Quote:No it's not a fallacy, why is $15 a living wage minimum wage? That's only $2400 a month no way is that a realistic living wage in many parts of the country.

 

The idea that we can just arbitrarily raise the minimum wage and everyone will at least be able to pay their bills is ridiculous, the moment you start paying burger flippers $15 an hour the cost of living goes up for everyone. Then the guy that worked 5 years at his job to make $6 an hour MORE than minimum wage is screwed. You're devaluing his dollar to give the other guy more of a devalued dollar, how does that make sense to anyone?

 

I'll make it easier, would you support a $30 an hour minimum wage? That puts the minimum wage close to 60,000 a year which is a liveable wage for the majority of America. Why not?

 

Let me ask this:


What's wrong with raising the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour?  Which is what most are looking for.  And would make a real difference for most minimum wage earners (of which the median age is 28)

 

Nobody is advocating a $30.00/an hour minimum wage, and only few want to raise it to $15.00/hour.  Many jobs don't make $60k/year.


Take my wife for example.  She's a high school teacher, and has been for 7 years.  She's not even making $50k/year.  She wasn't even making $40k/year her first year.   There are a lot of jobs that don't make anywhere near $60k/year, and aren't minimum wage jobs.  I know that my job doesn't make that much either.  (And we live in one of the areas for WORST cost of living.)


With minimum wage at what it is now, that's (assuming 40 hour weeks, 52 weeks a year) $15k/year.  

Raise it to $10.10/year and it becomes $21k/year

 

That raises people's standards of living, and those making minimum wage are going to pump more money into the economy.  Because those who are making the least, are going to spend the money they get.  (This is simple economics).  


$21k/year is far more livable, and a totally reasonable wage.  (It would still put you above the poverty threshold for a family of 3) 

A lot of non-minimum wage workers make less than $60k/year.  Quadrupling the minimum wage would kill the economy and cause inflation.  Raising it to $10.10 would not.  

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