(01-15-2019, 04:44 PM)Cleatwood Wrote:

(01-15-2019, 04:28 PM)jagibelieve Wrote: Perhaps I should defend my reasoning for the minimum wage/maximum working hours comment that I made.

My take on it is geared more towards small business and/or some of the unskilled labor part of the work force.  As an example, a franchise owner (say McDonalds) shouldn't be forced to pay a wage that is not equal to the work involved.  $15 per hour is way too much to pay for what is required in an entry level job.  That kind of job never was intended to be a career for someone.  In my younger days it was either a "stepping stone" to a higher position, or a means for a young (high school age) worker to get some work experience and earn a few bucks.  The same could be said about some other labor type jobs such as a construction laborer not in an apprenticeship or someone mowing grass for a landscape company.  $15 per hour would be appropriate say for an electrician apprentice in a program where they go to school and learn the trade, but it's not appropriate for someone that just carries a toolbox, digs trenches and pulls wire (my opinion).  An entry level job should be just that... a means to start, gain some experience and move on to a career.

Regarding maximum working hours, some jobs require more time to be put in... more than 8 hours per day or 40 hours per week.  I personally have worked in some jobs that required me to sometimes work 12 hour days and 7 days per week for stretches of time with no overtime pay.  The first job that comes to mind was my time in the U.S. Navy.  Since then I have also worked jobs that paid a salary rather than an hourly wage that sometimes demanded that kind of work schedule.

One other occupation to consider (though not common) is working on a farm and/or as a ranch hand.  I have done it and for the most part the work is done pretty much from sunup to sundown year 'round.

The bottom line is, a person will work a certain job for a fair wage and reasonable work schedule.  Let the free market compete and decide what the job is worth and what the work requirements are.

I did this when I was younger and I absolutely loved it as a summer job. It was pretty good money and I was able to be outside all day.

I do it now (somewhat), though not every day and not for money.  My wife and I own 35 acres in Putnam county that we are developing into a ranch/farm/homestead for our retirement.  I only get to work on it during the weekends, but the work is still pretty much sunup to sundown.  I have hired people to work for us with the understanding that those are the working hours, and I have people basically "standing in line" for the next project.  It doesn't matter if it involves cutting trees down, cutting firewood, setting fence posts and putting fencing up...  they are willing to come and work for what I pay them and what the working hours are.  I'll throw in as well that sometimes we feed them 3 meals while they are there working for us.

My point is, so often the argument is made that illegal aliens are "willing to do work that nobody wants to do" is not correct.  Will they do it for less money?  Certainly.  However, every person that I have come and work for us is most certainly a U.S. citizen willing to work.  They are all local people (many young ones) that just want a "leg up" rather than a hand out.

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