The funny thing is we already have a baseline. We have a number that we set as the minimum that someone can be paid per hour. It's an illogical number with no real reason to be set as it is but it exists. So, we as a society have already decided that every worker should have some minimum guarantee but it doesn't make sense to provide them enough pay to be able to eat?

Many people still believe the fallacy about minimum wage being designed for high school kids and their after school jobs.

Probably the same way you do- I'm looking for the best quality at the lowest price. We're operating within the same system. But that's not the point. What is it that makes certain skills marketable? It's an arbitrary lattice of paradigms that add up to what we call "society". In a different type of society maybe the physically biggest and strongest would hoard all the resources and call you and me "unskilled". What if a clever young buck like IMU or BRick invents a product or a system that renders your particular skillset less than marketable? Should society allow you to starve and laugh at you on message boards as you try to eke out a living?

Here's something depressing to think about. Perhaps the entire concept of a "middle class" is purely a function of the post-WWII American boom where there was virtually no competition to the might of U.S. manufacturing.

My wife has 2 masters . She qualified?

This is a sad, short-sighted view of a very large problem. Sadly, many will agree with a portion of this while ignoring the other aspects of the problem.

I’m a conservative…I fully recognize there is some truth behind this generalized scenario. I also fully recognize there’s a bigger problem with the waste our government provides to the Military, Wal-Mart, and the healthcare industry.

I blame Obama. I blame the Unions. I blame the Clintons. I blame the Kennedys.
I also blame the Bushs, the Palins, Donald Trump, Scott Walker.
I blame all elected officials from both parties….that’s our system and it’s broke. It won’t be fixed until the 2-party system is taken down. That starts will people waking up and stop siding with either party.

This is going to reach a head pretty soon.

I don't think it's strange when you look at it through simple supply and demand. Jobs that anyone can do pay the least, and jobs that only a few people can do pay the most (generally speaking). Is teaching important? Sure. But teachers are a dime a dozen. Is Clayton Kershaw important? Not really in the grand scheme of things. But he has a skill that cannot easily be replicated and is in demand.

Very well said, and spot on.

There is enough blame to go around. Some people have been bigger offenders than others. Trickle down economics has been an abject failure. The over reliance on free market principles has been a problem also. Government spending on wasteful programs also a problem. Franklin Roosevelt never intended for there to be groups of people who comprise in essence, a permanent welfare class. That was not the plan.

The Federal Government got us out of the Great Depression. The Federal Government is also the reason we avoided a second Great Depression. Free Markets if unchecked, will fail. That is what history has taught us.

This is going to reach a head pretty soon.

Oh fuck, did you hit yourself in the head with a large GE mallet while posting this?

I mean, holy shit!

This is going to reach a head pretty soon.

Where was I wrong?

What is your particular skill that can't be replicated?

I have many long term relationships with key strategic customers and distributors who are loyal to me and our relationship, and my boss and colleagues recognize this and value me for it.

The problem with a federally mandated minimum wage is that the cost of living varies drastically depending on the area of the country you are in. If you live in Schaumburg, a livable wage is probably around 40k. If you live in Hickory, North Carolina, 20k is a livable wage. This is just one of many issues where it does not make sense to try to task a vast federal government with fixing a perceived problem, as denis points out.

This is going to reach a head pretty soon.

You are describing cronies, not skills.

The victims are the American People and the Republic itself.

You are describing cronies, not skills.

The problem with a federally mandated minimum wage is that the cost of living varies drastically depending on the area of the country you are in. If you live in Schaumburg, a livable wage is probably around 40k. If you live in Hickory, North Carolina, 20k is a livable wage. This is just one of many issues where it does not make sense to try to task a vast federal government with fixing a perceived problem, as denis points out.

A sane take. I read a piece today on livable wage.org or something and that is exactly how they calculate it. They also pointed out it generally is in local governments. Basically it is the poverty line where you live.
http://www.forworkingfamilies.org/resou ... iving-wage

Of course it varies but the current minimum wage is not close in almost all places.

The 40k liveable wage is just a red herring meant to distract from the real issue. I would guess that for 90% of the country you could come up with a standard that would provide adequate coverage and if someone needs to move out of Manhattan because it still isn't enough we can deal with it.

The victims are the American People and the Republic itself.

You didn't move Brick?

Of course it varies but the current minimum wage is not close in almost all places.

The 40k liveable wage is just a red herring meant to distract from the real issue. I would guess that for 90% of the country you could come up with a standard that would provide adequate coverage and if someone needs to move out of Manhattan because it still isn't enough we can deal with it.

Of course it varies but the current minimum wage is not close in almost all places.

The 40k liveable wage is just a red herring meant to distract from the real issue. I would guess that for 90% of the country you could come up with a standard that would provide adequate coverage and if someone needs to move out of Manhattan because it still isn't enough we can deal with it.

Boilermaker Bernstein.

I don't think it's as simple as just telling the people who cant afford to live in urban areas to move.

Not urban areas. Just certain areas that even middle class people can't afford. That is why it is a red herring. Most of the areas that would cause problems for the livable wage spectrum are places that already aren't affordable for those who are middle class. Think NYC, San Francisco, parts of Chicago.

In case you haven't noticed, most major cities have a wide range of economics.

The working poor who suddenly make enough to eat, clothe themselves, and pay rent would find a way to deal with the fact that they can't live in the Gold Coast.

That still doesn't really explain how you are going to create an acceptable federal minimum wage law. The same hourly wage it takes to feed, clothe, and shelter yourself in a poor Chicago neighborhood won't be economically viable in poorer rural areas. A $12-15 minimum wage, if enforced, would be disastrous for many areas of the country.

Are you saying no number exists that would allow a majority of the working poor to be able to provide themselves with shelter, food, and clothing?