Can America afford to pay a higher minimum wage?

We are not in the 1960's the issue is a very different one now. The low paid jobs of today often only exist because they are low paid.

 

The graph matches many other trends also. Right before 1970 is when LBJ really stuck it to the American taxpayer. While his war on poverty was busy decimating the black family tax payers were footing the bill.
1970 is also when second wave feminism was staging a bra-less takeover of newly air conditioned office buildings.
Also unions were big. Striking better deals through corrupt politicians. While they were busy extorting corporate America , regular folks got paid less.
There is no correlation here between this graph and a government forced wage.

 

$10 is low paid, it's just a minimum.
The issues are not that different. People need a minimum to live on, that, like water, doesn't change.

 

I have never seen a tax law that says if tou are black you pay a higher rate.

Funny, but not accurate. It was shortly after this that if the average Jane and Joe wanted to own a house they both needed to work.
This led to a dumbing down of American children.

I didn't know it was possible to contradict yourself in only two sentences, but you've done it.

Sure there is, because most of the divergence has happened at the bottom of the wage scale.

 

I'm talking about the whole tax system not federal income taxes which are our only progressive tax and has been cut so much that payroll taxes are more than that. The top tax rate should at least go up to 50% again like it was when Reagan had success before he dropped it to 28% going out the door as a curse on everyone. Excepted mega riche of course.... Google the only tax graph you need to know and learn something for change. Everyone is paying about $27% on average in all taxes. A huge giveaway to the rich and not giving enough money to invest in regular people. Turn off the greedy idiot GOP propaganda machine.

 

That's $10 figure is now about $12. Whatever the minimum wage is it should be inflation connected.... Cola

 

crap. They exist because the GOP blocks a livable wage forever
...

 

Yes of course they do, my point is not whether they need it but how it is achieved.
Now (Not 1960) many of the killed jobs are being done by machine, so its not so much bosses pocketing the cash and shafting the workers. Now its bosses pocketing the cash because they don't have any workers and the only jobs are those that only exist because of low pay.
So now we need to think of new ways of getting the money from the obscenely rich to the obscenely poor.

 

Any ideas?

 

I think it will have to be some sort of wealth tax. So much money now is just tied up doing nothing. Spare money of people who are so rich they are not even interested is investing.
People buying swatches of beautiful coastline and putting a fence around it, then doing nothing with it but keeping other people out.

 

Nobody complained because the dynamics then was far different than today. For example, the work force literally doubled almost over night when women started working (slight exaggeration there...it took a while for them to fully enter the work force). Values were also different then. Today people are far more greedier than in the 60's. At least from my perspective. Example of that is that children don't look out for their parents in their old age like they used to. Most preferring to just ship them off to rest homes.

As for your idea, $15 in cities, $10 in smaller towns...that's not going to happen. Simply for the fact that you are the only one espousing it. All of those wanting the $15 dollars are wanting it across the board. And that is NOT doable. Previous raises in minimum wage were in small increments. Not one totaling over $1. Average was from what I can see about .50c to 75c at a time. Now people are demanding a $7.75 raise in at most a couple of years. That is NOT a small increase. Its a large one. And one that from what I can tell they want instantly. Maybe if they spread it out over 7 years like Seattle WA did it MIGHT be ok. But that is not what politicians in Congress are talking about. They recently introduced as part of the stimulus bill that would raise it over the course of 4 years. Less actually since it wasn't passed. Its supposed to raise it to $15 by 2025. If they do pass something like it by summer that will be 3 1/2 years. That is not a long enough adjustment period for such a large hike. LINK: $15 minimum wage: Democrats introduce bill to raise minimum wage to $15 by 2025 - CNNPolitics (note: The article was written in January, before the passage of the stimulus...that was taken out of the stimulus and is supposed to get its own bill, I don't know if its been re-introduced since...but it gives an idea of what they are advocating for)

I get it, you're trying to be reasonable. The problem is neither side is being reasonable. That is why I oppose the minimum wage hike at this time. Repubs are not wrong this time on the wage hike. Its too much, in too short a time span. And it WILL cause damage.

 

Better idea. Tax credit. I know, I know, trickle down economics suck! Right?

Not this time. This particular tax credit would only apply IF the company pays all of its employee's X amount.

Let's put it this way. My idea would be to get rid of ALL tax credits. Add the above one. And put forth at least one or two or three more. One being that the more people they have employed the more tax credit they would get. Sliding scale type thing. Another tax credit would apply to R&D, but it would only apply if the item that is developed is ONLY manufactured here in the US for X amount of time (based on years...not sure how long, that can be debated). And one more tax credit designed to bring manufacturing jobs back. The more factories a company has in the US as opposed to them being in other countries the bigger the tax credit. In other words if a company has a total of 10 factories, and they have 5 in the US, they would get a 50% tax credit from the max tax credit possible as set by Congress. If a company has 0 factories outside of the US then they'd get 100% of the tax credit possible.

Now, I know that people scoff at the idea of factories coming back to the US. But I believe that this would do it. And would improve the lives of many. Simply for the fact that there is a part of the population right now stuck in the service industry (which pays crap) simply because they either don't have the resources to advance (better education for example) or are simply not smart enough to do anything but work with their hands as opposed to sitting behind a desk.

 

I bought a pair of tin snips... 22.00 dollars before tax. A piece of chip board that used to cost about an hour of min wage now over 30.00. A piece of roofing metal 2.50 a square foot. How does a person making min wage survive? Working for min wage is worse than slavery. Slaves have to be fed and housed. Yes, America can afford to pay a higher min. wage. And prices will go up a higher min. wage or not.

 

I'm arguing for a $10 federal baseline, let different regions set their own from there, as long as it is the minimum or higher. Seattle, for example, as decided it wants a $15 minimum.

that is, indeed, how it was when unemployment was consistently less than 4% for several years in the 60s.

 

Funny how every other modern country manages a living wage along with health care daycare paid parental leave cheap college and training great infrastructure and vacations ID card to end illegal immigration, and mainly taxing the rich more like their fair share. Everything you know is wrong garbage propaganda snap out of it. Change the channel for crying out loud....

 

Obviously we have to tax the rich their fair share and invest in America and Americans again after a 35 year hiatus thanks to greedy idiot GOP mega rich Swine and the Misinformed of course....

 

What a load of bologna lol.... We are the only modern country without a living weight s or health care or an ID card to end illegal immigration or cheap college and training. Wake up and smell the coffee and stop being misinformed by the greedy idiot GOP mega rich. Ever heard of Rupert Murdock? He owns all your media and he is not allowed anywhere else in the world anymore. He can't buy real media anymore he is such a swine liar hate spreader.

 

Stop comparing the US to every other country. Different cultures and values.

 

The rich pay more in taxes than anyone else. Hell, the bottom 40% of people in this country pay no taxes at all. How is that fair?

 

What should you compare it to if not other human beings?
Surely the only thing you can do is compare it. By all means compare your system favourably or defend its failings, but don't just say we mustn't compare at all.

 

Depends where the money goes. The tax should be on the money not the person.

 

"Greedy idiot GOP mega rich Swine...". With that you can now dismiss anything else he wishes to rant about.

 

How in the heck do you figure that? And where should I start?

 

So we're not the greatest country in the world.

 

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