Earn more, Berlusconi tells poor

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

MILAN, Italy (Reuters) -- Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's recommendation for Italians trying to escape poverty: do it my way and earn more cash.

Asked in a television interview late on Monday what the government could do to help a worker earning only 1,500 euros ($1,793) a month, Italy's richest man said: "The answer of Berlusconi the businessman is, try to earn more."

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Doh'

Isn't he just brilliant?

[Mand 1]

He definately wasn't at the front of the queue when brains and common sense were being handed out!!

[ChristinaM 0]

He's got a point though....

You want more money, work another job. Overtime at the one you have. Get a job, even! (Yes, I know that's just a little simplistic, but you gotta admit, the principle is sound!)

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

He's got a point though....

You want more money, work another job. Overtime at the one you have. Get a job, even! (Yes, I know that's just a little simplistic, but you gotta admit, the principle is sound!)

I think the issue raised was the real decrease that the lower income groups have been facing for decades. It's more than just a little cynical to suggest to that crowd to earn more when wages are on the decline...

[ChristinaM 0]

I know, I know.

My feeling is that we should be worried about the rise (or lack of it) in minimum-wage pay in terms of the rate of inflation here in this country, but it's not glamorous enough to discuss it here in the US. No, we'll just tell them to work another job, work longer hours. I'm all for capitalism and earning your money, but I think we have to be fair about it. And that to me means ensuring that wages rise to cover inflation at both ends of the spectrum, not exponentially at the top and negligibly at the bottom.

Opportunity to earn a "living wage", if you will.

Edited March 7, 2006 by clmarsh

[UmmSqueakster 54]

In other news, if you're starving, just eat

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

I know, I know.

My feeling is that we should be worried about the rise (or lack of it) in minimum-wage pay in terms of the rate of inflation here in this country, but it's not glamorous enough to discuss it here in the US. No, we'll just tell them to work another job, work longer hours. I'm all for capitalism and earning your money, but I think we have to be fair about it. And that to me means ensuring that wages rise to cover inflation at both ends of the spectrum, not exponentially at the top and negligibly at the bottom.

Opportunity to earn a "living wage", if you will.

Wages at the bottom are not negligibly rising in the US but are actually on the decline as well.

The last minimum wage increase was in 1997 from 4.75 to 5.15. In real 1996 dollars, the minimum wage was 5.03 in 1997, and fell back below what it was in 1996 (4.75) in the year 2000 when the still prevalent 5.15 was actually worth 4.69 in 1996 dollars. As of 2005, the minimum wage equals 4.15 in 1996 dollars - that's a real decline of more than $0.60 or 12.5% over the last decade. In fact, the minimum wage in the US today is the lowest ever since 1955.

Source

In other news, if you're starving, just eat

Yes, we should take that message to famine stricken Africa at once and eradicate famine for good. I wonder why nobody ever thought of that brilliant concept before...

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

Maybe Berlusconi could recommend money laundering, bribery and extortion, since it worked so well for him.

[almaty 19]

In other news, if you're starving, just eat

[Mand 1]

I never knew the U.S minimum wage was so low. And is it just the one for all the states, even though the cost of living is so different from state to state?

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

I never knew the U.S minimum wage was so low. And is it just the one for all the states, even though the cost of living is so different from state to state?

There is a federal minimum wage, which is the minimum for all 50 states. On top of that, some states have their own minimum wage which is higher than the federal min wage. In those states, the minimum wage is the wage set by the state.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

I never knew the U.S minimum wage was so low. And is it just the one for all the states, even though the cost of living is so different from state to state?

There are state and even municipal minimum wage regulations out there - all those would typically be higher than the federal minimum wage (it can't be lower and it wouldnt make much sense for a state or municipality to enact something at par with the already existing federal minumum wage). All the federal minimum wage does is set the rock bottom wage across the US, so to speak.

[Mand 1]

Thanks lads, that clears things up a bit more for me

[Mirorgate 0]

I never knew the U.S minimum wage was so low. And is it just the one for all the states, even though the cost of living is so different from state to state?

There is a federal minimum wage, which is the minimum for all 50 states. On top of that, some states have their own minimum wage which is higher than the federal min wage. In those states, the minimum wage is the wage set by the state.

And yet if you were single and living on own with Apt, Food, Util, regular expenses, and Education loan... you could not survive. So tack on being married with kids and try to survive... not easy at all. And unfortunately just raising the min wage isn't going to cut it.

[ChristinaM 0]

Sorry ET, I didn't have time to look up the numbers but you knew what I meant

Don't forget the service industry, where they have a much, much lower minimum wage and make their money from tips. I believe that it's somewhere in the region of $2 an hour, but I'm in a WebEx seminar right now and I should be paying attention