Can you live on minimum wage? (Calculator)

[lilroach]

Here in NYS the average age of retirement for a teacher is 56 years old....with 75% of their salary. The average salary for a teacher that has taught for over 15 years is $76K. Keep in mind our school year is 181 days (1/2 a year) which by any standards is a part-time job. My father taught for 38 years and his retirement neared six figures annually.

The same with fire-fighters.....while they do dangerous work, and should be compensated accordingly, they too retire in their 50's and earn even more than teachers.

Our "poor" are better off than 80% of the rest of the world. It's all relative.....is "poor" having to live in a free house with free heat and free food and medical...or is it living in a shack with no water or electricity and sewage runs down the street?

 

[lilroach]

My wife's son started washing dishes and mopping floors and within a year he was an assistant manager making $47K. People have to realize that you just can't walk into a job making that kind of money without climbing the ladder. I've mopped floors, cleaned toilets, and took out trash.....and I too have worked my way to being self-sufficient.

I've been a employer before...for 16 years and can tell you that all someone has to do is show up to work, work hard, don't call in sick twice a month and either work up the ladder at my business or get a letter of recommendation to find a better job elsewhere.

 

[jahbrudda]

Last week when the CBO report came out saying Obamacare could cost America the equivalent of 2 million jobs in lost work hours, the left was arguing for less work and more relaxed lifestyle choice, make your minds up.

 

[Uncle Ben]

Here in NYS the average age of retirement for a teacher is 56 years old....with 75% of their salary. The average salary for a teacher that has taught for over 15 years is $76K. Keep in mind our school year is 181 days (1/2 a year) which by any standards is a part-time job. My father taught for 38 years and his retirement neared six figures annually.

The same with fire-fighters.....while they do dangerous work, and should be compensated accordingly, they too retire in their 50's and earn even more than teachers.

Our "poor" are better off than 80% of the rest of the world. It's all relative.....is "poor" having to live in a free house with free heat and free food and medical...or is it living in a shack with no water or electricity and sewage runs down the street?

Sounds like your Dad did real good. I retired at the age of 54, took nearly 100K in cash and now receive $2,546/mo. via a pension. Just got a COLA (cost of living adjustment). Not much, 1.5%, but it's an increase.

Now I do niche farming and gardening.

Mama nature - she's a cruel mistress.

 

[BigNBushy]

"i oppose things that improve life for working americans" - the new republican motto

When have I ever said I was a republican?

And if you read my entire post, you would see I advocate changing the situation by working on the other end.

You are intentionally being obtuse.

 

[BigNBushy]

Hubby makes 12.25 an hour 40 hours a week. It is under 30k a year.

Get your numbers right BnB.

Also even if there was no minimum wage, pada, people would not work for someone who wasn't offering them fair compensation for their time. If they couldn't pay rent on a low cost living space, they would find another job.

Why dont you try reading better?

Your husbands wage and annual income is perfectly inline with what I said.

I imagine your husband feels pretty decent about making 12.25/hr. How do you feel about raising the minimum from 7.50 to 10.10?

If that were to happen, would your husband get a corresponding raise to $14-15/hr?

Doubtful. That is the reason I'm not on board with the marginal improvement in the lives of those making minimum now. Hard work and smart career choices and they can get to the 12/hr range before very long. But moving everyone up to 10 would eviscerate those in your husbands hourly range.

If we go to 10, 12 is the new 9.

 

[NoDrama]

Min Wage should be raised every year to coincide with the amount of REAL inflation the system has.

This what we SHOULD DO, but alas we do not, if we did, min wage would be $20 an hour. At $20 an hour it would make much more sense to move all operations overseas where there is no Min Wage.

Unemployment would probably be Spain like at 50%. Greek Like at 47%.

The people with the money are calling the shots, not the little guy making min wage, hell he doesn't even vote.

Aug 16, 1971 is the day that Min Wage started falling behind the curve.

 

[Padawanbater2]

The problem is clear. Most of you in opposition to minimum wage workers in this thread are clearly above the age of 40-50 (are any of you younger?), you're holding todays workforce up to the standard you grew up with when times weren't nearly as tough. When I hear "just do a good job, climb up the ladder and become the boss" I shake my head in astonishment someone could be that simple. Maybe that's how it worked when you were growing up (ironically in the exact same time period I've been talking about this entire thread, 50's-mid 70's), when the rules weren't pitted against your economic class. When times were more equal for everyone, yeah, I might agree with you that that's all it took. I could probably have earned a working wage, bought a new car, put a downpayment on a nice house and went to school on a single persons salary. Today, you can't even do one of those things. Clear difference, how can you deny it? The cost of going to school alone is more than 3,000x's more than it was for you when you went.

I've worked jobs for years without being sick without calling in, being on time every single shift. It simply does not work the way you say it does in todays workforce for minimum wage earners. You are wrong. Accept it or not, I know, I'm the one that's worked it, you haven't.

You people are out of touch with the reality of what todays workforce has to go through just to make ends meet, and I've gotta say, the arguments that have been presented in this thread against American workers only serves to create resentment between generations. The total lack of empathy for fellow working Americans who simply want to not have to worry about living paycheck to paycheck or worry about getting sick is disgusting in America today.

It used to be about increasing the strength of the country as a whole, strengthening the middle class that drives the economy, now, it's "I got mine, fuck you".


I will tell you this.. unless something changes, what do you think is going to happen? Do you think people like me will just accept being homeless or not being able to buy food? I certainly hope you're not that naive.. I'd like to work hard and earn my own way, but if it isn't a possibility when it comes down to it, I have no issue turning to crime to take it, and neither do millions of other Americans.

 

[NLXSK1]

The problem is clear. Most of you in opposition to minimum wage workers in this thread are clearly above the age of 40-50 (are any of you younger?), you're holding todays workforce up to the standard you grew up with when times weren't nearly as tough. When I hear "just do a good job, climb up the ladder and become the boss" I shake my head in astonishment someone could be that simple. Maybe that's how it worked when you were growing up (ironically in the exact same time period I've been talking about this entire thread, 50's-mid 70's), when the rules weren't pitted against your economic class. When times were more equal for everyone, yeah, I might agree with you that that's all it took. I could probably have earned a working wage, bought a new car, put a downpayment on a nice house and went to school on a single persons salary. Today, you can't even do one of those things. Clear difference, how can you deny it? The cost of going to school alone is more than 3,000x's more than it was for you when you went.

I've worked jobs for years without being sick without calling in, being on time every single shift. It simply does not work the way you say it does in todays workforce for minimum wage earners. You are wrong. Accept it or not, I know, I'm the one that's worked it, you haven't.

You people are out of touch with the reality of what todays workforce has to go through just to make ends meet, and I've gotta say, the arguments that have been presented in this thread against American workers only serves to create resentment between generations. The total lack of empathy for fellow working Americans who simply want to not have to worry about living paycheck to paycheck or worry about getting sick is disgusting in America today.

It used to be about increasing the strength of the country as a whole, strengthening the middle class that drives the economy, now, it's "I got mine, fuck you".


I will tell you this.. unless something changes, what do you think is going to happen? Do you think people like me will just accept being homeless or not being able to buy food? I certainly hope you're not that naive.. I'd like to work hard and earn my own way, but if it isn't a possibility when it comes down to it, I have no issue turning to crime to take it, and neither do millions of other Americans.

Your reality is flawed.

Based on the evidence you have provided with your real life example, everyone makes minimum wage, nobody gets a raise, nobody gets promoted...

You want to tell everyone how easy it was when they were coming up in the world WHEN YOU DIDNT EVEN EXIST yet you want to completely dismiss the opinion of people who lived in BOTH times...

It is time to re-assess your view of life. You are the one bumping along the bottom.

 

[NoDrama]

If you start a job making min wage, and 4 years later you are still at min wage, the problem is you.

 

[Padawanbater2]

 

[Padawanbater2]

If you start a job making min wage, and 4 years later you are still at min wage, the problem is you.

Keep telling yourself that

How old are you? Prove my point

 

[Flaming Pie]

If you start a job making min wage, and 4 years later you are still at min wage, the problem is you.

like.

Yes there are some employers who will do that to their employees, but you are always free to leave when you find something better.

Or look for a job that is more labor intensive. Construction, snow removal, trash removal, or an assembly type job pays above minimum wage where I live. Start is usually 9-10 dollars.

 

[kelly4]

The cost of going to school alone is more than 3,000x's more than it was for you when you went.

Are you saying that a school that is now $30,000 a year would have cost me less than $10?

You'd better rework your numbers.

Do you have a job that requires math? Maybe that's why you're not getting ahead...

 

[Padawanbater2]

The point was it was realistically possible for earlier generations of Americans to get a college education. It's not realistically possible for some Americans to get a college education today.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_tuition_in_the_United_States

 

[schuylaar]

The problem is clear. Most of you in opposition to minimum wage workers in this thread are clearly above the age of 40-50 (are any of you younger?), you're holding todays workforce up to the standard you grew up with when times weren't nearly as tough. When I hear "just do a good job, climb up the ladder and become the boss" I shake my head in astonishment someone could be that simple. Maybe that's how it worked when you were growing up (ironically in the exact same time period I've been talking about this entire thread, 50's-mid 70's), when the rules weren't pitted against your economic class. When times were more equal for everyone, yeah, I might agree with you that that's all it took. I could probably have earned a working wage, bought a new car, put a downpayment on a nice house and went to school on a single persons salary. Today, you can't even do one of those things. Clear difference, how can you deny it? The cost of going to school alone is more than 3,000x's more than it was for you when you went.

I've worked jobs for years without being sick without calling in, being on time every single shift. It simply does not work the way you say it does in todays workforce for minimum wage earners. You are wrong. Accept it or not, I know, I'm the one that's worked it, you haven't.

You people are out of touch with the reality of what todays workforce has to go through just to make ends meet, and I've gotta say, the arguments that have been presented in this thread against American workers only serves to create resentment between generations. The total lack of empathy for fellow working Americans who simply want to not have to worry about living paycheck to paycheck or worry about getting sick is disgusting in America today.

It used to be about increasing the strength of the country as a whole, strengthening the middle class that drives the economy, now, it's "I got mine, fuck you".


I will tell you this.. unless something changes, what do you think is going to happen? Do you think people like me will just accept being homeless or not being able to buy food? I certainly hope you're not that naive.. I'd like to work hard and earn my own way, but if it isn't a possibility when it comes down to it, I have no issue turning to crime to take it, and neither do millions of other Americans.

everything and everyone is disposable now..we no longer live in a society where you for work one company and retire from it..that's a thing of the past.

the older members here do not realize that this has happened and are still living "the way it was" because that is all they have to draw upon.

 

[Padawanbater2]

The system was not rigged against anyone before 1978-79, income was stable, people had to only work one full time job to pay for their needs, and college education was cheaper to attain

Today, the system is completely rigged against the middle/lower class, income inequality is at pre great depression era levels, people have to work 2 or 3 jobs to pay for their needs, are afforded no medical benefits because they're part time, and can't pay for college because all of their income goes to necessities

Your generation, my parents generation did this to us. Now your solution is "work 2 or 3 jobs, work harder, go to college"..

Yeah, I wonder why we're so pissed off about it..

 

[kelly4]

The point was it was realistically possible for earlier generations of Americans to get a college education. It's not realistically possible for some Americans to get a college education today.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_tuition_in_the_United_States

I agree that it will cost more, but if you have the grades, you can go to college. I know a lot of people who went to college who "couldn't afford it".

 

[UncleBuck]

you have to crawl before you walk.

lots of good republican mottoes coming out lately.

 

[kelly4]

The system was not rigged against anyone before 1978-79, income was stable, people had to only work one full time job to pay for their needs, and college education was cheaper to attain

Today, the system is completely rigged against the middle/lower class, income inequality is at pre great depression era levels, people have to work 2 or 3 jobs to pay for their needs, are afforded no medical benefits because they're part time, and can't pay for college because all of their income goes to necessities

Your generation, my parents generation did this to us. Now your solution is "work 2 or 3 jobs, work harder, go to college"..

Yeah, I wonder why we're so pissed off about it..

You should have went straight into college out of high school with a low interest Government Loan.