Linky (http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-1848-Salaries-and-Promotions-Could-You-Survive-On-Minimum-Wage/?sc_extcmp=JS_1848_home1&SiteId=cbmsnhp41848&ArticleID=1848&GT1=23000&cbRecursionCnt=1&cbsid=ec8eae199276407494ca0a24ec888519-292522047-JI-5)

I definitely could not, this was quite eye opening to see for me as I didn't even know there were two seperate min. wages. One at the state level and one at the federal level. I would even be able to pay for my house on min. wage. It would be interesting to see how many people are making min. wage.

Never.

10% of polk county, fl is unemployed. My rooamtes buisness cant keep people employed cause he only pays minimum wage.

The suck is it doesn't matter how much you raise min wage it won't help these folks who work for it one iota.

They are unskilled, by in large, and as such sadly deserve what the employer can afford to pay. Raise the min wage , cost of living goes up , companies go out of business , less jobs = more pressure on lower wages because there are even more folks willing to work for anything.

That's partially true, but the divide between minimum and living wage has widened frighteningly fast over the past 2-3 decades. International pressure on menial manufacturing jobs throws your equation off by quite a bit.

10% of polk county, fl is unemployed. My rooamtes buisness cant keep people employed cause he only pays minimum wage.


Are people able to collect more in benefits/welfare than the minimum wage there?

Depends what you mean by survive. Could I physically survive? Of course. People do. Would I be doing so out on the street or at best sharing a small place with multiple others like myself? Yes. That level of income would not support my mortgage, insurance, etc. so I would end up without my own home or insurance of any sort. No car either as a consequence.

Most everything I own is paid for, and there isn't much of it but its everything needed to live comfortably. I could probably do it, but not enjoy it, since it would be the life of the illegal migrant farm worker in California for the lack of a better model. 10-15 people living in one single family house located near work. No car. It would be back to the good ole bicycle and shoe leather express. Granted, being a military member I am used to not being paid shit and living in crowded conditions within marching...er walking distance of work. The thing that would bother me the most is no medical or dental. Peace of mind in that respect is much more important. I can be impoverished but healthy and do just fine.

That's partially true, but the divide between minimum and living wage has widened frighteningly fast over the past 2-3 decades. International pressure on menial manufacturing jobs throws your equation off by quite a bit.

It will only get worse as the country continues to focus less upon tangible products and more upon "intellectual property" where a higher degree of education is mandatory. There will be a vast underclass who does nothing but service the menial needs of the business elite and highly educated engineers, scientists, statesmen, entertainers and athletes. Ultimately it evens out, as people find they don't have the time (the Rich) or the means (The Poor) to have large families and the population of the country, if not the industrialized world, should sharply decrease over the next 100 years. That can only lead to a reduction in workforce which in turn might bring wages up depending on what the level of automation is at. Its already happening in Japan, Europe and the US to a lesser degree as the Baby Boomers enter their golden years. For the long term survival of the Human race though, this is sustainable. The world is over populated and much fewer people with the majority of them living humble lives might allow the limited resources left to stretch for a while.

Only real answer is to move beyond Currency in any form!!

Federation of Planets ...err countries...here we come!

Are people able to collect more in benefits/welfare than the minimum wage there?

What Sanchek said. Goods you buy these days do not reflect their labor in pricing really. So much stuff is made over sea's for less than a dollar a day in wages, and yet their costs do not go down.

Also if you add in benefits and money, you get about 18 bucks an hour on welfare. Yet min wage is 9 bucks an hour or w/e it is. It is fucking bullshit.

Wait, so if you're on unemployment you don't get min. wage you get double? How much sense does that make?

I think welfare is not quite the same thing as unemployment, at least not in my state.

Unemployment is at least theoretically for a finite term. You get paid while looking for work for a definite period of time and based upon a percentage of what your last job paid you. At the end of that time you are cut off.

Welfare is potentially continual in nature and includes food assistance, housing assistance, etc. but is more of a supplement to existing (low) income. If you don't work at all, you generally lose your benefits unless you are disabled. There are guidelines about who gets it and who doesn't qualify based on a number of factors, but working at least part time is pretty much required.

Unemployment is like 70 percent (don't quote me on an exact figure) of what you used to make when you lost your job, and is contingent on you provide evidence you have been looking for a job AND there is a maximum ammount of time you can receive the benifits. Its not a fixed figure for everyone.

When I started my company I made $800 in my first February. I was making about $1500 a month for that first year or a little above $9. It was super sucky, I blew through some savings and missed some bills. However, when you get used to making $1500 a month and start making a lot more than that you can save up for a new house / new car / and put a ton of cash in the bank very quickly. One of the best life lessons I ever learned.

Unemployment is based on your wages. Welfare is totally separate. Sadly there is a ton of people in my town on Welfare. Christmas comes 12 times a year. And it is very common to get about 1k a month in cash. Plus several hundred in food stamps which also comes with like 100 or 200 in cash for withdrawal, plus free rent or rent for about 200 bucks and free medical. Add that all up and you are looking at a pretty significant amount of money more than the guy working 40 hours a week for 1200 bucks.

Wait, so if you're on unemployment you don't get min. wage you get double? How much sense does that make? Unemployment is based on your previous wages. So someone making $50k/year and ends up drawing unemployment gets a bunch more than someone on min wage. Some states have a time limit that one can draw unemployment. In Florida, it was a dollar amount, and when I was unemployed in 2003, I ended up reaching my lifetime cap for unemployment insurance in that state (it was around $15k). I could not get another dime unless either the law changed, or I repaid the money after getting employed again.

As an in-your-face example of "could you survive on minimum wage" I recommend you get your local newspaper and look at the apartment advertisements. Circle any apartment/room rental that is $400 or less per month. Draw an X through any rental that is more than $400/month. That will be half your take-home wage. If there are no ads circled, then you know that someone on the minimum wage cannot afford to work in your city/town.

Alot of places a single person on minimum wage can't afford a rental. So, you end up with ten people on minimum wage sharing a rental. Bedrooms triple and quaded up. People living in the living room etc.

I still live on E-3 pay, to build on Kelraz's model. Granted, E-6 isn't all that much better, but the difference gets invested and saved.

Same here. I live far within my means too. I could go about two and a half years without income and be fine at this point.

I laugh at my moron friends that blew their money on houses they couldn't afford and devaluing toys the TV box told them they needed. They can't even understand the concept of paying cash for something you can actually afford to buy.

you end up with ten people on minimum wage sharing a rental. Bedrooms triple and quaded up. People living in the living room etc.


Exactly. the argument that Americans don't want these jobs is a false one. it's more that Americans cant imagine lowering themselves to living in third world conditions.

Exactly. the argument that Americans don't want these jobs is a false one. it's more that Americans cant imagine lowering themselves to living in third world conditions.

Also the reason why poor neighborhoods have so much crime. Not much work, and what work there is its min wage pretty much.

I concour!! But....

I think those are seperate issues that are interdependant.

If you lived (by birth) in a place that offered you the minscule choice of a life at minimum wage or the option of a criminal life that offered you an income 1000X what working Mickey D's does. wich would you choose?