Why we need a mandatory living wage:

[BlackMason]

Unfortunately resources are limited.

[Drich]

Yes, wealth simply slides it's scale up to continue suckling at the public teat, this is understood. That's gotta be addressed as well, don't you think?

In a socialist society absolutely.

In the free world, no.

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Don't you guys get that raising the min wage only cause everything to go up in price? Where do you think the money comes from to give the wage increase?

If everything goes up, then the raise you just got is meaningless.

This is the worst thing you can do.

Rather why not pay the people to work more? Only allow the government to tax the first 40 hours of every workers week, and then allow them to earn OT with out tax? This would negate the need for a second job and increase productivity at the one job. It gives the employee a 50% increases in pay! and it offers the company the production hours of another individual at 1/2 the cost once the 40 hour mark has been met.

No this is not how capitalism is supposed to work. You don't raise your prices to make up the gap when minimum wage is raised. Your company just makes less money. If your company can't survive....too bad that's capitalism.

Uh, no.

I have been a business owner for over 10 years and I can tell you that any additional cost results in a price increase.

For instance why do you think food prices went up sharply, when diesel fuel went up?

Forcing the minumim wage up will absolutely mean that the cost of goods will go up. Google it.

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Another problem with raising minimum wage that I believe no one has mentioned yet is that it can cause people to be fired - You can force employers to pay a minimum, you can't force them to not fire someone - If they reach the conclusion that the new minimum salary is too much, they'll fire people - That's how it works

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From where I come from, the reason was unregulated privatization. Even with the newly established inspection department, our economy is far too damaged to be self-sufficient. We either go towards the EU or suffocate in the horrors of bankruptcy.

The EU isn't any different from what you're going trough right now...

Not only fired it also will result in the cutting of avaiable hours worked.

Like it or not business have budgets and in order to stay in business a business must stay with in that budget. Raising the min wage is just another form of bucket passing.

The reality is we need a lower class other wise nothing would affordable.

[Losty]

If you are a business owner making a profit and paying your employees $8 and hour while they receive government benefits, then you are a theif. These types of business owners are the real welfare queens bringing in profits while relying on tax paying citizens to pay their employees. It's disgraceful.

[Drich]

Don't you guys get that raising the min wage only cause everything to go up in price? Where do you think the money comes from to give the wage increase?

If everything goes up, then the raise you just got is meaningless.

This is the worst thing you can do.

This is so obviously wrong. Any business that reports a profit is a business that can, and absolutely should, afford to pay its workers more. Any business that can't afford to pay a living wage to its employees is a company that doesn't do enough business to deserve a profit. If making a living wage isn't a right, earning a profit sure as fuck isn't, either.

Profits of the company are not the entitlements of the employees. Profits whatever they maybe are for the planning and ensuring the company's future. So that everyone who is employed gets to keep their job. If people want to earn more money they should work for it. Taking the tax off all overtime would be over a 50% increase in their current pay rate. This increase will be far more than any governmental demand for a minimum wage increase.

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If you are a business owner making a profit and paying your employees $8 and hour while they receive government benefits, then you are a theif. These types of business owners are the real welfare queens bringing in profits while relying on tax paying citizens to pay their employees. It's disgraceful.

We do have 8 dollar employees, and we have 32 dollar an hour employees. (Respectively the 8 dollar guys make 12 an hour on OT and 48 dollars per hour on OT.)

Not everyone warrants more than 8 dollars an hour. But everyone who works more than 40 hours do indeed earn an over time rate. Now @ 48 dollars an hour anything more than 15 hours plus their regular 40 hrs, the government takes out more than the employee takes home. The 8 dollar guys has to work a little longer but the net result is the same.

You guys are blind if you think the business owner who you work for is your enemy here. It's the state that punishes hard work, and can take more than 1/2 your pay check is the problem.. But that is the cost of big government and the passing of the buck regulations you are arguing for.

[Mr.wizard]

This is so obviously wrong. Any business that reports a profit is a business that can, and absolutely should, afford to pay its workers more. Any business that can't afford to pay a living wage to its employees is a company that doesn't do enough business to deserve a profit. If making a living wage isn't a right, earning a profit sure as fuck isn't, either.

Profits of the company are not the entitlements of the employees. Profits whatever they maybe are for the planning and ensuring the company's future. So that everyone who is employed gets to keep their job. If people want to earn more money they should work for it. Taking the tax off all overtime would be over a 50% increase in their current pay rate. This increase will be far more than any governmental demand for a minimum wage increase.

---

If you are a business owner making a profit and paying your employees $8 and hour while they receive government benefits, then you are a theif. These types of business owners are the real welfare queens bringing in profits while relying on tax paying citizens to pay their employees. It's disgraceful.

We do have 8 dollar employees, and we have 32 dollar an hour employees. (Respectively the 8 dollar guys make 12 an hour on OT and 48 dollars per hour on OT.)

Not everyone warrants more than 8 dollars an hour. But everyone who works more than 40 hours do indeed earn an over time rate. Now @ 48 dollars an hour anything more than 15 hours plus their regular 40 hrs, the government takes out more than the employee takes home. The 8 dollar guys has to work a little longer but the net result is the same.

You guys are blind if you think the business owner who you work for is your enemy here. It's the state that punishes hard work, and can take more than 1/2 your pay check is the problem.. But that is the cost of big government and the passing of the buck regulations you are arguing for.

If your a business owner paying your employees $8 per hour you are part of the reason why the government has to tax people at the rates they do. If you and other business owners paid living wages there would be no need for big tax rates because we wouldn't need to pay for assistance.

Raising the minimum wage does not cause prices to rise and actually every time we have raised the minimum wage the effects have been positive for everyone. Any business owner that thinks keeping wages the same while prices continue to rise is a fool. Your draining the buying power of your customer base.

[psychoslice]

Capitalism can be as bad as communism, capitalism allows greed to bread within itself, and hence we have the poor and the filthy rich.

[Drich]

Capitalism can be as bad as communism, capitalism allows greed to bread within itself, and hence we have the poor and the filthy rich.

More importantly we have a middle class. This classification by the number far exceed both the rich and poor. Something not possible with communism nor socialism. Yes capitalism has its down fall, but the markets correct them selves the greedy loose a lot of money, the crooks get made examples of and we move on till the next generation makes the same mistakes again and again.

[Isun]

There are many reasons that raising the minimum wage may or may not increase prices.

Labor is only a percent of the total cost of a product. For example labor may only represent 10% of the cost. If that is so, then if you maintain the same profits for the company then it only raises the cost 7% (example is from 9 to 15/hour). Not by the amount of the salary increase for the employee so it is a net benefit for the employee.

The reality is that the sales price is dependent on demand and supply. If they raise the cost and fewer buy, then they will lose business. So they will be forced to either produce less widgets or eat up the cost. This of course varies depending on the product, but it is often why company's during a recession will sell at a loss.

With people making more money, they will create more demand. That demand increases sales and production requiring more people to be hired. That decreases unemployment.

[Jaysyn]

I just figure if you're struggling just to live, then any tax is just another burden piled on other burdens. Not that I'm some major or minor in economy. I do realize that a 5% tax on everyone still leaves the rich paying more than the poor, but if you're making less than $10,000 a year, then 5% will make a bigger difference than if you're making over $10,000,000 a year.

Ding, ding, ding! Congratulations, you just figured out why the Flat Tax can never work in the USA in it's current economic form.

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Don't you guys get that raising the min wage only cause everything to go up in price? Where do you think the money comes from to give the wage increase?

Your assertion was thoroughly debunked in a different forum thread.

Try again.

[Cato]

Profits of the company are not the entitlements of the employees. Profits whatever they maybe are for the planning and ensuring the company's future. So that everyone who is employed gets to keep their job. If people want to earn more money they should work for it. Taking the tax off all overtime would be over a 50% increase in their current pay rate. This increase will be far more than any governmental demand for a minimum wage increase.

Your assertion that business tax relief will result in a commensurate increase in employee wages is delusional.

Labor rates are suppressed because businesses aren't in direct competition for low skilled labor, they are in competition with destitution. Mistaking what their competition is for labor allows employers to turn a blind eye to the fact that they work humans full time in exchange for a pittance that can't cover basic necessities. It's criminal and you try to defend the position with the same tired 'work harder' canard.

You keep mentioning overtime. Why should anyone have to work overtime to provide for basic necessities?