The Minimum Wage: Putting Some Myths to Rest

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

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

When I was looking, I put a bid on a Freddie Mac foreclosure here. It was 3800 Sq ft. split level, river rock fire place, heart of pine floors. Full finished basement. Huge 2 car garage with extra storage. 1 acre wooded lot. total brick etc ect.

I bid 141,000. it went for 147,000. I talked to the guy that built it. He said he spent over 300K and did a lot of work himself.

a 200,000 dollar house here is a very very nice home

a 1,000,000 dollar home here is a Mansion with pool several acres marble kitchens on lake etc.

Modest homes in decent neighborhoods can be had here for 65+

[GandD 5,966]

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

I don't think that's entirely accurate. Many people wanting to move up at Walmart will find their choices quite limited.

[Bugs 455]

That's fine and dandy, but picking and choosing a few low end areas in the U.S. is different than finding homes at those prices to be the norm nationwide.

[GandD 5,966]

When I was looking, I put a bid on a Freddie Mac foreclosure here. It was 3800 Sq ft. split level, river rock fire place, heart of pine floors. Full finished basement. Huge 2 car garage with extra storage. 1 acre wooded lot. total brick etc ect.

I bid 141,000. it went for 147,000. I talked to the guy that built it. He said he spent over 300K and did a lot of work himself.

a 200,000 dollar house here is a very very nice home

a 1,000,000 dollar home here is a Mansion with pool several acres marble kitchens on lake etc.

Modest homes in decent neighborhoods can be had here for 65+

Mid 300's here gets you a pretty nice house in a good neighborhood. Don't mind a few muli-family Indians and Asians? Then mid 200's for the same thing.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

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.

Spot on. The issue really is that we have had decades of respectable productivity gains. Yet the rank and file - it's not just the entry level - do not benefit from those productivity gains. That's not sustainable in the long run. The fact that each economic recovery is slower than the last one should be an indication that something's out of whack - the middle class which used to pull the economy up is weakening and thus not as able to pull as much as it used to. It's all going to come crashing down unless there are some corrections made.

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

That's fine and dandy, but picking and choosing a few low end areas in the U.S. is different than finding homes at those prices to be the norm nationwide.

I agree. I guess if you live in some of the areas in CA, that a small 2 bedroom goes for 300K you are screwed.

[GandD 5,966]

Spot on. The issue really is that we have had decades of respectable productivity gains. Yet the rank and file - it's not just the entry level - do not benefit from those productivity gains. That's not sustainable in the long run. The fact that each economic recovery is slower than the last one should be an indication that something's out of whack - the middle class which used to pull the economy up is weakening and thus not as able to pull as much as it used to. It's all going to come crashing down unless there are some corrections made.

Well said. The middle class is and always has been the key

[Bugs 455]

I agree. I guess if you live in some of the areas in CA, that a small 2 bedroom goes for 300K you are screwed.

Yes, but you shouldn't be forced to have to go to some rural area in Kansas just to be able to afford a home either.

[GandD 5,966]

Yes, but you shouldn't be forced to have to go to some rural area in Kansas just to be able to afford a home either.

Frankly, I think property values are more of a problem than the wages. Impossible to fix it now though without ruining everything. But then, that may happen anyway on its own. There's no reason homes should have gotten where they are compared to what people can buy. Too much greed and confidence in the housing market IMO. Edited June 8, 2013 by GandD

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

I agree. I guess if you live in some of the areas in CA, that a small 2 bedroom goes for 300K you are screwed.

I guess that is why liberals tend to flock to such a few small areas of the the US - they like paying high rent. Not the brightest bulbs in the drawer, are they?

[Póg mo 1,749]

Better yet have the government nationalize all private industry. That should work out well. After all, they do such a good job of running the government now.

That's typical good old conservative logic! Government doesn't work, so let's ensure government can't work, by electing people who won't let government work.

[Bugs 455]

Spot on. The issue really is that we have had decades of respectable productivity gains. Yet the rank and file - it's not just the entry level - do not benefit from those productivity gains. That's not sustainable in the long run. The fact that each economic recovery is slower than the last one should be an indication that something's out of whack - the middle class which used to pull the economy up is weakening and thus not as able to pull as much as it used to. It's all going to come crashing down unless there are some corrections made.

And it would have been even worse if it weren't for the fact that the second parent entering the work force kept the middle class afloat for an additional few decades.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Yes, but you shouldn't be forced to have to go to some rural area in Kansas just to be able to afford a home either.

What is wrong with Kansas, or vegetation, for that matter?

[Bugs 455]

I guess that is why liberals tend to flock to such a few small areas of the the US - they like paying high rent. Not the brightest bulbs in the drawer, are they?

A population map would have been more accurate than a regional map to use for this type of comparision.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

What is wrong with Kansas, or vegetation, for that matter?