patrick.net

The idea behind minimum wage was to make sure that teenagers doing part-time work to build character, get spending money, and maybe get some kind of work experience would not be taken advantage of by corporations. Minimum wage was never intended to be a living wage for adults with responsibilities and dependents working full time.

The problem isn't that the bus-boy / cashier minimum wage is too low. The problem is that adults are working full time as bus-boys and cashiers. The minimum wage was design for a 15-year-old living with his parents working 10-15 hours a week for disposable income, not living expenses.

The problem is that these jobs, meant for teens, are now being done by adults including college graduates, single moms, and people who need to buy their own health insurance.

I have no problem with a 15-year-old part-time bus boy earning $7.25. That makes sense and is probably good for the 15-year-old. What doesn't make sense is that same guy being a $7.25 bus boy when he's 22 and out of college and having to support himself.

Maybe we need to segregate the job market into part-time jobs for teens and full-time jobs for adults and have two entirely separate minimum wages along with the restriction that people under 18 can only work the first type of job and people over 18 can only work the second type. (With the exception of teens who have to support themselves. They, of course, can have adult jobs.)

Adults should not be competing with teens in the labor market.

Dan,

Very astute observation on the nature of entry level jobs. What we need however is not more bureaucratic segregation. Regulatory compliance and enforcement take up resources, which would otherwise be put towards employing more low income and entry level workers, instead of feeding government red tape managers that are already paid more than double the average job holders in the private sector. Since all government jobs have to be paid by tax money now or in the future with interest added, government jobs paying more than double private sector jobs literally means for every government job created, two or more people in the private sector have to lose their jobs!

turtledove says

Yeah– now, when I first saw that, I assumed that the top line was for a part-time McDonald’s employee. Then I got out my calculator– that is actually what you would make if you were working full-time at McDonald’s. 1,105 dollars a month.

I like the way they assume a second near full time job.

But Obama is busy telling us how this part time debacle of a recovery/depression is not his FAULT!

Bullshit.

Time to man up, you had your shot and failed. Admit it! The numbers do not lie.

2 Million new graduates a year...

1.9 Million will only find PART TIME JOBS!!!

WTF!!!!

One man retires and we create two part time jobs.

Why goto school? Why?

Start working from 15 while you are living at home. Save some money so you can get ahead.

Move out at 20 with 5 years of savings and buy a house. Rent out the second and third or even four bedroom.

A college degree is SCRAP!

Get multiple trade qualifications.

'These are not the jobs you have been looking for'

Did anyone notice no water bill? No gas? Some people have separate heating?

What about student loan debt?

I dare you to find a worthy car with $150 per month budget?

$100 cable and phone bill? lol

try $100 cable/internet and $60-100 for cell phone.

I especially like how McDonalds full time Job makes you work another part time job just to get by?
Welcome to the new American Dream

3 or 4 part time jobs just to get by.

ps. did you notice how much health insurance costs were? $20....LMFAO!!!Try $200

ps it's also Net and not Gross....

Car insurance and home insurance is nowhere close to $100 per month

Try $100 avg a month for Car and $150 avg per month on Home

So if you have a mortgage what about all those other pesky monthly costs?

According to McD's they dont exist..

Do you really think a person working at McDonalds could get a mortgage on that income?

So McDonalds your pay is as delusional as your shite ass monthly budget sample!

What BS!

Fact is nobody can live off of what they Pay.

and there are people in service business who live off $2.5 per hour!

When will the people wake up.

It's corporations who are strangling this country.

Boycott them.

So glad Food is not on the list, nobody needs to eat!

Once upon a time you had GROCERY BILL!

When you work 100 hours a week on two jobs when do you have time to run the $100 per month electric?

$20 health insurance.......Grrrrrrr FUCK THESE PEOPLE ARE CLUELESS!!!

APOCALYPSEFUCK is Shostakovich says

It gets much worse.NO budget for ammo? WTF?

It doesn't even budget for food. I guess McDonald's must think that second full time job is sucking cock at the gas station and that's all the protein you need.

There was a time many years ago when I lived off $600/mo. I didn't have cable TV, only $50/mo for data, and shared with two roommates. Cellphone cost me $50/mo at that time. I was fresh out of college at the time.

Dan8267 said: It doesn't even budget for food.
$27 per day. If you use the dollar menu, that leaves you something left over for drivin' around money.

EBGuy says

$27 per day.

except you don't have $27 per day your likely to be living off of your credit card and be negative on a monthly basis.

puhim says

EBGuy says

$27 per day.

except you don't have $27 per day your likely to be living off of your credit card and be negative on a monthly basis.

and failing that (and McD's and Walmart all know) join 100 Million Ameri'kans get food stamps.
ands that's the truth isn't it McDonalds and Walmart ..... all your staff are on SNAP and Welfare!

Let McDonalds and Walmart vanish.

puhim says

Let McDonalds and Walmart vanish.

LOL, I'm sure the employees at those places have zillions of higher paying jobs lined up for them elsewhere, but prefer the low paying jobs at those stores instead.

Get a clue, people working minimum jobs usually don't have to support a family, but are usually the 3rd or 4th source of income in the family.

Restaurant employees usually get free meals at the employer's expense . . . it ensures them show up early instead of arriving late.

McDonald's employees don't need heating.

What is the solution? If you raise the minimum wage, what is to keep prices of everything else from increasing, too? If you institute price controls then you risk limiting innovation and establishing barriers to entry. Is the answer in increasing the wage... or reducing prices? America seems happiest when essentials like housing, fuel, and food consume a lower percentage of a person's net income. Yet, we seem stuck in this spiral of increasing costs and stagnating wages.... Would increasing the minimum wage actually work the way we would hope it would?

turtledove says

What is the solution?

Obviously McDonald's should not be in business if they cannot afford a work force!!

Get out the way.. Close the doors.

BULLSHIT! Of course they can , they choose to pay them shit !!

turtledove says

Is the answer in increasing the wage... or reducing prices?

No the answer is they are paid a living wage. If McDonald's cannot afford to do so then close the doors and go out of business.

turtledove says

Would increasing the minimum wage actually work the way we would hope it would?

You mean get people off welfare, food stamps, yes potentially YES!

Pay a living wage or don't be in business.

The American people are not slaves! Stand up for yourselves.

No more subsidizes for businesses, none!

Watch the economic truth finally hit main street.

People need to wake up.

turtledove says

Yet, we seem stuck in this spiral of increasing costs and stagnating wages.... Would increasing the minimum wage actually work the way we would hope it would?

There is money just not for the working class and certainly no full time jobs.

How's that trickle down working for you.

puhim says

You mean get people off welfare, food stamps, yes potentially YES!

Not if prices increase alongside the minimum wage, it wouldn't.

turtledove says

Not if prices increase alongside the minimum wage, it wouldn't.

They are anyway. Just slower.

100 million people have already been left behind, you say do nothing?

turtledove says

What is the solution? If you raise the minimum wage, what is to keep prices of everything else from increasing, too? If you institute price controls then you risk limiting innovation and establishing barriers to entry. Is the answer in increasing the wage... or reducing prices?

Pay the CEO's and top mgmt less.

What about money for blow and hookers? Priorities.

They forgot the budget line for drugs.

There's no way that budget is realistic. They totally left off monthly expenses for crack, hookers, lottery tickets, vodka, and tattoos.

Crap, you guys snuck those posts in right in front of me.

Homeboy says

Crap, you guys snuck those posts in right in front of me.

Great (demented) minds think alike.

I stopped buying "other" and now am saving $100 bucks a month.

Stop paying your $600 mortgage

puhim says

No the answer is they are paid a living wage. If McDonald's cannot afford to do so then close the doors and go out of business.

Too bad you went off on such a tirade. You made sense when earlier you stated.

puhim says

Start working from 15 while you are living at home. Save some money so you can get ahead.

Move out at 20 with 5 years of savings and buy a house. Rent out the second and third or even four bedroom.

A college degree is SCRAP!

Get multiple trade qualifications.

Look, you don't want to work there then don't. If it's all you can find and you're 30 years old, it is life handing you a "get a clue" card. Step up, learn a trade, if you go to school, don't go to get a degree in history, get a degree in something that will be employable when you are done (medical, engineering, accounting). Entry level wages were never meant to support a family. Don't blame the employer for not paying more, too many people are like the video below.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/jZkdcYlOn5M

puhim says

Obviously McDonald's should not be in business if they cannot afford a work force!!

Get out the way.. Close the doors.

BULLSHIT! Of course they can , they choose to pay them shit !!

Nonsense, like Bon Qui Qui above, the workers are pinheads who don't want to do what it takes to improve themselves. You want to stay where you are, then take what comes with it. Don't say I don't want to do stuff like take courses or crawl under a house but by the way, for this pathetic stab at putting in hours, pay me more. BULL!!! You want to party rather than take night classes, fine, just don't come whining for more money. You want more money, bring something to the table besides your ability to consume oxygen.

Doesn't McDonald's have to provide healthcare?