The Minimum Wage: Putting Some Myths to Rest

[Bugs 455]

Let's say someone makes a living off the minimum wage $9/hr fulltime. That's $360 a week. $18720 a year.

So, let's say our standard of living is the same as it was 50 years ago, when you could buy a house and support a family with a retail job similar to the one the above person is making. So....no cell phone, one car, minimal medical bills. Milk deliviered to your house. Wife stays at home.

Can you do this with an $18720 salary?

Then my earlier points stand.

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

Let's say someone makes a living off the minimum wage $9/hr fulltime. That's $360 a week. $18720 a year.

So, let's say our standard of living is the same as it was 50 years ago, when you could buy a house and support a family with a retail job similar to the one the above person is making. So....no cell phone, one car, minimal medical bills. Milk deliviered to your house. Wife stays at home.

Can you do this with an $18720 salary?

Then my earlier points stand.

well if you shared an apt with someone, ate prepared inexpensive food. Yeah Of course min wage is meant to be entry to the work force. If you are a good stable employee and have been in the workforce 2-3 years and still making min wage, something is wrong .

If walmart sucks so bad hone your image and go somewhere else.

P.S. 9 buck is not min wage

[Bugs 455]

well if you shared an apt with someone, ate prepared inexpensive food. Yeah Of course min wage is meant to be entry to the work force. If you are a good stable employee and have been in the workforce 2-3 years and still making min wage, something is wrong .

If walmart sucks so bad hone your image and go somewhere else.

P.S. 9 buck is not min wage

It is $9 in some places. I chose the highest to strengthen my point.

My point is that someone with an entry level retail job could support a family in the 50s off that salary, without having to resort to living in an apartment and eating #######.

Today, however, you must lower your standards to that of many third world countries in order to support a family off the same position.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Let's say someone makes a living off the minimum wage $9/hr fulltime. That's $360 a week. $18720 a year.

So, let's say our standard of living is the same as it was 50 years ago, when you could buy a house and support a family with a retail job similar to the one the above person is making. So....no cell phone, one car, minimal medical bills. Milk deliviered to your house. Wife stays at home.

Can you do this with an $18720 salary?

Then my earlier points stand.

Sure. You may not be able to live in a gated community in Southern California, but you could make that work in majority of the US. Some parts of Texas are selling 4 bedroom bungalows for as little as $70K, ready to move in. My BIL bought a huge two story concrete block exterior fairly new custom home in Alabama for under $130,000.

[Bugs 455]

Sure. You may not be able to live in a gated community in Southern California, but you could make that work in majority of the US. Some parts of Texas are selling 4 bedroom bungalows for as little as $70K, ready to move in. My BIL bought a huge two story concrete block exterior fairly new custom home in Alabama for under $130,000.

Maybe the solution then is to move everybody to the Southeast lol.

Edited June 8, 2013 by Leon & Mylen

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Maybe the solution then is to move everybody to the Southeast lol.

Or anything north of the Graprevine and east of I-5.

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

It is $9 in some places. I chose the highest to strengthen my point.

My point is that someone with an entry level retail job could support a family in the 50s off that salary, without having to resort to living in an apartment and eating #######.

Today, however, you must lower your standards to that of many third world countries in order to support a family off the same position.

Yes and hopefully that would make you work your ####### off to get out of that predicament. America is the land of opportunity. All you go to do is work. I can promise you I could go to walmart and be a manger in less than a year.

I started off washing up floors in a union plant. I was Production manager with 50 reports in 4 years with no college education. Why. because I got things done and always gave back more than I got. It was really easy because most of the Union wasted skin sat around and figured out ways to screw the company and figure out how to get out of work.

Sure. You may not be able to live in a gated community in Southern California, but you could make that work in majority of the US. Some parts of Texas are selling 4 bedroom bungalows for as little as $70K, ready to move in. My BIL bought a huge two story concrete block exterior fairly new custom home in Alabama for under $130,000.

when I got divorced in 2008 I bought a little 2 bedroom bungalow with a 3/4 acre lot for 71K. It had a garage apt that I rented fro more than the mortgage payment. America is great.

I paid it off and now rent it and it makes the house payment on my current much much nicer house.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

... no college education.

You don't have to point that out. It's fairly obvious.

[Bugs 455]

Yes and hopefully that would make you work your ####### off to get out of that predicament. America is the land of opportunity. All you go to do is work. I can promise you I could go to walmart and be a manger in less than a year.

I started off washing up floors in a union plant. I was Production manager with 50 reports in 4 years with no college education. Why. because I got things done and always gave back more than I got. It was really easy because most of the Union wasted skin sat around and figured out ways to screw the company and figure out how to get out of work.

Sure, and a lot do that too. I'm no exception. The difference of course is that today, people do it to survive, whereas back then you did it simply for improvement in an already decent situation. The bachelor's degree is the new high school diploma. The problem is that, with the intensified competition, many will be left behind, unable to sustain the new standard, as not everyone is cut out to lead, get a higher education, etc. And I'm not talking about the lazy, I'm talking about people that willingly do work 40 hours like everyone else. Back then these people, as long as they showed up to work and did their job, can be assurred of a decent life. Not anymore. Everyone has to be cutthroat. And, with that, there will be many more losers just as much as there are winners. It should be no surpise how much the middle class is shrinking.

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

As a ruler, I would implement a very simple law: the highest employee of any given business -- which is usually the CEO -- can only earn 20 times the amount that the lowest employee of the same company earns.

That would work wonders.

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

As a ruler, I would implement a very simple law: the highest employee of any given business -- which is usually the CEO -- can only earn 20 times the amount that the lowest employee of the same company earns.

That would work wonders.

worked out great in Russia.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

I noted someone said that a house in Texas cost 71k. Well the minimum wage in Texas is something like 7.25 or 16,640. If I apply a fairly liberal loan to that salary (x4) they might be able to afford a 66k house...so even then they are short.

70K for a 4 bedroom. Family of four could probably settle for a 2 or 3 bedroom, That should get it to the reasonable realm of possibility.

BTW, the place my BIL bought in Alabama, was the "big house that sat vacant for several years because no one could afford to buy it." Isn't America great, to go from the son of a poor family in the Philippines running a small restaurant and boarding house, to owning the biggest house on the block, in a little over five years?

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

70K for a 4 bedroom. Family of four could probably settle for a 2 or 3 bedroom, That should get it to the reasonable realm of possibility.

BTW, the place my BIL bought in Alabama, was the "big house that sat vacant for several years because no one could afford to buy it." Isn't America great, to go from the son of a poor family in the Philippines running a small restaurant and boarding house, to owning the biggest house on the block, in a little over five years?

and it seems that most immigrant groups that come to America thrive. Illegals are drawn here by the millions to work share and make a better life.

But yet our liberals friends tell us that many can not make it in America.

If you are stuck at Wal*mart in an entry level position there is a reason and it is not corporate Americas fault.

[GandD 5,966]

Probably not enough wind or sun to power his laptop for the night.

[GandD 5,966]

Sure. You may not be able to live in a gated community in Southern California, but you could make that work in majority of the US. Some parts of Texas are selling 4 bedroom bungalows for as little as $70K, ready to move in. My BIL bought a huge two story concrete block exterior fairly new custom home in Alabama for under $130,000.

Yes, property in KY can be quite cheap as well. Similar prices on the low end.