Job growth faster in states that raised minimum wage

[Clocker]

Originally Posted by NJ Stinks

One thing that is not going to solve everything is to have economic policies that fosters two groups - the super rich and the dirt poor.

Hint: this summarizes the current economic policy of this administration.

[Clocker]

Originally Posted by NJ Stinks

Have you ever heard of the Bush Tax Cuts? Do you have any idea why they were called the Bush Tax Cuts?

They were called the Bush tax cuts because they were enacted by Congress during the Bush administration. And the fact that Bush asked for them showed that Bush was almost as ignorant about economic policy as Obama. And that the Congress that enacted them was probably as ignorant about economic policy as the current Congress.

[Tom]

Democrats at least offer some hope to close the gap between the haves and the have nots.

Yes and Santa Claus can keep score.
How about the gap between will do's and the won't do's?
The ships and the anchors?

[tucker6]

Originally Posted by Tom

Yes and Santa Claus can keep score.
How about the gap between will do's and the won't do's?
The ships and the anchors?

You can't have an anchor without a ship, but you can have a ship without an anchor.

[Clocker]

Originally Posted by mostpost

I understand what you are saying about addressing income inequality by raising taxes even if Clocker doesn't.

What I understand is that after Obama waved his magic wand and made the oceans recede and the tax rates rise, income inequality continues to grow under his administration. So I repeat, he has done nothing about the problem.

[dartman51]

Originally Posted by davew

I agree minimum wage should go up about 0.15%. the same as the increased job growth.


mosty, where is minimum wage $4? it hasn't been that in my state since 1975


why would anyone want to bump it up 30 - 50% at once?

Mosty likes to throw those low numbers out there, because it makes his argument look better. The bottom line is, if the economy were booming, there wouldn't be a discussion about minimum wage. It's all about supply and demand. If jobs were plentiful, there wouldn't be as many people trying for the same job, therefore the business would have to pay more to get quality help. With the economy in the tank, and you have 50 to 100 people trying to get the same job, the business doesn't have to pay as much to get that same quality help. This business about income inequality is all about helping the unskilled, uneducated, high school dropout, get the same pay as someone who cared enough about their future to stay in school, and graduate. This is the result of many years of the "DUMBING DOWN" of America. BOTH parties are responsible for that.

[classhandicapper]

Originally Posted by mostpost

We constantly hear from conservatives about how raising the minimum wage costs jobs. They never say anything about other factors. Now when we have a study that proves otherwise, they are all over themselves screaming about other factors!

Why is it so hard for you to understand? If you have more people making more money they will buy more things. If companies are selling more they will hire more. If you have less people making less money they will buy less. If companies are selling less they will hire less or lay off.

You have an idealistic view of economics.

Raising wages will only work if those wages are justified by the skill set and productivity of the workers vs. the demand for them. Otherwise, you wind up lowering profits even if the money is spent right back. Once you lower profits, companies start looking to cut costs.

If your theory was correct why not just pay all minimum wage workers $100 or even $200 an hour so they can eventually become part of the 1%? It won't work because every company would go bust even if people spent that money back.

If you want to raise the wages of people at the bottom I'd advise a few things.

1. Better education and training. I'd start by crushing unions that are more interested in protecting teachers than teaching children. More productive workers will be worth more money to businesses.

2. Close the damn borders and stop letting all the illegals in. Reducing the supply of low skilled workers will put upward pressure on wages.

3. Stop adding unnecessary rules, regulations, or costs to businesses. Anything that lowers profits reduces the incentive to invest and create new jobs at the margin.

[Tom]

Those workers are at the bottom for a reason.

[tucker6]

Originally Posted by Tom

Those workers are at the bottom for a reason.

Every one is a case of bad luck Tom. It was unlucky that the person got addicted to drugs/alcohol. It was unlucky that the person's alarm didn't go off and they missed so much school. It was unlucky that he got her pregnant by not using a condom. It was unlucky that they weren't born with the silver spoons we had.

Bottom line is that I bet over 90% of all kids can escape all these things if they wanted to, but many do not because it is easier to escape reality than to face it.

[TJDave]

Originally Posted by tucker6

Bottom line is that I bet over 90% of all kids can escape all these things if they wanted to, but many do not because it is easier to escape reality than to face it.

That would be problematic as there's no place for them to go. Hiring on at minimum wage is now a career.

[JustRalph]

Originally Posted by TJDave

That would be problematic as there's no place for them to go. Hiring on at minimum wage is now a career.

I had this discussion with a few guys who work for my wife. Mid 20's. We discussed how to get out of the poverty cycle. Escape shitty jobs. They proclaimed that there is no way out. They were both high school drop outs. I explained that my wife and I did it.

When I told them that we both worked two jobs for almost two years, they interrupted me to remind me that there is no way they could do that. Not enough hours in the day. When I explained that we worked 12-16 hours a day plus commute most days and usually only got one day off a week. If we were lucky we were off together for a day twice a month, one of them actually spontaneously exclaimed "no way I'm going to do that!"

I explained that he had drawn a line in his exclamation, between himself and success. He shook his head and walked away. Got into the car with his buddy who was picking him up and drove away while handing out the beers to the others in the car.

[Tom]

I mentioned in another thread that I watched the moon landing at my job at the American Legion. I also worked at a local florist and a dairy/restaurant at the same time - 4 jobs - to put myself through college.

The secret to having a shit job is to have several of them. Add the paychecks up and you have a real job.

[TJDave]

Originally Posted by JustRalph

I had this discussion with a few guys who work for my wife. Mid 20's. We discussed how to get out of the poverty cycle. Escape shitty jobs. They proclaimed that there is no way out. They were both high school drop outs. I explained that my wife and I did it.

When I told them that we both worked two jobs for almost two years, they interrupted me to remind me that there is no way they could do that. Not enough hours in the day. When I explained that we worked 12-16 hours a day plus commute most days and usually only got one day off a week. If we were lucky we were off together for a day twice a month, one of them actually spontaneously exclaimed "no way I'm going to do that!"

I explained that he had drawn a line in his exclamation, between himself and success. He shook his head and walked away. Got into the car with his buddy who was picking him up and drove away while handing out the beers to the others in the car.

My response was more general in that there are few decent jobs available. Used to be a HS grad could get a job that would support a family, maybe buy a house, save some money.

For the most part, those jobs are gone.

[mostpost]

Originally Posted by dartman51

Originally Posted by davew
I agree minimum wage should go up about 0.15%. the same as the increased job growth.


mosty, where is minimum wage $4? it hasn't been that in my state since 1975


why would anyone want to bump it up 30 - 50% at once?



Mosty likes to throw those low numbers out there, because it makes his argument look better. The bottom line is, if the economy were booming, there wouldn't be a discussion about minimum wage. It's all about supply and demand. If jobs were plentiful, there wouldn't be as many people trying for the same job, therefore the business would have to pay more to get quality help. With the economy in the tank, and you have 50 to 100 people trying to get the same job, the business doesn't have to pay as much to get that same quality help. This business about income inequality is all about helping the unskilled, uneducated, high school dropout, get the same pay as someone who cared enough about their future to stay in school, and graduate. This is the result of many years of the "DUMBING DOWN" of America. BOTH parties are responsible for that.

Can none of you read? Must I explain everything with pictures, graphs and little arrows? What I said was if there were no minimum wage of $7.25 an hour many employers would be $4.00 or whatever the traffic would bear. It never entered my mind that someone would interpret that the way DaveW. That's almost as sillly as thinking the ACA intended subsidies only for state run exchanges.

[Tom]

many employers would be $4.00 or whatever the traffic would bear.

We call that the real world.
Are you deaf and blind?

What part of minimum wage people ARE NOT WORTH any more do you not get. Most are worth much LESS than they get paid. Those are jobs that add little value.