The "Living Wage" Lie
By ParaTed2k
@ParaTed2k (22940)
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
July 28, 2009 7:00am CST
Everytime someone gets a wild hair up their butt that can only be relieved by an increase in the federal minimum wage, the lies and rhetoric flow.
Pictures are painted of throngs of families trying to eke out a living on minimum wage. Heart strings are tugged at the spectre of single parents trying to make ends meet on minimum wage. "It's for the poor"...
The realities and the rhetoric don't seem to meet.
The fact is that only 6.1% of single parents are working for minimum wage.
As far as the whole "raising a family on..." rhetoric goes, only 5% of minimum wage earners are married.
Far from the rhetoric, the vast majority of minimum wage earners are part of middle class families. The average family income is over $64,000/yr, and the minimum wage earners' income isn't part of the family budget.
Only 17% of minimum wage earners are in families below the poverty lin. On the other hand 65% of them are in families that are over double the poverty line.
The worst part about the lies is, they keep us from addressing the real problems that the people living in poverty do face every day.
In other words, the lies give comfort to people who say they care about the poor, but would rather spew rhetoric than actually lift a finger to help.
http://www.heritage.org/research/economy/wm1186.cfm
3 people like this
3 responses
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
29 Jul 09
Actually if you want to be honest about it, everyone starts at minimum or below minimum wage, but what it means is that the father has minimum, the mother has minimum, and the working children of the family have minimum and when you count them all together, they make it a living wage. When the father or mother or one of the children gets a trade or goes to college, they make more then the minimum. As for the poor single mother (are we praising unwed mothers, I wonder?) she is also getting support from the father or should be, and is also going to school - at least she should be.
I am all for the poor getting an education and upgrading their skills, and more grants given from wealthy individuals, but stop glorifying single parenthood unless that single parenthood was the result of the spouse dying, being killed in the war, or by an accident.
1 person likes this
@ParaTed2k (22940)
• Sheboygan, Wisconsin
29 Jul 09
Who glorified anything. I merely pointed out that FACT that only 5% of minimum wage earners are married and very few of those are the primary breadwinners.
2 people like this
@jonakyl (493)
• United States
30 Jul 09
Everyone may START at minimum wage. I did, when I was 16. I haven't worked for minimum wage since then. Before I had even turned 17 I was making more than minimum wage, and I worked hard to earn those raises so I wouldn't be making minimum wage.
If someone wants more than minimum wage, they need to earn it. Work hard, get an education, whatever it takes.
1 person likes this
@Maggiepie (7816)
• United States
29 Jul 09
[b]The worst thing is how it COSTS jobs & shuts down businesses. I've been "minimum-wage-raised" out of at least three jobs, each time bosses saying they hated to let me (& others) go, but they couldn't raise their prices any higher to cover the higher wages, as the public wouldn't pay! Why don't people GET this?!
Minwage is a crock, & HURTS the poor & businesses--especially small businesses--the most!
Maggiepie
"WHERE'S THE BIRTH CERTIFICATE?"[/b]
@jonakyl (493)
• United States
29 Jul 09
So who benefits? hmmmm, let's see. The big businesses would benefit with having fewer competitors, but the Dems keep telling us only the big evil Republicans want to help big business? Oh yeah, the Dems also benefit, if all those people stop working and have to go back on welfare, there's no way they will vote for someone who might take those benefits away.
Who suffers? The poor and small businesses. Aren't most minority owned businesses small businesses? Wait a minute, I thought the Dems were out to help the poor and minorities? Something isn't adding up here?
It must be the conservative brainwashing I have received, logic must have been a side effect.
1 person likes this
@Maggiepie (7816)
• United States
29 Jul 09
[b]Yeah. Must be Rush's fault. 'Cuz he's fat.
No wait, he got thin....
Okay, I got it, it's Hannity's fault, 'cuz he's...uh...what? Cute 'n cuddly, yet far right? Too appealing to us fe-type-male voters? Wait, that can't be it, because females are just as smart as males (way smarter if you believe the feminuts)....
Well it HAS to be SOME right-winger's "fault" that I'm so stubborn & don't "get it!"
After all, no-one's responsible for themselves any more, right? Isn't that in the Constitution somewhere? That we have a right to blame someone else for our problems? Otherwise, why wouldn't everyone get a "living wage," even if we just clean out chicken coops for a living?
Oh, I don't know. How can I? I'm just a brainless right winger....
Maggiepie
"WHERE'S THE BIRTH CERTIFICATE?"[/b]
