Myth Pro and Con about the Minimum Wage

[Mephisto]

Suddenly back in the real world you have an intelligent, strong, hard worker with a felony conviction that can not get himself out of minimum wage.

I have no sympathies for anyone stupid enough to commit a felony, but in most cases a misdeamenor drug charge will be enough for an employer to pass him over.

 

[Sally]

First of all, it's conviction. (Not that I think you're retarded or anything. Unless you're still working a minimum wage job, that is. )

Second, I wouldn't exactly call a felony conviction for "gun charges or something" smart.

Third, it depends how long he stays in his minimum wage job. If it's permanent, then yes, he's an idiot.

Thank you for pointing out my word error. I hope you get paid a lot more than I do.


So how about the older brother forced to drop out of high school to help support his family?

How about the dad who suffers an injury from hard labor and since he did not have sufficient health care can never recover and work a hard labor job?

What about the single mom that is forced to move from place to place to make rent and can not get a job above minimum wage since she is never able to establish a permanent residence?


I really would like to see you start telling people that are stuck in low wage jobs idiots. Obviously your interaction with other parts of society has been limited.

EDIT:

BTW I work two jobs my day job does not pay much over the minimum. I tend bar at nights and rely on tips. So I must be a borderline retard in your eyes...

 

[Sally]

I have no sympathies for anyone stupid enough to commit a felony, but in most cases a misdeamenor drug charge will be enough for an employer to pass him over.

I was using the examples as someone at a young age messing up. It happens.

If they do so at 18 it often is the end of any future. That to me is unfair.

 

[shuize]

Thank you for pointing out my word error. I hope you get paid a lot more than I do.

I edited my post. I'm sorry I did not finish before you quoted it.

 

[shuize]

So how about the older brother forced to drop out of high school to help support his family?

How about the dad who suffers an injury from hard labor and since he did not have sufficient health care can never recover and work a hard labor job?

What about the single mom that is forced to move from place to place to make rent and can not get a job above minimum wage since she is never able to establish a permanent residence?

Please. I don't know where you are, but in the United States the government practically falls over itself trying to give people money to go back to school to qualify for higher paying jobs. Have you never heard of student loans? Why people don't take advantage of such opportunities is beyond me.

 

[Sally]

Please. I don't know where you are, but in the United States the government practically falls over itself trying to give people money to go back to school to qualify for higher paying jobs. Have you never heard of student loans? Why people don't take advantage of such opportunities is beyond me.

OMG you are KIDDING me.

I live in Baltimore City Maryland USA.

Soooo when someone can barely eat let them go find those application get LOANS! (credit scores have NO factor on those) and take off a year or two to get their degree...

Sure... no problem...

 

[shuize]

OMG you are KIDDING me.

I live in Baltimore City Maryland USA.

Soooo when you can barely eat let me go find those application get LOANS! (credit scores have NO factors on those) and take off a year or two to get my degree...

Sure... no problem...

I hope you enjoy tending bar then.

 

[Sally]

I hope you enjoy tending bar then.

Idiot.

I am college educated and I enjoy BOTH my jobs. I work in a recovery clinic and tend bar to help pay off those afore mentioned college loans. I feel very fufilled but also do see a lot of the dark side of society. Its not all pull yourself up from the bootstraps. Sometimes those boots are nailed into the ground.

 

[shuize]

Soooo when someone can barely eat let them go find those application get LOANS! (credit scores have NO factor on those) and take off a year or two to get my degree ...

Sure... no problem...

Idiot.

Right back at you ...

Its not all pull yourself up from the bootstraps.

That's exactly how I did it.

 

[BPSCG]

OMG!!! That exact scenario just happened to me about two weeks ago

Well, you must be a poofter, too.

And if you really want to start pulling your hair out ... come out my way and get your gasoline pumped here.

Heh. My mom and my sister both live in NJ. I've learned to never say, "Fill it up..." because if you do that, they pop the hose into your tank and wander off to the next guy. Then, when the filler clicks off, you have to stand there waiting until he decides it's finally your turn to get waited on again.

So when I pull in, I do some quick mental arithmetic and tell 'em, "Twenty dollars of regular..." Now they know there's a limit to how much gas I want, and they keep an eye out. And if by chance it gets to twenty, I shut it off myself and noisily replace the hose to get their attention. When they complain, I can either point to my Virginia license plate and say, "Oh, so sorry, I didn't know," or, if I'm feeling combative, "I said I only wanted twenty."

Tangent (<> derail): All my credit cards say, "DEMAND PHOTO I.D." in the signature block on the back. I gassed up in NJ a while back. Slow day, just me and the teenager attendant there, so I told him to fill it up. I gave him my credit card, which he twirled around in his hand, checking out the design and the pretty colors, flipped it over, saw the back (...c'mon, you gonna ask for I.D. now...?), flipped it over again, twirled it around some more, the filler clicked off and he topped it off to the next dollar, swiped the card, gave it back to me with the receipt to sign...

Someone explain to me why this pimply-faced, slack-jawed knuckle dragger deserves to be paid minimum wage to do something I can do just as well and twice as fast, despite my complete lack of formal training in the lucrative field of gas pumping.

 

[Sally]

By the way, that's exactly how I did it.

Was your mom a junky? Your dad missing? Were you working two jobs already to help pay rent for and food for your family?

I know people like that and they are far from dumb and lazy but they don't have much of a chance in getting past minimum wage much less being accepted into college; qualifying for student loans; and being able to take the time to attend classes.

 

[Sally]

Well, you must be a poofter, too.
Heh. My mom and my sister both live in NJ. I've learned to never say, "Fill it up..." because if you do that, they pop the hose into your tank and wander off to the next guy. Then, when the filler clicks off, you have to stand there waiting until he decides it's finally your turn to get waited on again.

So when I pull in, I do some quick mental arithmetic and tell 'em, "Twenty dollars of regular..." Now they know there's a limit to how much gas I want, and they keep an eye out. And if by chance it gets to twenty, I shut it off myself and noisily replace the hose to get their attention. When they complain, I can either point to my Virginia license plate and say, "Oh, so sorry, I didn't know," or, if I'm feeling combative, "I said I only wanted twenty."

Tangent (<> derail): All my credit cards say, "DEMAND PHOTO I.D." in the signature block on the back. I gassed up in NJ a while back. Slow day, just me and the teenager attendant there, so I told him to fill it up. I gave him my credit card, which he twirled around in his hand, checking out the design and the pretty colors, flipped it over, saw the back (...c'mon, you gonna ask for I.D. now...?), flipped it over again, twirled it around some more, the filler clicked off and he topped it off to the next dollar, swiped the card, gave it back to me with the receipt to sign...

Someone explain to me why this pimply-faced, slack-jawed knuckle dragger deserves to be paid minimum wage to do something I can do just as well and twice as fast, despite my complete lack of formal training in the lucrative field of gas pumping.

Edit:

Nevermind you were speaking of the full service at NJ gas stations no longer the home depot.

 

[shuize]

Was your mom a junky? Your dad missing? Were you working two jobs already to help pay rent for and food for your family?

I know people like that and they are far from dumb and lazy but they don't have much of a chance in getting past minimum wage much less being accepted into college; qualifying for student loans; and being able to take the time to attend classes.

If you really want to know my circumstances, send me a PM. I promise you, nothing was handed to me. I know from firsthand experience, if I can do it, anyone can.

As a result, my position still is: If you are in a minimum wage job long term, you are either uneducated, unskilled, lazy or retarded.

 

[BPSCG]

Nevermind you were speaking of the full service at NJ gas stations no longer the home depot.

Forgiven because your avatar makes me want to call Mrs. BPSCG and ask her if she wants to go home early today.

 

[Mephisto]

I was using the examples as someone at a young age messing up. It happens.

If they do so at 18 it often is the end of any future. That to me is unfair.

It happens often enough with minor drug charges or even DWI - at 18 most people know the difference between right and wrong, and if the felony is a homicide, I don't really care about that person's future.

The sad fact is, there are plenty of HONEST, hard-working kids out there who get stuck in minimum wage simply because they're NOT willing to sell cocaine, meth or heroin. I've always asserted that the "drug problem" is more of an economic problem than an addiction problem. If you're an impressionable youth living in poverty which would you choose; flipping burgers for minimum wage or driving around in a BMW selling crack?

Not raising the minimum wage is only punishing the honest among us.

 

[Mephisto]

As a result, my position still is: If you are in a minimum wage job long term, you are either uneducated, unskilled, lazy or retarded.

OR you might live in an economically-stifled area. The last time I was out of work (and I have a college degree), I was vying for a secretarial job against a Ph.D. (granted his advanced degree was in Philosophy, so how useful is that? )

Neither of us got the job, it went to a lady with a high-school education who could type 75wpm accurately. So your notion that high-paying jobs (or even minimum wage jobs) are immediately open to educated people is simply wrong.

 

[Sally]

It happens often enough with minor drug charges or even DWI - at 18 most people know the difference between right and wrong, and if the felony is a homicide, I don't really care about that person's future.

The sad fact is, there are plenty of HONEST, hard-working kids out there who get stuck in minimum wage simply because they're NOT willing to sell cocaine, meth or heroin. I've always asserted that the "drug problem" is more of an economic problem than an addiction problem. If you're an impressionable youth living in poverty which would you choose; flipping burgers for minimum wage or driving around in a BMW selling crack?

Not raising the minimum wage is only punishing the honest among us.

I think we agree. I used felony gun charge because I believe you can get a felony conviction for simple possession (not even use, I may be wrong on this and if so I apologize). So pull a stupid move and get pulled over in a car with a gun in it..BAM felony conviction. I am not defending it as the brightest thing in the world to do but I have seen smart kids do stupider things than that..

I got a nice combo on my block of lexus driving dealers and hard working single parents and good kids...Its ashame that the good kids have the harder road ahead of them...

 

[Sally]

Forgiven because your avatar makes me want to call Mrs. BPSCG and ask her if she wants to go home early today.

It may require a fill up to come pick me up in Maryland and I would hate to have you angry at some pump jockey and spoil the mood

Maybe another night

 

[shuize]

.... granted his advanced degree was in Philosophy, so how useful is that?

Q.E.D. Retarded.

Neither of us got the job, it went to a lady with a high-school education who could type 75wpm accurately. So your notion that high-paying jobs (or even minimum wage jobs) are immediately open to educated people is simply wrong.

Note my repeated use of long term. Are you still unemployed or working a minimum wage job?

 

[Mephisto]

Q.E.D. Retarded.


Note my repeated use of long term. Are you still unemployed or working a minimum wage job?

I'm a self-employed artist - which translates to around minimum wage (the art market is severely hampered by the economy - when people can't afford food, rent and gasoline they don't have money to spend on art).

The job market for anything other than medical professionals here is almost non-existant. The only industry around is the Defense industry (been there, done that) and the local university (been there, done that) which tend to hire only temporary workers. What is better? Working a temporary job for fair money (and long periods between jobs) or working a permanent job for minimum wage?