I assert that individuals can make it on minimum wage.

[Dopplegager]

Sorry. The 1200 ranged apartments are usually 2 room. I have a migraine and didn't notice I didn't add that information.

[Zandalarian Paladin]

What OP said: You can survive at minimum wages

What people read: LOL people are lazy - or - You know nothing!!!11!1!

[Jessicka]

I think it's very possible for an individual to live off minimum wage comfortably for an extended period of time, if need be.

Is it easy, no but possible, yes.

So you're positing that for an extended, but not permanent, period of time, that it is possible. Sure, hard to argue that it's possible. As a permanent state of being, or position from which to start to invest in oneself, ones future, and ones family's future? No, absolutely not.

[Draco-Onis]

How are utilities 400 bucks?

A typical cable bill would get you around $120 - $150 in a lot parts of NYC, add in electric, gas (sometimes you don't have to pay it) etc, you are looking at a $300 - $400. When I lived alone I just had internet only to save money some areas there's no competition and the prices are insane.

[Gamdwelf]

Congratulations. Nothing went wrong for you during those three years. No health scares, no break-ins, no fires or any other natural disasters, no baby, nothing unexpected that could have a large financial impact. All it takes is one - ONE - of those events to land a minimum-wage worker out on the streets.

If you did have one of those events, then you either had savings to save your ass, or else you worked closer to 80 hours a week. Which isn't living comfortably. That's barely surviving.

My car got broken into once, but I don't keep valuables in there so no harm no fowl.

[The Firestar]

What OP said: You can survive at minimum wages

What people read: LOL people are lazy - or - You know nothing!!!11!1!

*looks at argument in original post*

No, he claimed that someone can live comfortably on minimum wage for an extended period of time. Comfortably is subjective, but most of us seem inclined to disagree, giving facts, statistics, and math to back it up.

on a side note, I'm glad that we're at least able to keep this relatively civil. Mostly. Better than the norm, anyway :P

[dejaa]

What about something like students, what do they do?

Around here, unless mom and pop are wealthy and can afford to pay the bill, students live with roommates. Usually multiple.

[Gamdwelf]

So you're positing that for an extended, but not permanent, period of time, that it is possible. Sure, hard to argue that it's possible. As a permanent state of being, or position from which to start to invest in oneself, ones future, and ones family's future? No, absolutely not.

If you are working well you should be able to move up in a company find something else that pays more after a while which is why I think minimum wage is never a long term solution.

[Spectral]

So you're positing that for an extended, but not permanent, period of time, that it is possible. Sure, hard to argue that it's possible. As a permanent state of being, or position from which to start to invest in oneself, ones future, and ones family's future? No, absolutely not.

How many people do you figure are stuck at minimum wage permanently with no ability to get any promotion, any increase in wages, or otherwise improving their overall position?

I would broadly agree that working 40 hours/week at minimum wage as a permanent state of being is no way to live and would not recommend that anyone plan that as their permanent lifestyle.

[Deldavala]

We dont have a minimum wage in Norway and we are doing perfectly fine.

We do have some collective agreements that gets renegotiated every few years

[Spectral]

A typical cable bill would get you around $120 - $150 in a lot parts of NYC, add in electric, gas (sometimes you don't have to pay it) etc, you are looking at a $300 - $400. When I lived alone I just had internet only to save money some areas there's no competition and the prices are insane.

There is absolutely no valid reason to pay that amount for cable, particularly as a low income person. Spending anything on cable television is an incredibly poor way to spend money if you're tight on budget. Internet access isn't quite a necessity, but it's close enough to one that I understand just paying whatever it costs locally, but there's really no reason to do that with television.

[Dopplegager]

My internet is 80 a month. There are 3 companies I believe that can offer services in my city and only one of them offers decent band width. Better companies are not allowed to come in because of anti monopoly laws etc. So we over pay for lesser services than I would be paying if I lived a 5 miles north.

In smaller towns there often are not apartments and you instead have to rent a small house which in my experience costs more to heat than an apartment. Plus you also have to maintain the yard etc as part of your renters agreement.

[The Firestar]

If you are working well you should be able to move up in a company find something else that pays more after a while which is why I think minimum wage is never a long term solution.

There's only so many higher-up positions within a company. Far fewer than the number of minimum-wage workers at the bottom of the pyuramid. Some people are gonna get passed over. Could they have tried harder? Probably. But placing your bets, your financial security, you family's future, on nabbing a promotion from a minimum-wage job (especially in high-turnover industries like food service) is irresponsible at best.

There is absolutely no valid reason to pay that amount for cable, particularly as a low income person. Spending anything on cable television is an incredibly poor way to spend money if you're tight on budget. Internet access isn't quite a necessity, but it's close enough to one that I understand just paying whatever it costs locally, but there's really no reason to do that with television.

Agreed on this point. Internet is essentially a necessity, especially if you want to remain an informed citizen. Phones are a necessity in today's technology-driven society. Cable TV is a luxury, and the first one to go in my books.

[NineSpine]

This is pretty unlikely. The demographics of criminality/employment are not at all consistent with the position that if minimum wage were higher it would have a significant impact on violent crime rates. Cities that have substantially increased their local minimum wages have no seen significant drops in crime. There's really no evidence for the claim that it's a "huge part" of the issue.

What are you using as your test cases?

[Molis]

Where was the data from California taken? Fresno?

You can not live in LA, SD, or SF on minimum wage alone or without help.

[NineSpine]

How many people do you figure are stuck at minimum wage permanently with no ability to get any promotion, any increase in wages, or otherwise improving their overall position?

I would broadly agree that working 40 hours/week at minimum wage as a permanent state of being is no way to live and would not recommend that anyone plan that as their permanent lifestyle.

Oh good, all everyone has to do is PLAN differently.

[The Firestar]

With the housing market crash the price of rentals skyrocketed in a lot of places. Not sure how long ago you're trying to pull up, but rentals are not only expensive but hard to find.

It also doesn't help that, in Kentucky at least, there are no jobs in the rural areas. Rural Kentucky is coal country, which was drying up well before Obama's EPA regulations, regardless of what anyone tells you. Most of the jobs - where the minimum wage workers would actually look to live - are around the four big cities. Louisville, Lexington, Bowling Green, Frankfort. Mostly the first two.

[Spectral]

What are you using as your test cases?

DC would be a good example. San Francisco and Seattle are good current test cases for effects, although their policies are sufficiently recent that it's hard to draw meaningful conclusions; still, nothing that's happened there would provide evidence for a minimum wage increase as a magic bullet consistent with the assertion that this is a "huge problem" when it comes to crime.

We're going to have big increases in Baltimore and Chicago soon. I am less than optimistic that these will have impressive results when it comes to local criminality.

The notion of fixing the problems of people that have no intention of working (at least in traditional jobs) by increasing minimum wage is pure fantasy.

[Total Crica]

Did it for 3 years which is why I don't believe it.

You did it for 3 years in every single city in the USA? Please post your findings, thanks!

[Draco-Onis]

There is absolutely no valid reason to pay that amount for cable, particularly as a low income person. Spending anything on cable television is an incredibly poor way to spend money if you're tight on budget. Internet access isn't quite a necessity, but it's close enough to one that I understand just paying whatever it costs locally, but there's really no reason to do that with television.

The vast majority of people want a phone and TV, I agree the price is insane but that is what cable companies charge some charge even more by adding on fees since they know you have no choice.