Good news from Arkansas! (Minimum wage increase)

[Provost Harrison]

Originally posted by Gibsie
Anyone catch Morgan Spurlock's "30 Days" show, the first of which was about an attempt to live on minimum wage? I'd love to see the economists who oppose increases to minimum wage put their money where their mouths are (so to speak) and try and live on it for a month.

I think this is a fair logic to apply to all the rich boys on Apolyton who proselytise about their economic viewpoints. They should try living on a meagre income and have several hungry mouths to feed...

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Originally posted by Provost Harrison


I think this is a fair logic to apply to all the rich boys on Apolyton who proselytise about their economic viewpoints. They should try living on a meagre income and have several hungry mouths to feed...

I'm assuming most of us already have for a number of years in fact.

[Imran Siddiqui]

What a presumptuous statement by Provost Harrison.

[Sandman]

The UK minimum wage is £5.05, or about $9, with lower unemployment that the US. How is this possible, minimum wage haters?

[Darius871]

Originally posted by Gibsie
Well yup, you've shown you can do it on paper, but unfortunately, in the real world things don't work out so easily, Darius. In the case of the TV show

Sorry, but I find it hilarious that you're lecturing me on the "real world" by referencing a TV SHOW.

Originally posted by Gibsie
If you think two people can live on $1300, well, good luck to ya.

Two people? I said one person; two people making $1300 total means they each only worked 31 hours a week! Are you joking?

Originally posted by Gibsie
Let's hope you never need to buy things like furniture, either, or a TV to watch that basic cable package upon, and a PC for that broadband package.

Fine smartass, lets say I didn't work my ass off during highschool to buy a TV and PC before I moved out. Then I could spend my spare time with friends and/or reading books from the public library, while devoting the $325 surplus and the $80 not spent on cable & internet to save for a used TV & PC, and a $15 couch from Goodwill. All that would mean is a 2-3 month delay in saving for tuition, whoopdyfreakingdoo.

Originally posted by Gibsie
Actually try and live on minimum wage for a month, slogging it out on a 70-80 hour week, without any of your pre-existing luxuries to keep you going when you get home, then get back to us before you start telling us how "damn comfortable" it is. And if you are earning minimum wage right now, then well done, you're very fortunate.

I'm saying it's possible because I did live it for several years. From your attitude I can tell you never have.

Eventually I made my way to a supervisory position at $9.50/hr, and I still keep my non-tuition expenses below $1000/month. All it takes is three magic ingredients:

1) Responsible budget management
2) Humble expectations
3) Using condoms

Sheer magic.

[Apocalypse]

Originally posted by Sandman
The UK minimum wage is £5.05, or about $9, with lower unemployment that the US. How is this possible, minimum wage haters?

The easy argument would to be just bring up countries like France who have higher min wages but much higher unemployment than the US.

[Sandman]

Originally posted by Apocalypse

The easy argument would to be just bring up countries like France who have higher min wages but much higher unemployment than the US.

That doesn't prove anything. Surely it should be impossible to have lower unemployment with a higher minimum wage, if the arguments on this thread are correct. Don't forget that the UK's prison population is only a seventh of the US as well, masking an even greater difference in unemployment.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by Sandman
The UK minimum wage is £5.05, or about $9, with lower unemployment that the US. How is this possible, minimum wage haters?

Not every economy is the same. If France drops its min wage to the US average, their unemployment won't drop to the exact US levels. If Uganda puts in a min wage akin to the US, doesn't mean its unemployment will be as low as the US's.

There are quirks and differences to every economy which lead to different equilibriums in unemployment and wage differentials.

[Donegeal]

HELLO!!! As it has been said before... minimum wages is just one factor in unemployment!

[Apocalypse]

Originally posted by Sandman


That doesn't prove anything. Surely it should be impossible to have lower unemployment with a higher minimum wage, if the arguments on this thread are correct. Don't forget that the UK's prison population is only a seventh of the US as well, masking an even greater difference in unemployment.

You don't prove anything with your argument. You only had two countries in your sample.

Like Imran said, you can't even compare the two because they are two different economies.

[MRT144]

Originally posted by MrFun



Yeah -- it would be horrible if workers experienced a dramatic, real increase in their wages!

We gotta keep em down!

listen dumbass, not only am i talk about my own situation in this case, but i also realize that the company i work for may not be able to afford the pay increase because its a small business with thin margins.

and if you multiply that situation for other companies with thousands of employees, you can quickly see how this will affect the bottom line.

[Sandman]

Ok - why is Britain different? Invoking vague, undefined differences doesn't strike me as a good argument. Especially since those making it usually know exactly what sort of economy poor countries in the developing world should adopt - hardcore capitalism. Despite the presumably much greater differences.

[DanS]

Originally posted by Sandman
with lower unemployment that the US. How is this possible, minimum wage haters?

If it were true, you might have a point. A problem with your scenario is that it isn't true.

[Veritass]

Personally, I don't believe there should be a minimum wage at all. If you want to make one to get rid of poverty, just make the minimum wage $100,000.00 per year and everyone will be happy, right?

It should suck to be poor. I know, I grew up poor, and I said to myself at an early age that I wasn't going to be poor when I became an adult. I worked hard and put myself through school, blah, blah, blah.

My kids, on the other hand: even though we don't spoil them, they don't want for a lot, and that translates into a mentality of expectation. They don't think they have to work hard to have a good life, because they don't see the work I did in my 20's working 60 hours a week and going to school four nights a week to get ahead. I laid the groundwork then to have the affluence I have now, but they only see that now I have a good job that pays well and I don't have to work that hard.

[Sandman]

Originally posted by DanS
If it were true, you might have a point. A problem with your scenario is that it isn't true.

The CIA gives the US unemployment as 5.1%, UK as 4.7%.