Census: Poor and "Near Poor" 1/3 of US

[Schneibster]

yes I noticed you doing precisely that on another thread.

Lie.

[Seth]

Minimum wage sounds like it's a lot higher in the UK than the US. A lot higher.

ETA: Minimum wage is generally below the poverty line in the US. Just so everyone is aware.

Liar.

That wasn't even the case in 2008, when the minimum wage was $5.85, much less now that the minimum wage is $7.25.

New York's minimum wage is the same as the national rate, and here's what MinimumWage.org has to say about it:

What is minimum wage in New York?

The current New York minimum wage of $7.25 per hour is the lowest amount a non-exempt employee in New York can legally be paid for hourly work. Special minimum wage rates, such as the "New York waitress minimum wage" for tipped employees, may apply to certain workers.[1]
How much will I earn working a minimum wage job in New York?

A full time minimum wage worker in New York working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, will earn $58.00 per day, $290.00 per week, and $15,080.00 per year1. The national poverty line for a family unit consisting of two people is $14,570 per year.

And this doesn't even address the fact that "minimum wage" jobs are intended to be transitory entry-level jobs, and that the vast majority of people who start in minimum wage jobs get raises within the first year on the job and so are no longer working for minimum wage.

[Schneibster]

I'm 41.

Then you have no excuse for making fun of poor people.

[Audley Strange]

I managed to get a mortgage,

In the US this is impossible on minimum wage.

When I got my mortgage we had no mimimum wage in the U.K. I also paid my national insurance contributions happily and my taxes.

If it was impossible to get a mortgage on minimum wage, why did so many people who were on minimum wage (or even welfare) manage to get mortgages which lead to so many defaults and forclosures? While this was unscrupulous profiteering certainly, It does seem to contradict the idea that it is "impossible."

[Audley Strange]

yes I noticed you doing precisely that on another thread.

Lie.

No you are lying. You squirmed your way around, tried to deflect the heat you were getting by bringing this thread into it and then say I'm laughing at poor people. Another Lie.

You really are rubbish at this.

[Schneibster]

Exchange rate today is UK£1.6062 : US$1.

UK minimum wage is roughly twice US.

Not that Audley gives a shit.

[Seth]

and yes, people should be able to live on minimum wage. Minimum wage should be a living wage, not a misery allowance.

Wrong.

Minimum wage is intended to be an unskilled-labor entry-level wage, and every time they raise the minimum wage, more young people without skills lose their jobs and are unable to find jobs, in particular, black males in large cities.

This is because when the government mandates a higher minimum wage, it makes the unskilled, entry-level worker less of a value and more of a burden because of the need to supervise and teach them how to work, whereas a more experienced employee who is older, who already knows how to work, is a better buy for the employer, so the employer will discriminate against the first-time teenage job seeker in favor of an experienced job seeker.

Since few people remain in entry-level minimum wage jobs for long, and those that do probably aren't worth even that much if they are not able to improve their skill set to be deserving of a raise, trying to make minimum wage a "living wage" merely drives the unskilled and new job seekers out of the market entirely, leaving them with little or no chance to ever get a job or begin building job skills and a resume.

There should be NO minimum wage, and the concept of "apprenticeship" should be embraced by the Labor Department, wherein an unskilled new worker can go and seek an apprenticeship with a skilled journeyman worker who will take the new worker under his wing and teach him how to do a skilled job over time, offering room, board and a small stipend for so long as the apprentice works hard and shows promise.

[Schneibster]

I managed to get a mortgage,

In the US this is impossible on minimum wage.

When I got my mortgage we had no mimimum wage in the U.K. I also paid my national insurance contributions happily and my taxes.

So?

You're still making fun of poor people. It's still chickenshit.

[Audley Strange]

Exchange rate today is UK£1.6062 : US$1.

UK minimum wage is roughly twice US.

Not that Audley gives a shit.

Finally! We are on the same page. Took you long enough.

[Audley Strange]

I managed to get a mortgage,

In the US this is impossible on minimum wage.

When I got my mortgage we had no mimimum wage in the U.K. I also paid my national insurance contributions happily and my taxes.

So?

You're still making fun of poor people. It's still chickenshit.

Lie.

[Seth]

I managed to get a mortgage,

In the US this is impossible on minimum wage.

When I got my mortgage we had no mimimum wage in the U.K. I also paid my national insurance contributions happily and my taxes.

So?

You're still making fun of poor people. It's still chickenshit.

Liar.

[Schneibster]

[Audley Strange]

Lie

[Schneibster]

[Audley Strange]

Lie