Raising Minimum Wage

[JohnDB]

Joe Biden has promised to raise minimum wage as soon as he is in office. (If he can)

Why does he care so much about this?
It's artificial pricing for labor...will absolutely cause inflation and many jobs and businesses will go overseas because of it as labor is much cheaper there.

And where Joe (as does any Democrat) refuses to admit this is the goal...it very much is the goal. He is sending jobs overseas or at least over the border.

Also it gives labor unions another boost in the arm as they usually have contracts for labor that are based on the minimum wage.

The average family household in America runs off of two salaries making @ $45,000 US. for a total income of about $90K. But in certain areas there exists very low skill jobs like furniture manufacturing or assembly line type jobs...
Usually these low skill jobs are also environmentally unfriendly. (Leather tanning)
These jobs evaporate when minimum wage gets raised. Because if a widget costs $80 each to make in America it only will cost $11 each with overseas manufacture.
Of course these widgets will sell for the exact same price as always...And somebody else's front yard gets all the sludge from making it.
But also...the "somebody else" gets a job building it.
Much of the world $9,000-$12,000 US is a year's salary...they don't purchase as many commodities (consistent price around the world) as Americans on a consumer level. Because wages are so much lower. And where $9-12K won't buy luxury food and lifestyle...75% of the world lives on rice and beans of some sort...and is happy to have the job.
When there aren't any jobs the gangs rule the streets. Having to pay a bunch of thugs for the "privilege" to pick through garbage for anything of value to sell...

Now here in America the service jobs suffer the most. Automated Ordering and online ordering for fast food or retail goods help cut costs immensely.
If Amazon could get a robot to deliver your purchases...it would.

Concerts roadies and hotel cleaning staff suffer...so does the quality of service because higher forced pay doesn't equate to better service. A high paid moron is still a moron.

But the higher wages makes shipping go up, foreign policy becomes much easier too.

 

[JohnDB]

The average person in America doesn't matter to the politician...he cares about making his life easier and more opportunities overseas to make deals involving millions of dollars...as Hunter Biden has discovered.
Global Economy is the thing to these guys.

 

[Addy]

He is sending jobs overseas or at least over the border.

I'm going to try and make a comment here... LOL... I am feeling rather paranoid because it seems everything I say gets picked apart..

Anyways... I am not brilliant when it comes to economics... however... I have noticed that here in Canada... we like CHEAP... the cheaper the better... so places like Walmart and other big box stores seem to eat up much of what the consumer is spending... leaving only the die hard fans of local business to do the supporting... I think I am going off topic here.. but hey... I am trying to contribute...

The low income earner depends on these wage increases... Here in Canada... they seem to happen about every 5 years...

I think both countries are guilty of sending much of our work and contracts to places like China because we like that the labour is so cheap...

Perhaps what needs to be done is as PEOPLE... we need to give more thought to doing without ... to support local.

I think I just talked about something WAY over my head... but John... I know you won't bash me for it... I am depending on you... LOL

 

[Cristo Rei]

Interesting...

I remember seeing the minimum wage for the USA a few years back... I was blow away by how low it was...
When you refer to "other countries" you probably mean Asia and other places but certainly not here cos the minimum wage is $19.84 here...

I had another look now and found that the minimum wage for a full time employee in America is only $7.25 p/h...
WOW... Aussies get more on the doll...

Thats only a gross weekly income of $275. Deduct 20% tax and your left with $220 for a weeks work... Damn... U guys are actually competing with wages in China... They earn about $200 a week...

How is anyone supposed to live off $220??? Its not even enough to pay the rent...

Meanwhile, lets take a closer look at the employer who profits $1000p/h for the labour of his employee who he pays $7.25...
That is just criminal. Its as close to slavery as you can get making the rich get richer and the poor get poorer...

America is competing with countries like China, etc. Australia is competing against countries like Germany and Japan... Instead of reducing our quality of products and wage to Chinas level we kept the quality of our products high...
So if u want a cheap product u buy Chinese or American made but if you want a quality product u look to Germany, Australia and Japan...

The governments job is to govern for the people but that isn't the case anymore, especially over in the states...
The concerns for the people have been replaced by the ability for the government to make money...
This is yet another example of the failure of capitalism for the average person. Capitalism was successful before the elites got too greedy...

Its illegal for me to take $200 from you, its called theft.
But i can take $200 from you if i give u something that cost me $1... Thats still theft

 

[JohnDB]

I'm going to try and make a comment here... LOL... I am feeling rather paranoid because it seems everything I say gets picked apart..

Anyways... I am not brilliant when it comes to economics... however... I have noticed that here in Canada... we like CHEAP... the cheaper the better... so places like Walmart and other big box stores seem to eat up much of what the consumer is spending... leaving only the die hard fans of local business to do the supporting... I think I am going off topic here.. but hey... I am trying to contribute...

The low income earner depends on these wage increases... Here in Canada... they seem to happen about every 5 years...

I think both countries are guilty of sending much of our work and contracts to places like China because we like that the labour is so cheap...

Perhaps what needs to be done is as PEOPLE... we need to give more thought to doing without ... to support local.

I think I just talked about something WAY over my head... but John... I know you won't bash me for it... I am depending on you... LOL

Entertainment expense has been one of those things that the average household has begun to budget for that never existed before. It's something that exists only in big cities.
A person used to whittle and carve wood...or make clothing articles... maybe tan hides and make leather crafts. IOW entertainment was always productive in some fashion. Even music and poetry.
Today...it's usually a dead ended expense that results in no end product.

That's not to say that people don't have hobbies that aren't productive today.

A nice, hand crafted leather product of some sort is highly expensive.
Artisan bread anyone?
Hand carved wooden articles with a fine finish?

This stuff is not inexpensive anymore. Machine made goods are cheap. But a custom hand sewn dress is getting into the hundreds of dollars.

We always want more...it's a sin as old as Adam and Eve. And just because we can have something for cheap... doesn't mean that it's actually worth the price we are paying either.

 

[Addy]

Had to look up what our minimum wage was... 14.25/hr

 

[Cristo Rei]

What if they put a cap on how much profit someone can make...
For example, selling a product for $200 when it costs only $1 to make. Change it to $100 and takes $10 to make...
So now we have a cheaper product and more people who can afford to buy that product...
Just a thought anyway

 

[Cristo Rei]

Had to look up what our minimum wage was... 14.25/hr

Not too bad in Canada...
I can't believe how low the minimum is in America... $7.25 USD p/h... Geez... That's unbelievable

 

[JohnDB]

Interesting...

I remember seeing the minimum wage for the USA a few years back... I was blow away by how low it was...
When you refer to "other countries" you probably mean Asia and other places but certainly not here cos the minimum wage is $19.84 here...

I had another look now and found that the minimum wage for a full time employee in America is only $7.25 p/h...
WOW... Aussies get more on the doll...

Thats only a gross weekly income of $275. Deduct 20% tax and your left with $220 for a weeks work... Damn... U guys are actually competing with wages in China... They earn about $200 a week...

How is anyone supposed to live off $220??? Its not even enough to pay the rent...

Meanwhile, lets take a closer look at the employer who profits $1000p/h for the labour of his employee who he pays $7.25...
That is just criminal. Its as close to slavery as you can get making the rich get richer and the poor get poorer...

America is competing with countries like China, etc. Australia is competing against countries like Germany and Japan... Instead of reducing our quality of products and wage to Chinas level we kept the quality of our products high...
So if u want a cheap product u buy Chinese or American made but if you want a quality product u look to Germany, Australia and Japan...

The governments job is to govern for the people but that isn't the case anymore, especially over in the states...
The concerns for the people have been replaced by the ability for the government to make money...
This is yet another example of the failure of capitalism for the average person. Capitalism was successful before the elites got too greedy...

Its illegal for me to take $200 from you, its called theft.
But i can take $200 from you if i give u something that cost me $1... Thats still theft

We are talking about low income countries and their labor pool... Eurasia and India and the like. We want to occupy them with our exploitive jobs so you can't have them to exploit.
Don't forget African labor either...they literally will kill each other for a chance at a job.

So when I say $9,000-12,000US...how does that relate to Aussie dollars?

 

[Addy]

Not too bad in Canada...
I can't believe how low the minimum is in America... $7.25 USD p/h... Geez... That's unbelievable

Yep... countries do things differently... I did not know what the minimum wage was even in my country because I have not worked in a long time.

 

[JohnDB]

Looked it up...
$10 US is equal to $13 Aussie.

 

[JohnDB]

Minimum wage is not something that most jobs pay anymore. We have a huge labor shortage in my area. Most of the lowest skill jobs start at $11/hr. That's for a greeter at walmart or the kid to shove groceries in a bag at the grocery store.
Probably the kid at the fast food joint to make you a burger or taco.

Broom pushers start at $12 and go up to $14.

That's $18.30/hr. Aussie dollars.

 

[JohnDB]

Yep... countries do things differently... I did not know what the minimum wage was even in my country because I have not worked in a long time.

Canucks can get desperate for labor too... especially skilled labor.

Pay can get high depending on demand for the skills. $30/hr may cut it for an electrician...but in rural areas it can be wages plus free heated room if you want anyone to take the job.

 

[JohnDB]

Interesting...

I remember seeing the minimum wage for the USA a few years back... I was blow away by how low it was...
When you refer to "other countries" you probably mean Asia and other places but certainly not here cos the minimum wage is $19.84 here...

I had another look now and found that the minimum wage for a full time employee in America is only $7.25 p/h...
WOW... Aussies get more on the doll...

Thats only a gross weekly income of $275. Deduct 20% tax and your left with $220 for a weeks work... Damn... U guys are actually competing with wages in China... They earn about $200 a week...

How is anyone supposed to live off $220??? Its not even enough to pay the rent...

Meanwhile, lets take a closer look at the employer who profits $1000p/h for the labour of his employee who he pays $7.25...
That is just criminal. Its as close to slavery as you can get making the rich get richer and the poor get poorer...

America is competing with countries like China, etc. Australia is competing against countries like Germany and Japan... Instead of reducing our quality of products and wage to Chinas level we kept the quality of our products high...
So if u want a cheap product u buy Chinese or American made but if you want a quality product u look to Germany, Australia and Japan...

The governments job is to govern for the people but that isn't the case anymore, especially over in the states...
The concerns for the people have been replaced by the ability for the government to make money...
This is yet another example of the failure of capitalism for the average person. Capitalism was successful before the elites got too greedy...

Its illegal for me to take $200 from you, its called theft.
But i can take $200 from you if i give u something that cost me $1... Thats still theft

Nobody here is profiting $1,000 off of $200 worth of labor.
There is too much competition for it to happen.
And again...it's very low skill jobs that get these sorts of wages.

 

[Addy]

Pay can get high depending on demand for the skills. $30/hr may cut it for an electrician...but in rural areas it can be wages plus free heated room if you want anyone to take the job.

Yes... skilled labour seems to be where the money is at.

 

[JohnDB]

Yes... skilled labour seems to be where the money is at.

To survive decently in this world you have to be either smart/educated or skilled...and often both.

Every kid that they throw at me to train how to become an electrician groans enormously when I send him back to the math books to understand trigonometry, algebra, and polar addition. Some get downright angry about it.

And I tell them all, " We are Electricians, we only look stupid; we aren't."

 

[Cristo Rei]

Nobody here is profiting $1,000 off of $200 worth of labor.
There is too much competition for it to happen.
And again...it's very low skill jobs that get these sorts of wages.

U don't think so... Thats only 5 times more... Take Nike for example.
They sell a pair of sneakers for around $200 and it costs them under $10 to make. Thats 20 times more...
Plenty of American companies fleecing everyone this way

 

[Addy]

To survive decently in this world you have to be either smart/educated or skilled...and often both.

Every kid that they throw at me to train how to become an electrician groans enormously when I send him back to the math books to understand trigonometry, algebra, and polar addition. Some get downright angry about it.

And I tell them all, " We are Electricians, we only look stupid; we aren't."

HA HA....

 

[Cristo Rei]

Minimum wage is not something that most jobs pay anymore. We have a huge labor shortage in my area. Most of the lowest skill jobs start at $11/hr. That's for a greeter at walmart or the kid to shove groceries in a bag at the grocery store.
Probably the kid at the fast food joint to make you a burger or taco.

Broom pushers start at $12 and go up to $14.

That's $18.30/hr. Aussie dollars.

That sounds better... Its a difficult balance to strike i think... Has the min always been so low?

Pay can get high depending on demand for the skills. $30/hr may cut it for an electrician...but in rural areas it can be wages plus free heated room if you want anyone to take the job.

$30p/h is about average for the factory trades here... Site trades like plumbing and electrician get closer to 40...
With the exchange rate it works out about the same

 

[JohnDB]

U don't think so... Thats only 5 times more... Take Nike for example.
They sell a pair of sneakers for around $200 and it costs them under $10 to make. Thats 20 times more...
Plenty of American companies fleecing everyone this way

Nike shoes are made by child slave labor in China.
China has a competitive school system. Meaning that each higher grade has fewer seats available than the previous one. And if you aren't smarter than some of your peers you are out and immediately going to work.
Coal mines, shoe sewing or other menial tasks that you either complete your quota or try peeling garlic in prison for a bowl of rice...and if you don't meet quota there you don't get the rice.