I assert that individuals can make it on minimum wage.

[Captain N]

reading is not easy for you, i am well over 75/hour before benefits

I seriously doubt that, but you keep banging that drum.

Someone at that pay rate would be almost uneffected by such a wage increase to the lowest worker that they would go so far as to attack them like a rabid animal.

The only people who do that are those who somehow feel threatened that raising the minimum will somehow damage their own efforts.

[Total Crica]

Now if only we could all be "one person" instead of "fucking nine lazy ass oxygen-stealing mouths to feed"

If you need someone to work full time for you, they are not lazy mouths to feed, they are workers that need to be paid a wage that allows them to live in, at the very least, humane conditions.

[Sazabius]

Last time the op tried working 70-80 hours a week?

[Boogums]

Okay so found the picture with some more detail, it is how many hours you'd have to work if to not have to use 30 % of your paycheck on your rent.

lol fucking wrekt the op

what a piece of shit argument

[Dariss]

nope, middle class, didnt go to college

my path was

big lots 7.25 or some shit at 16 (3 months)
jcpenney seasonal at 18 7.50 (3months)
macys part time 8.50 (1 year, first real job not in highschool) this is also when i moved out, 1 roommate in california
teller at credit union 12 starting, after 1 years was at 15 (nearly all CU's do this for moving up what they call levels
moved to Wells Fargo call center, 16.50, after 1 year up to 20 (change units in call center)
moved to larger mortgage company, 25.00

I own my house, have no college experience, am sub 30 years old, parents lost their home and rent, were never able to help me. its not hard, people are just fuckin lazy or they must be that shitty. stop sticking around your shotty fucking job and get a better one. its that easy. calories in, calories out. shitty job in, shitty job out, new job in, new job out, make your life better a few dollars an hour at a time.

You must live in a place where housing is affordable. I make ~$32/hr and can't comfortably afford a single family home in my city (Anchorage, AK).

[araine]

I think I remember Morgan Spurlock doing a doc about this. Tried to live off of minimum wage for six months or some such. It's been a long time so I don't remember if I thought it was a fair try at "reality" or just docutainment.

Whenever "is minimum wage a livable wage" discussions come up, I always wonder who exactly is making minimum wage? I don't know many adults with minimum wage jobs. When I think of minimum wage, I always think of kids slinging fast food burgers trying to buy their 1st car or retirees looking to keep busy while supplementing their income. It's not that I believe there are no adults trying to live off of minimum wage, its just that where I live its not something that happens often enough for me to notice it.

Just go to your local Walmart and you will see tons of folks in there 30s and 40s making min wage with no benefits etc etc

[Themius]

To start with, apartment rates aren't the same in every part of a state.
Hell, there are apartments in my area near 800/mo for a one bedroom. AZ minimum wage is 8.05 an hour. This leaves ~483/mo for everything else.
In the end a person will likely break even, but still be able to self-support (in my area).

The problem with charts like this is that they like to cherry pick shit to make their point.

New Jersey is basically unlivable on minimum wage. You can move further out where you can get apartments for cheaper; however, you then need a car, insurance, gas, maintenance.

[Fugus]

New Jersey is basically unlivable on minimum wage. You can move further out where you can get apartments for cheaper; however, you then need a car, insurance, gas, maintenance.

You want to see some shit, you should see what a lot of the workers in Chapel Hill, North Carolina live like. Had friends who worked in town but had to live on the outskirts to survive due to the wage versus cost of living difference out there. They literally had at least 8 to 10 people living in their house when I came over. It was an old crap shack and they were literally packed in just to work and be able to save at least some cash to do stuff with.

Honestly think that the absolute minimum, minimum wage should be is the cost of living for the area the job is located in and the surrounding area plus 10%.

Shit like I saw should never be required to survive.

[CenariusTheForestLord]

Okay so found the picture with some more detail, it is how many hours you'd have to work if to not have to use 30 % of your paycheck on your rent.

This is more believable. I don't think it makes the point any less severe. Working 40 hours at minimum wage should get you a 1bedroom with 50% of your salary. that's what it's like here anyways. (Here being Belgium)

[Hey There Guys its Metro]

Big issue for me is that earning money usually involves spending money too. I actually made more money when I DIDNT have a job, because I didn't have to worry about a car, gas, or paying the school loans. However, I can't live like that forever. Eventually you need to build a career, and you'll probably have to start with low pay at some point.

[flam]

This map is very misleading. Large cities in California for example, yes, do have high rent costs. Smaller cities such as those throughout the Central Valley do not. San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles etc etc etc skew these numbers greatly.

Don't like it? Move? Higher Education/Trade?

[Paula Deen]

Personally live in Indiana. Can confirm the numbers. I make 8.50 and I can BARELY afford a studio, my phone, and internet per month.

[SirPiken]

14 hours a week to afford an apartment. What's the problem?

[Shadowferal]

This map is very misleading. Large cities in California for example, yes, do have high rent costs. Smaller cities such as those throughout the Central Valley do not. San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles etc etc etc skew these numbers greatly.

Don't like it? Move? Higher Education/Trade?

That's incredibly ignorant to imagine that anyone that makes min wage can simply move...or get an education, both of which takes money...

*boggles*

[Masark]

14 hours a week to afford an apartment. What's the problem?

Where precisely are you reading that?

[Shadowferal]

Where precisely are you reading that?

Probably some run-down shack in a slum somewhere...

[DeltrusDisc]

That you have to work that many hours to afford a 1 bedroom apt by yourself.

In my immediate local area, a 1 bedroom apartment is almost always going to be $1,000 or above... minimum wage is $8.25. (I live in Northeast Illinois)

If you only work 40 hours a week, at our state's minimum wage of $8.25, your pay BEFORE TAXES, MEDICARE, AND SOCIAL SECURITY is $1,320 for 4 weeks. Great. I can say that you get about 78% so... We're already down to $1,029.60... I hope you're starting to see your flaw with making this thread already. That then leaves me with $29.60 for FOUR WEEKS if my rent is an even $1,000 (again, it's likely to be above one grand for a 1 bedroom)... Here's some things that don't get paid for through rent that you almost for sure, need to buy/pay for on a fairly regular enough basis:

Car payment
Gas
Water bill
Heating/A/C
Internet/TV/Phone/cell phone
FOOD
Toiletries
Health and car insurance, maybe you need to have renter's insurance as well... Maybe you need vision/dental as well.

Since it's pretty apparent you're probably not old enough to know about these things based on your posts, hint: they cost money. And lots of it. A lot more than $29.60.

70+ hours is, sadly, actually pretty fucking accurate.

Of course they can make it on minimum wage. They very fact you don't have hoards of minimum wage workers dying left and right means they are making enough to survive.

It's because they're living with other people.

This picture is saying to be able to live, ON YOUR OWN, you have to work X amount of hours at minimum wage, thus most people end up sticking with their parents or... not moving out on their own because that's a stupid idea if you're getting $7-9 an hour.

[lockedout]

I live in NJ. I can tell you for a fact, you cannot afford to live here, alone, on minimum wage.

You would need multiple jobs at full time hours. You would work yourself ragged just for food and shelter and travel to work.

I also live in NJ right over the GWB it's very expensive here. The figure given is 100 hours, that's a lie you can get a 1 bedroom for under 1k a month.

[The Oblivion]

You were able to buy your own house making 40-45k a year in California? I call bullshit.

You still seem to think there are all kinds of jobs available for everyone and that's just not true. There are more people than good jobs.

- - - Updated - - -



Or you know, the fucking pigeonhole principle.

its very true, people just need to get off their lazy asses and get them. its not hard.

[SinAscendant]

Below is an infographic posted by Bernie Sanders Facebook page showing how many hours an individual must work per state to afford a 1 bedroom apartment.

Honestly I don't believe it.

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.

No real source accompanied the information which adds to it being sensationalized. Which I think is the main problem. You can't have real discussion about poverty when people can't talk about the actual facts.

The only "source is that numbers are from the 'low income housing coalition' with no research or explaination as to how they generated these numbers.

PS:. In before bootstraps

"No real source accompanied the information"

>Doesn't provide any source to refute the information