Why Not DECREASE the "Living Wage" to Minimum Wage?

I agree and disagree with you. First, it would be an artificial boost to the economy unless people kept on it and signing petitions for some of these things are just pointless. ----- Second, I think you are missing a lot of points or you are assuming everyone can live like you do which is wrong because not everyone is in the situation where they can essentially live off of someone else or get owners to make 'special arrangements' when it comes to renting a place. As it stands, many people can not get by on the minimum wage in most states. They simply can't because the minimum wage doesn't go up but the prices do. In fact, the prices usually go up on things people need such as food and utilities like heating not the things people might want. If you say "don't buy name brand food then", it wouldn't help. The store brands go up as well. People need food to survive and so they will end up buying it anyway. There wont be a moment of 'hmmm... I think these prices are too high' because people need to buy the food. Also having a 'living wage' does not make people a bunch of lazy, entitlement-hungry bums as you put it. After all, they are working for the money and spending money. They aren't sitting there and getting $13.36 an hour with no work put in or with no job. They would be able to live off of what they make and not depend on government assistance to supplement their income as many would no longer be 'working poor'. ---- Now back to my first point, I think it would be an artificial boost unless people can keep on it. You are obviously still going to have people who couldn't manage money to save their lives, but I wont complain about that. It is how I make money. It wouldn't really hurt any big businesses as their employees and others who work elsewhere would be able to spend more money at their establishments. I think that minimum wages or living wages need to be decided by the state. I don't need anywhere near as much to live off as someone in California or Florida. A living wage here might be 10 or 11 an hour which most people can easily make with experience and/or decent interview skills and a degree you can use. In New York on the other hand the living wage may need to be raised to 15 or 16 an hour possibly more.

Your view is un-Godly for is it not written a workman is worthy of his pay? all the best, urban

I'm with you that doing something like this would be a kind of artificial boost in the economy that would end up doing more harm than good. In short, putting too many demands on the employers to where they end up losing money instead of making money or even breaking even is going to discourage them from hiring American workers. Instead, they're going to either outsource or go out of business. Then, there won't be jobs available at minimum wage, living wage, or increased-by-promotion wage. A minimum wage might not be ideal, but it's better than no wage at all.

In most cases, the minimum wage can only sure that people can survive. While to a country, they need talented and educated people to support the run of the country, just people on the survive level can not make it run in a good direction. Giving the money a little more to survive, while people can use the money to improve themselves, at the same time, the country has been improved by their behavior.

Price floors certainly impose stress on the market. If that is raised and nothing changes where the market is concerned, it will cause an increase in unemployment and the market conditions to get worse. I do, however, wonder why it is that the government considers the annual wages of someone, even a couple, that is paid minimum wage as being below poverty level and is eligible for benefits by the government. It seems to me that in that it shows they know people are not going to get by on their current price floor. Maybe these benefits are more a supplement instead of "help."

This is a top issue, but I do agree with you however I am not an expert to judge and recommend what I think is good for I am not in the position to study it to the best. I think the best is for us to leave the issue to the expert and let us hope for the best to come out

I go for the "bring down the cost to meet the minimum wage" because every time the wages are increased the prices go up. It was a whold lot easier to keep track when I only earned $300 a month years ago to the 3,000 plus we bring in now.