Ed Pawlowski wrote:
> Goomba wrote:
>>
>>One problem is is that we have yet to agree on what a "living wage" is?
>>Is that for one person or is that expected to support a family of four?
>>Does that amount have to afford them certain items we have become
>>accustomed to (enough to afford cell phones, cable tv, smokes, whatever)
>>or what?
>>WHAT *is* a "living wage"??
>
>There will never be a clear definition.

Of course there is, a living wage is dependant upon how one lives...
for a teen/student it's pocket money while living under mommy and
daddy's roof, in fact they should contribute something for room and
board. And for older people they need to advance their marketable
skills so that they can earn enough to live in whatever circumstances
they desire... if the best they can do is opperate a dozer for the
highway department they can still support a family and live decently.

>Start with a surviving wage
>that gets you the barest of living and nourishing food and work up.
>The US minimum wage does not even allow for that in most cases unless
>you are living at home and use public transportation. That $7.50 is
>livable for a high school student doing part time work after school.
>
>I figure if you can't pay $10 an hour today for unskilled labor, you
>probably should not even be in business.

Nonsense... that's a hipocracy to what you started out saying, about
"working up". Mommy and daddy can subsidize their no skill kids, NOT
an employer... small companies can't pay more than minimum wage for
unskilled workers... if you operated a neighborhood grocery store you
couldn't pay more than minimum wage for some teen to stock your
shelves and sweep your floors. When I was a teen in high school I
worked for mom n'pops and was very happy to receive minimum wage, but
I knew then that was not going to be my life's work.

>People that I know that rent
>are paying $750 to $1200 a month in this area. You can barely cover
>that at minimum wage so you need at least two incomes for the basics.

Puh-Leeze... no one with minimum wage can afford even $500/mo rent,
eat, pay utilities, and drive a car to work that miserable job.
Minimum wage is for while in training, not for a career. WTF do
people think they should be able to support a family as a burger
flipper... don't bother to answer or you'll be dumber than a burger
flipper.