Federal Employees at the Trough

[NickD 203]

I hope the government employees get a good cost of living wage increase, the rest of us don't need that, we can learn to get by.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

And was it less than two weeks ago that Danno told me to get off my butt and get a Federal job?

slacking on doing that too eh?

Following the suggestions often made in regards to federal employees (who are all slackers anyway), Rebecca might just try to up her credentials.

[SMR 368]

The concept of a living wage is actually very clear. If you care to understand it, that is.

As to your "point": Way too many of the people that work jobs that don't pay a living wage don't look like any teenagers I've ever seen.

Good job dodging the question. While the concept of a living wage is clear in a very abstract sense, you completely fail to acknowledge the reality of the situation. The obvious definition of living wage is the amount of money required to keep you from dying. In spite of what you seem to think, the amount of money required to keep a person from dying is ridiculously small and well below minimum wage.

I lived in Russia for a couple years, and practically everything including clothing, food, housing, cars, energy, etc. is as expensive or more expensive than it is here. Yet people think you are rich if you are taking home $500 a month. Life is hard, but people are still living. Is that a living wage? I've seen people who live on $200 a month. Is that a living wage?

How much money is a living wage for me? If it's so obvious, you aught to be able to tell me. Or does it depend on my family situation, age, and where I live?

More importantly, it depends on exactly what I consider "living." Do I need a cell-phone, a computer, a big-screen TV (or any TV at all), a nice car, new clothes, restaurant cuisine, etc.?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Living Wage Calculator

According to the calculator, a living wage for a family of 4 in Orange County, CA, would come out to an hourly rate of $35.89. Sounds about right.

[rebeccajo 14]

Good job dodging the question. While the concept of a living wage is clear in a very abstract sense, you completely fail to acknowledge the reality of the situation. The obvious definition of living wage is the amount of money required to keep you from dying. In spite of what you seem to think, the amount of money required to keep a person from dying is ridiculously small and well below minimum wage.

I lived in Russia for a couple years, and practically everything including clothing, food, housing, cars, energy, etc. is as expensive or more expensive than it is here. Yet people think you are rich if you are taking home $500 a month. Life is hard, but people are still living. Is that a living wage? I've seen people who live on $200 a month. Is that a living wage?

How much money is a living wage for me? If it's so obvious, you aught to be able to tell me. Or does it depend on my family situation, age, and where I live?

More importantly, it depends on exactly what I consider "living." Do I need a cell-phone, a computer, a big-screen TV (or any TV at all), a nice car, new clothes, restaurant cuisine, etc.?

So is it your opinion that in the so-called greatest nation on earth, the general population should be content to earn just enough to keep them from dying?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

So is it your opinion that in the so-called greatest nation on earth, the general population should be content to earn just enough to keep them from dying?

Shut up and eat your cake.

[rebeccajo 14]

Shut up and eat your cake.

We're gettin' there.

[Ban Hammer 13,657]

Living Wage Calculator

According to the calculator, a living wage for a family of 4 in Orange County, CA, would come out to an hourly rate of $35.89. Sounds about right.

for leavenworth county.......

told you it sucks to live in cali

[one...two...tree 2,762]

We're gettin' there.

[Der Bücherwurm 1]

What do we need living wages for? Apparently, we don't even need private let alone public sector jobs. Being employed is so 1990's.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

What do we need living wages for? Apparently, we don't even need private let alone public sector jobs. Being employed is so 1990's.

Dubya did talk of building a nation of entrepreneurs...his code word for the unemployed.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Good job dodging the question. While the concept of a living wage is clear in a very abstract sense, you completely fail to acknowledge the reality of the situation. The obvious definition of living wage is the amount of money required to keep you from dying.

The only thing obvious is that you've pulled a definition for "living wage" out of your behind.

Main Entry: living wage

Function: noun

Date: 1860

1 : a subsistence wage

2 : a wage sufficient to provide the necessities and comforts essential to an acceptable standard of living

WHAT IS A LIVING WAGE?

The idea behind a living wage is that people who work in our community should be able to live decently and raise their families here. This requires a wage and benefits package that takes into account the area-specific cost of living, as well as the basic expenses involved in supporting a family.

Although living wage standards do, by definition, vary by region, they are all considerably higher than the federal minimum wage. This is because the minimum wage does not begin to meet the needs of working people or families anywhere in the country: in fact, it puts a parent with one child below the federal poverty line.

[SMR 368]

So is it your opinion that in the so-called greatest nation on earth, the general population should be content to earn just enough to keep them from dying?

No. My post was in response to the claim that it's obvious what a living wage is. I contend that it isn't. I also believe the term living wage is very misleading, since it includes many things not required to live. It's really a "keeping up with the Joneses wage." I don't think we need to make laws to pay a "keeping up with the Joneses" wage.

I looked at your cost of living data for the county that I live in and my current family size, and I find the estimate to be hugely inaccurate. We eat out quite a bit and don't spend near that amount on food. Housing and medical are also huge overestimates. The estimate for the area where I lived previously is also ridiculously high.

[SMR 368]

The only thing obvious is that you've pulled a definition for "living wage" out of your behind.

Main Entry: living wage

Function: noun

Date: 1860

1 : a subsistence wage

2 : a wage sufficient to provide the necessities and comforts essential to an acceptable standard of living

Once again, you got stuck on my use of the word obvious and failed to provide a definition for living wage that can be quantified. What is "an acceptable standard of living?" My point was precisely that people have different standards.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

My post was in response to the claim that it's obvious what a living wage is. I contend that it isn't.

There appears to be general agreement that a living wage should provide a nutritious diet, safe drinking water, suitable housing, energy, transportation, clothing, health care, child care, education, savings for long term purchases and emergencies, and some discretionary income.

Good luck with that on a minimum wage job!