It’s Getting Harder To Move Beyond A Minimum-Wage Job

[Wild Cobra]

Kerbal space program is one of the coolest games out there, IMO. Wish I had more time to play it.

Check this one out:

http://imgur.com/a/ZvlLf

[101A]

I see a whole lot of "ifs" there. Any data to support the "ifs"?

Only one "If":

NOW if Bernie puts a cap on entrance, like in, say, NORWAY or Germany, so only the best students get a ride?

Data? Bernie calls it the "College for Everyone" plan, so I'm thinking everyone includes, well, everyone...so it's not really an if, is it?

We already have explosive cost growth. That is part of the problem.

I was referring to the growth that inevitably accompanies a new Federal Program; not the already out of control higher education inflation - Bernie's plan doesn't control cost, as far as I can tell, it just shifts it (and increases it due to "Everyone" now going)

The other part is we need good trade schools to absorb the people who don't really need to go to school.

Again, how are trade schools (or colleges that give associate degrees for that matter) supposed to compete with Free 4 year public universities?

No one, and I mean no one, says we should relax standards to do all this.

Don't need to, MANY 4 year public universities are already "Non-Selective", meaning everyone can already get in (if they can pay).

I can readily outline the cost of doing nothing at the moment, which is to dump a massive burden of debt on young people, as we have continued to do.

Fine, but Bernie's solution may fix THAT problem, but will create a ton more - most, as obvious as they are, are invisible to a large swath of society. Liberals belief in government as the solution for everything is appearing more and more like fundamentalists view of creation. Pure Faith. Belief without evidence.

Servicing that debt means these kids are not buying things. That places an enormous drag on our economy.

Why is that debt different from any other? House, car loan, credit cards???? I don't get the distinction.

[RandomGuy]

No we don't. Why would you think that?

Ask just about anyone responsible for earning returns on investments.

[tlongII]

Ask just about anyone responsible for earning returns on investments.

Baloney. The key is to be able to purchase more goods.

[boutons_deux]

San Marcos says new businesses have to pay $15/hour

San Marcos City Council unanimously passed a resolution requiring incoming businesses pay employees $15/hour in order to receive job incentives.

Incentives include rebates, tax breaks, grants and benefits provided by the city.

Gabriel Anaya, general manager of Epic Piping, says the Baton Rouge, La.-based company most likely would not have moved to San Marcos in 2015 without the tax incentives. They currently have 248 employees with plans to expand to 600 employees by the end of 2016.
"(San Marcos) provides us with wonderful tax incentives, training grants, training services, grant money with Austin Community College," Anaya said.

The city also cover training expenses for those new to the industry, and offer raise and profit-sharing opportunities for employees. Epic Piping starts all employees at $16.50/hour.

"You want to keep that talent, you need to pay properly. What I used to say, if you pay bananas, you get monkeys," Anaya said.

While Epic Piping is committed to paying above the threshold, some are concerned the policy will scare off potential businesses. But Councilman Scott Gregson, who helped draft the rule, said the policy only dictates incentives.

"This is a family living wage. And that’s that dollar amount that we viewed can provide somebody with a roof over their head, food on the table, money in the rainy day fund," Gregson said.

Businesses who don't want to pay the required $15/hour are still welcome in San Marcos. They just won't receive any tax incentives or benefits.

http://www.kvue.com/story/news/local...hour/79846874/

This is bad because the incentives are coming out of taxpayers funds, which no different from eg Walmart employees getting public assistance.

Minimum wage of $25/hour should be exclusively on the employer and the employees not need public assistance.

In any case, San Marcos is an experiment to watch.

No doubt Texian Repugs will be ting all over San Marcos (while TX gives away $10Bs of taxpayer funds in corporate welfare)

[baseline bum]

Did you just say you want a $25 per hour minimum wage?

[boutons_deux]

Did you just say you want a $25 per hour minimum wage?

yep, arrive at $25/hour over 10 years, and indexed to inflation and region.

End corporate welfare of taxpayers topping up poverty wages.

If your business depends on poverty wages and corporate welfare, then your business plan.

[baseline bum]

Why not $75 an hour?

[boutons_deux]

Why not $75 an hour?

that's not needed to lift people out of poverty and off public assistance.

[baseline bum]

Holy . $25 an hour times 40 hours a week times 50 weeks a year (I'm assuming a two week vacation) comes out to $50,000 a year. So boutons thinks Walmart cashiers and McDonalds fry cooks should make basically the US median household income?

[boutons_deux]

Holy . $25 an hour times 40 hours a week times 50 weeks a year (I'm assuming a two week vacation) comes out to $50,000 a year. So boutons thinks Walmart cashiers and McDonalds fry cooks should make basically the US median household income?

yep, why not?

Why do taxpayers should pay corporate welfare so BigCorp can pay poverty wages?

[baseline bum]

yep, why not?

Why do taxpayers should pay corporate welfare so BigCorp can pay poverty wages?

What do poverty wages have to do with your assertion that fry cooks should make middle class money?

[boutons_deux]

What do poverty wages have to do with your assertion that fry cooks should make middle class money?

EVERYTHING.

If the employer's business plan's salaries require poverty wages and taxpayer subsidies, then the business is ed.

Fed govt pushing salaries up from the bottom pushed up all the salaries above the bottom.

Real household income has been essentially flat since St Ronnie the Diseased Fool was elected, while, eg, health insurance, care and higher education real costs have skyrocketed.

What's your suggestion for recovering 35 years of suppressed compensation?

[baseline bum]

EVERYTHING.

If the employer's business plan's salaries require poverty wages and taxpayer subsidies, then the business is ed.

Fed govt pushing salaries up from the bottom pushed up all the salaries above the bottom.

Real household income has been essentially flat since St Ronnie the Diseased Fool was elected, while, eg, health insurance, care and higher education real costs have skyrocketed.

What's your suggestion for recovering 35 years of suppressed compensation?

Every full time worker in America makes at least $50,000 a year is your suggestion?

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Every full time worker in America makes at least $50,000 a year is your suggestion?

As opposed to your thinly veiled social darwinism?

[baseline bum]

As opposed to your thinly veiled social darwinism?

Where are you getting that from? I'm all for a significant bump to a stagnant minimum wage but where is the money coming from for every household to be middle class or upper middle class like boutons thinks is feasible?

[boutons_deux]

Every full time worker in America makes at least $50,000 a year is your suggestion?

why not? really, why the not? you're satisfied with the ed American 99%, and have no vision of what it should be.

[baseline bum]

why not? really, why the not? you're satisfied with the ed American 99%, and have no vision of what it should be.

I'm not satisfied with an America that s on the poor just because I don't think it's possible for every household to be at the borderline of upper middle class.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

I'm not satisfied with an America that s on the poor just because I don't think it's possible for every household to be at the borderline of upper middle class.

That's fair and I have to remember that you are talking with boutox. What I claimed earlier was unfair. I will just say that upper middle class starts at about twice that much. $1k a week isn't what it used to be.

Personally, I think they should evaluate it by total payroll and quit giving execs 9 and 10 figure bonuses and the like but instead divide more equitable. There should be stratification as it motivates people and ultimately people desire that but not to this degree of inequality.

Executive structures are changing and there is a lot of pushback.

[baseline bum]

Personally, I think they should evaluate it by total payroll and quit giving execs 9 and 10 figure bonuses and the like but instead divide more equitable. There should be stratification as it motivates people and ultimately people desire that but not to this degree of inequality.

Executive structures are changing and there is a lot of pushback.

Yeah, inequality is a good thing for an economy, but not the level of crushing inequality like in this one. I find it unreal that people are for keeping minimum wage so low so that everyone pays the wages of say fast food workers through public assistance instead of making McDonalds charge the real cost of the food and its preparation so that it alone pays its workers.

[101A]

why not? really, why the not? you're satisfied with the ed American 99%, and have no vision of what it should be.

it, I'm for the $25/hr minimum; my boy the paper carrier - $25/hr. My daughter who works part time at a convenience store: $25/hr, and my son - E4 in the Navy - $25/Hr.; Now, they will all be within a few dollar's of wife's hourly income (Biochemistry Professor - $80K/Yr., but works 80 hour weeks); but with all that, it won't matter that I have to close my business and put my 20 employees out of work - because at that price it costs me several hundred grand more than I get in revenue each year to keep the doors open. Oh well, I'm sure there will be plenty of work for them other places because no other small businesses will be go out of business with a $25 minimum wage. And I'm sure those people currently making 4 times the minimum will have NO problem with only making 10% over the minimum after the increase also, right B? They won't want raises or anything. Go to school, learn a trade, make $.20 more an hour than a paperboy? Sign me UP!!!

[baseline bum]

it, I'm for the $25/hr minimum; my boy the paper carrier - $25/hr. My daughter who works part time at a convenience store: $25/hr, and my son - E4 in the Navy - $25/Hr.; Now, they will all be within a few dollar's of wife's hourly income (Biochemistry Professor - $80K/Yr., but works 80 hour weeks); but with all that, it won't matter that I have to close my business and put my 20 employees out of work - because at that price it costs me several hundred grand more than I get in revenue each year to keep the doors open. Oh well, I'm sure there will be plenty of work for them other places because no other small businesses will be go out of business with a $25 minimum wage. And I'm sure those people currently making 4 times the minimum will have NO problem with only making 10% over the minimum after the increase also, right B? They won't want raises or anything. Go to school, learn a trade, make $.20 more an hour than a paperboy? Sign me UP!!!

I still like my $75 an hour suggestion better. You guys can retire on your son's paperboy money.

[101A]

Yeah, inequality is a good thing for an economy, but not the level of crushing inequality like in this one. I find it unreal that people are for keeping minimum wage so low so that everyone pays the wages of say fast food workers through public assistance instead of making McDonalds charge the real cost of the food and its preparation so that it alone pays its workers.

One of the problems of increasing the minimum wage is you have to increase the wages of everyone when it happens; it's simple human nature. The problem isn't what the government sets the wage at, the problem is that there are not enough jobs left that are valuable enough. Manufacturing is the obvious one, but productivity increases have decreased the number of jobs in just about every sector. Solid, middle income jobs are becoming more and more rare - and you can't just magically make low income jobs more valuable, they are what they are. I honestly don't know where to start with a solution, but economic controls from on high rarely, if ever, work, or turn out as expected.

[101A]

I still like my $75 an hour suggestion better. You guys can retire on your son's paperboy money.

Of course, not sure how many people will subscribe when it costs $200/month?

[101A]

I still like my $75 an hour suggestion better. You guys can retire on your son's paperboy money.

and lol.