Georgia: Minimum wage hike could threaten low earners' jobs

Yes stop raising the minimum wage so we can give million dollar bonuses to financial firms receiving TARP bailouts. How dare we raise the minimum wage! Small business owners will never earn as much as corporate suits if we increase the minimum wage. A minimum wage increase will cause a person to live almost $6000 below poverty (50 weeks 40 hrs @7.14 = 14280). Thats outrageous. They should not be given the extra 2000. That money belongs to the highest tax payers in the country. Repeal the minimum wage and reduce tax rates so that the top 1% making over 5 million can live better!

puzzledatlantan wrote:

Yes stop raising the minimum wage so we can give million dollar bonuses to financial firms receiving TARP bailouts. How dare we raise the minimum wage! Small business owners will never earn as much as corporate suits if we increase the minimum wage. A minimum wage increase will cause a person to live almost $6000 below poverty (50 weeks 40 hrs @7.14 = 14280). Thats outrageous. They should not be given the extra 2000. That money belongs to the highest tax payers in the country. Repeal the minimum wage and reduce tax rates so that the top 1% making over 5 million can live better!

Every minimum wage earner I ever knew spent 100% of their checks on fashion clothing, music CDs, and car payments. Minimum wage earners are usually high school or college students working at the mall or Wendys.
Most people below the poverty line make their living on welfare, disability, and numerous other GOVERNMENT programs.

You could propose a special tax on Oprah Winfrey, Hollywood stars, pro athletes, and price gougers like Bill Gates but the liberals in Congress protect these types of people from excessive taxes due to the friends of liberals exemption.

Whiners and Criers wrote:

<quoted text>Every minimum wage earner I ever knew spent 100% of their checks on fashion clothing, music CDs, and car payments. Minimum wage earners are usually high school or college students working at the mall or Wendys.
Most people below the poverty line make their living on welfare, disability, and numerous other GOVERNMENT programs.
You could propose a special tax on Oprah Winfrey, Hollywood stars, pro athletes, and price gougers like Bill Gates but the liberals in Congress protect these types of people from excessive taxes due to the friends of liberals exemption.

Really? you see minimum wage earners with latest fasion and other "luxury" items? Do you know how many people have been pushed into the minimum wage job in this economy? Do you know how many people work 80 hr weeks to just have the basic living? Your circle is not the whole sample. I know a guy who says he doesnt know anyone looking for a job so the unemployment numbers are false!! I dont have no problems with some tax on Oprah or Hollywood stars. The woman gave a Rolls to a blind millionaire guy (Stevie wonder)! How dumb is that? I have a problem taxing Bill Gates or other true entrepreneurs. I have a problem with corporate suits that think they HAVE to earn millions cuz they went to MBA school. I'd rather distribute profits to share holders than give egregious bonus to someone "working" for a company. If you started the company I am okay with you making a gazillion dolalrs but just because you went to business school you dont have a god given right to excessive bonuses and low tax rates (especially if your company has bad numbers)! I dont want everyone to be equal but definitely a minimum 'basic' for everyone.

puzzledatlantan wrote:

<quoted text> Really? you see minimum wage earners with latest fasion and other "luxury" items? Do you know how many people have been pushed into the minimum wage job in this economy? Do you know how many people work 80 hr weeks to just have the basic living? Your circle is not the whole sample. I know a guy who says he doesnt know anyone looking for a job so the unemployment numbers are false!! I dont have no problems with some tax on Oprah or Hollywood stars. The woman gave a Rolls to a blind millionaire guy (Stevie wonder)! How dumb is that? I have a problem taxing Bill Gates or other true entrepreneurs. I have a problem with corporate suits that think they HAVE to earn millions cuz they went to MBA school. I'd rather distribute profits to share holders than give egregious bonus to someone "working" for a company. If you started the company I am okay with you making a gazillion dolalrs but just because you went to business school you dont have a god given right to excessive bonuses and low tax rates (especially if your company has bad numbers)! I dont want everyone to be equal but definitely a minimum 'basic' for everyone.

I hang around a lot of college students and they usually work minimum wage jobs to buy the things their parents won't. Fashion clothing is the main item on their purchase list. I took my girlfriend shopping last night. Every store we went into had students working there. I asked one sales girl if she worked there to get the employee discount. She said yes and there were so many things she wanted to buy she had to get them one payday at a time.

Its interesting that you admire Bill Gates. This is a guy who has been price gouging the public for years and has amassed the biggest personal fortune in the world. Bill Gates was sued by the federal government in 1998 for criminal activities including operating Microsoft as an illegal monopoly and driving competitors out of the market. Bill Gates was found in violation and had to pay big fines. The European Union sued Gates for the very same thing and won their case. Bill Gates now has diverted 30 billion dollars into a tax exempt charity and is using that charity to deny taxes and use of those funds everywhere EXCEPT the US and the European Union. It's a vicious payback by Bill Gates and the American middle class now pays the taxes that Gates is dodging. Bill Gates' latest threat is to move Microsoft out of the US and leave most of it's 50,000 employees behind, unemployed.

we need minimum wage hike i,m not complaining if everyone would bow down and worship jesus and look to him which all of our help comes from jesus psalms 121:2 we wouldn't be in this mess all jesus want is for his people to worship him and not the devil

I am all for minimum wage increase, I have a daughter in college and she is all about fashion when she has the money to splurge, which plenty of times she don't because ahe is too busy paying rent, utilities and up-keep of her car. So, you see not all people abuse wage increases some actually use it to keep their heads above water.

You must not live off of a fixed income or a job where when minimum wage went up, your hours got cut. Corporations have cut hours back from 40 to 32 hours a week; don't you think that put a hurting on those with families.? Those of us working for minimum wage only make 14,000 a year you are speaking of (and that is all.) Could you live raising two kids and a spouse off of that. And the BIG TAX PAYERS are those of us who work for minimum wage. The more you make in general, the more you pay in taxes. You as a BIG TIMER should know that. Apparently you are one of those that think poor people should be put out so they can die and you can have that extra money and space. Sweetie, read your bible and stop being so selfish and greedy. Greed causes disease and us small time, minimum wage workers apologise on your behalf, since you aparently make over 5 million a year yourself, for being here only making 50,000 a year working 60 to 70 hours to get it. If the job title and a diploma from a college pay rate would decrease, then we would see a difference. I think you need to work in someone elses shoes for a little while that struggles that way you really understand what the f**k is going on now. I apologise for being here and in your way of making money for you to buy stuff you don't need and live as if you are better than anyone else. May GOD be with you and change your heart before he comes back for us. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray for you,-Amen

minimum wage worker wrote:

You must not live off of a fixed income or a job where when minimum wage went up, your hours got cut. Corporations have cut hours back from 40 to 32 hours a week; don't you think that put a hurting on those with families.? Those of us working for minimum wage only make 14,000 a year you are speaking of (and that is all.) Could you live raising two kids and a spouse off of that. And the BIG TAX PAYERS are those of us who work for minimum wage. The more you make in general, the more you pay in taxes. You as a BIG TIMER should know that. Apparently you are one of those that think poor people should be put out so they can die and you can have that extra money and space. Sweetie, read your bible and stop being so selfish and greedy. Greed causes disease and us small time, minimum wage workers apologise on your behalf, since you aparently make over 5 million a year yourself, for being here only making 50,000 a year working 60 to 70 hours to get it. If the job title and a diploma from a college pay rate would decrease, then we would see a difference. I think you need to work in someone elses shoes for a little while that struggles that way you really understand what the f**k is going on now. I apologise for being here and in your way of making money for you to buy stuff you don't need and live as if you are better than anyone else. May GOD be with you and change your heart before he comes back for us. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray for you,-Amen

Unfortunately you are correct. Employers, both small and large, as a result of the increase in minimum wage rate will either reduce manpower or scheduled work hours. Bottom line will be higher rate but same total labor cost. Politicians will pound their chests and bellow what a great thing they have done for the "little guy", when in fact the "little guy" gets nothing or less than nothing.

Raising minimum wage will hurt small business and low earning workers.

kenstepp wrote:

Raising minimum wage will hurt small business and low earning workers.

True. Though, this could also be viewed as another reason for corporate consolidation, which is needed to sustain those businesses.
Guess those workers would just have to use their new part time status at work to do part time post-secondary education simultaneously.
That way, there would be a surplus of college grads who are soon to be middle classed citizens with tax constraints and student loans. Oh well... Can't escape the insanity, I guess.

=)

UnderstandPeople wrote:

<quoted text>
True. Though, this could also be viewed as another reason for corporate consolidation, which is needed to sustain those businesses.
Guess those workers would just have to use their new part time status at work to do part time post-secondary education simultaneously.
That way, there would be a surplus of college grads who are soon to be middle classed citizens with tax constraints and student loans. Oh well... Can't escape the insanity, I guess.
=)

Understand
That was well thought out and sarcastically funny. Oh and true too. Nice.

UnderstandPeople wrote:

<quoted text>
True. Though, this could also be viewed as another reason for corporate consolidation, which is needed to sustain those businesses.
Guess those workers would just have to use their new part time status at work to do part time post-secondary education simultaneously.
That way, there would be a surplus of college grads who are soon to be middle classed citizens with tax constraints and student loans. Oh well... Can't escape the insanity, I guess.
=)

Is this what is known as a classic "no win" situation?

challenger99 wrote:

<quoted text>Is this what is known as a classic "no win" situation?

Of course, if we rebel against these only options, then we would be considered as anti-social, or anarchist.

"Society" sustains itself in this way. That's why we must sustain society. Just give Caesar his and try to live searching for love 'til you die.

Years ago we recognized the impact raising the minimum wage has on small business and their employees. We tried to write language that would provide guidelines to prevent adverse impacts on both. However, we could never agree on the parameters for the guidelines. Define a small business, number of employees?, annual revenue?impact of potential reduction in work hours to other employee benefits, sliding scale or block scale to determine minimum wage based on parameters we could not agree on.
So except for some exceptions, i.e. service workers whose base wage plus anticipated gratuities equal minimum wage, help for what I call "Mom and Pop" business never came.
Now the increase is having an order of magnitude adverse impact on employers/employees and the economy in general.

challenger99 wrote:

Years ago we recognized the impact raising the minimum wage has on small business and their employees. We tried to write language that would provide guidelines to prevent adverse impacts on both. However, we could never agree on the parameters for the guidelines. Define a small business, number of employees?, annual revenue?impact of potential reduction in work hours to other employee benefits, sliding scale or block scale to determine minimum wage based on parameters we could not agree on.
So except for some exceptions, i.e. service workers whose base wage plus anticipated gratuities equal minimum wage, help for what I call "Mom and Pop" business never came.
Now the increase is having an order of magnitude adverse impact on employers/employees and the economy in general.

It's understandable about the effect of increased liability upon businesses such as tax codes, past unions, etc.

But other than outsourcing, are there other alternatives for businesses to sustain these changes?

kenstepp wrote:

<quoted text>Understand
That was well thought out and sarcastically funny. Oh and true too. Nice.

I was somewhat sarcastic, but personally, it is a fear for myself and others placed in this situation. Businesses will lose incentives and will be reluctant to continue bc of sloppy governmental involvement in macroeconomics while there is a surplus of workforce placing deferments for loan payments. I don't know if this economy represents some sort of transition period, but it upsets me as a current collegiate undergrad.

Sometimes it makes me think that I should have chosen another major, like law enforcement, since there may be an increase in disgruntled job candidates from this situation.

UnderstandPeople wrote:

<quoted text>
It's understandable about the effect of increased liability upon businesses such as tax codes, past unions, etc.
But other than outsourcing, are there other alternatives for businesses to sustain these changes?

Small business has survival impacts coming from both the Right and Left. Choices?
As you noted, outsource, not cheap and upsets local area by reducing jobs.
Raise prices to meet increased costs, in todays economy prolongs death of the business.
Reduce manhours and employee benefits, upset everyone, no win situation.
Say to H--l with these problems and close the business.

Unfortunately for the Country, more and more small business are electing the last choice.

UnderstandPeople wrote:

<quoted text>
I was somewhat sarcastic, but personally, it is a fear for myself and others placed in this situation. Businesses will lose incentives and will be reluctant to continue bc of sloppy governmental involvement in macroeconomics while there is a surplus of workforce placing deferments for loan payments. I don't know if this economy represents some sort of transition period, but it upsets me as a current collegiate undergrad.
Sometimes it makes me think that I should have chosen another major, like law enforcement, since there may be an increase in disgruntled job candidates from this situation.

Don't start regretting yet. I'm a business consultant now. Any degree and a little moxy will secure your future. When you are out of school get a job in sales for 6 months. Consider it part of your learning process. The government and banks have brought this economy to iys knees and they are still making the same mistakes. Until we follow The Constitution on national economic issues we will never pull out of this.

Exactly right, kenstepp. Until we, the American voter, get this country back to its Constitutional beginnings, we will keep drifting further and further into socialism. The people of WVA are being asked to celebrate Robert C. Byrd being in Congress for more than fifty years. Like that is a great accomplishment. We, the American people, have too many professional politicians who build dynasties in Washington and do not have the interests of their constituents in their vocabulary. All they are interested in is making deals with the various other dynasties. And who suffers? We do. I am trying to get people to start working together to replace these old fuddyduddys and get some new faces in D.C. who will have the interest of their people back home in their politics and stop this drift away from the Constitution that started during the Wilson Administration, got a big shove from FDR and has acceralated under the present administration. We, the people, have the power in our hands and it is called the vote. Vote these professional politicians out of office. It can be done with a lot of hard work and organisation.

MrOwl1939 wrote:

Exactly right, kenstepp. Until we, the American voter, get this country back to its Constitutional beginnings, we will keep drifting further and further into socialism. The people of WVA are being asked to celebrate Robert C. Byrd being in Congress for more than fifty years. Like that is a great accomplishment. We, the American people, have too many professional politicians who build dynasties in Washington and do not have the interests of their constituents in their vocabulary. All they are interested in is making deals with the various other dynasties. And who suffers? We do. I am trying to get people to start working together to replace these old fuddyduddys and get some new faces in D.C. who will have the interest of their people back home in their politics and stop this drift away from the Constitution that started during the Wilson Administration, got a big shove from FDR and has acceralated under the present administration. We, the people, have the power in our hands and it is called the vote. Vote these professional politicians out of office. It can be done with a lot of hard work and organisation.

Think Rand Paul. Running for senate in KY. My family is from WV. All the hype sounds right.