The concept of a living wage is offensive to me.
It implies that it is the responsibility of your employer to ensure your financial well being. It isn't, your financial well being is your own responsibility.
Let us examine the habits of the so called working poor...
What socioeconomic group is most likely to; smoke, play the lottery, have a dvd/blue ray collection, and has most of the children? That's right, the working poor.
Smoking is an expensive habit at five dollars a day.
Every time I see someone buying lottery tickets, they leave the store and get into a piece of shit car.
Every time I see someone buy a movie at the store, they have to pay for them separately since the EBT card does not cover it.
Lower socioeconomic people are having much more children, and children are expensive, and limit your ability to work.
I can't help but feel these people make most of the problems they face in their lives.
The quality of life of the person making fries and cleaning toilets is not my concern. I am my concern. They are their concern. I have done a better job addressing my concerns then they have of theirs. Heroin addiction not withstanding. It set me back a few years, but I think I'll be alright.
I have several people I call employees, I'm a non managing junior partner in a business. Which means I take home a share of the profits, above my salary and fees.
We don't have any minimum wage employees. We have a girl who answers phones, schedules stuff, office manager is what we call her. She makes $14/hr and is worth every penny.
If minimum wage were increased we couldn't necessarily give her a huge raise. So instead of almost doubling the minimum wage, she would only be 40 percent over. It would suck for her.
Shit, it would suck for me.
The person who decides what the fry cook and janitor should make are themselves and their employer. It's nobody else's business.
The employer decides what a position should be compensated. The employee then decides that either is or isn't enough. If it isn't, they find a skill that is more valuable to their employer or someone else.
Very few of these minimum wage types work more than 40 hours a week, and most not that much so their employers can keep them at part time classification.
You know what I would do there?
I look up a plumber, call him and ask if he needs part time help. If he says no, I tell him I'll work for free. Even then he will probably throw you a few dollars just because most people are decent enough to do that.
I would work for free, or very little with that plumber. After a few months, after you've learned some things and can be of help, ask him for a job, or a reference.
Boom, you just got a $10/hr job as a plumber helper.
You work there for a year or two, growing your skills and knowledge as his helper, and you've probably gotten a raise by then to 12 or better. Gain his trust by coming to work on time, staying sober, not stealing from him or the customers, and not being a dick head.
Then you get your plumbers license. In this time you could have easily accumulated a bunch of tools, and saved enough money for a van or truck. Depending on circumstances, he can expand his business through your license, your truck, and you make even more money.
After a few years of this, guess what, it's time for your plumbing company.
But most of those McDonald's fry cooks wouldn't ever dream of that.