

 

RD, if politicians had to live at minimum wage for an hour they would explode and leave a huge mess for the rest of us to clean up.

 

The minimum wage is the creation of men who don't understand economics, the free market, or capitalism. The value of a job is determined by the value it creates. Forcing private industries to pay more for work than it is worth has a vast negative impact on the national economy. It is a Marxist invention which, like the progressive income tax, is being used to successfully destroy the private sector free market economy. This may not sound "compassionate", but no one deserves to make more money than their abilities & work ethic will provide.

 

Raising the wage to nine bucks an hour is merely a way to generate more tax money.

 

Part of this won't be popular;

How about determining the politician's wages, based upon the average household/individual income of their perspective constituents.

And the not popular bit;

Do the same for Pastors. Determine their salaries, based upon the average of their congregations. /me ducks and runs for cover.

And then how about limiting budgets in much the same manner?raying:

 

Hi Righteousdude;
In my opinion they should not receive more than what they would make in a right to work state. The right to work law allows people to work for less than minimum wage. Some of them only making 5.00 per hr.
MB

 

"Basic entry level wage" is just another way of saying "minimum wage". It's still a counterproductive & subjective idea. When you claim that the minimum wage should be $9.00, you have made the judgement that all jobs & all employees are worth $9.00/hr. This is a socialistic idea which has no place in a free society. The markets should decide the value of work & the worker.

It is not my responsibility, as a business owner, to pay an employee what he/she thinks he/she is worth. Every job has a set value based on the value of the work being performed & the competence of the worker.

Ask yourself this. If I pay an employee $8/hr for a job that nets me .50/hr & requires little skill, why should I pay more than the job produces just because you & politicians think I should? If a person wants to earn more than they & the job are worth, then he/she should apply a stronger work ethic & improve his/her skills to perform more valuable labor. Based on your position, I'd say you've bought into socialist thinking without an understanding of how socialism & free markets actually work.

 

Well said. :applause::applause:

First, IMO, the federal government wasn't designed by our founders to provide FOR the people. It was designed to protect the people from attacks from outside our borders. It was designed to be a mediator with regards to certain activities between states. It was designed to have miniminal impact on "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (originally property). It was designed to obtain operating expense monies from sources other than the citizen's pockets.

Next, I don't remember any Bible references to a governmental "minimum wage". Please correct me if one does exist. I do remember that producers of crops shouldn't strip their fields clean. There should be gleenings left for those in need. IMO, the government has taken the portion that should have been left for the poor. Through progressive income taxes, minimum wage laws, support of unions and their demands to gleen every shaft of wheat and ear of corn that fell during harvest.

I don't ever remember my father asking anyone how much money they needed to maintain their "standard of living"? When harvest time came, he said something along these lines. I need workers to help with my harvest. I'm paying this rate. The harvest starts Monday. Would you like to work?

He paid the going rate, in our community, for the crop being harvested. As a child, I remember the yard being full of cars, as people did come to earn a day's pay. The community knew he was a fair man who didn't try to cheat as some did within our community.

Also watched the change, especially during the mid 60's to mid 70's or so. As more began to believe they were "entitled" the fewer came to help with the harvest. He hadn't changed. They changed. The more welfare benefits increased, the fewer came to work. The more minimum wage increased, the more the "entitled" expected my father to maintain or better their standard of living. At his expense.

I grew up on that farm, living well below what most consider to be the poverty level. Ate many meals equivalent to beans and rice, because that was all my parents could put on the table. In the later years, my father had to take a night watchman job to supplement the meager income that remained from working his crops during the day. All of his expense kept rising, including labor, at a rate that exceeded the rise in price at the marketplace.

My parents died in poverty. To my knowledge, they never took a cent of welfare. They believed that a man earns his living by the sweat of his brow. They did not believe that they were "entitled" to anything that was robbed from others and given to them. And, they taught me an important life lesson.

Help those less fortunate. Saw that happen many times. Saw their ability to help others decline over the years. One of the main reasons was because of the government's role in growing an ever increasing "entitled" society. What they would have gladly given to others IN NEED was taken from them to "redistribute the wealth" to those "entitled".