Oprah - Living on Minimum Wage

**Ima saver** · 07-29-2006, 07:24 AM

Re: Oprah - Living on Minimum Wage

Miinimum wage here is $5.15. Raising the minimum wouldn't help them if they are already making $7-10 an hour.

**neatdesign** · 07-29-2006, 08:33 AM

Re: Oprah - Living on Minimum Wage

I didn't see the show, but perhaps the point she was trying to make is that if people who make $2-$5 above the current federal minimum wage are still below the poverty line and barely making ends meet, then those who actually earn the minimum wage are in SEVERE need of help (ie, raising the minimum wage).

Given that the federal minimum wage hasn't budged in 10 years, and that other countries have minimum wages far greater than the US does (the minimum in the UK is about $7/hour), boosting the minimum wage here is long overdue. Congress won't raise the minimum wage, but they have no trouble at all initiating legislation which requires credit card companies to increase their customers' minimum payment percentages, or overhauling bankruptcy laws which make it next to impossible to file bankruptcy anymore.

~ Jenney

**Ima saver** · 07-29-2006, 08:36 AM

Re: Oprah - Living on Minimum Wage

I certainly think that the minimum wage should be raised in this country.

**Kris10Leigh** · 07-29-2006, 08:44 AM

Re: Oprah - Living on Minimum Wage

I watched the show and it really got me thinking. My husband and I have two separate bank accounts. All of my money goes into one account and all of the bills are automatically deducted from it leaving us with $76 cushion each month. This money builds up and I use it to cover random expenses, but I need that cushion in there because a few bills occassionally run higher than expected. (ie. cell phone which is fixed most months, but if I go over my minutes....oops.)

My husbands money goes into the other account and that is the money we use to live on. It floors me that taking all of our regular bills out of the picture leaves us wth so little money! It seems quite simple and yet a man's entire salary is not enough to cover living expenses! What is wrong with us?

A few things do come out of his paycheck like health insurance, medical flexible spending account and a very low car payment for his company car. We are left with approximately $800 per pay.

Here is the breakdown per pay:

Gifts: 225 (I'm messing around with this number. I took what I expect to spend on Christmas and devided it by 5 months between now and Christmas. DH is expecting a rare windfall of $3000 in reimbursement for a recent work trip he took and he wants to use that money to cover Christmas and other things. I want to use it to pay down debt. I don't know yet.
Gas: 100
food: 200
childcare: 172
CC: 125

The grand total is $822. How do people do it? There is no room in there for a mortgage or an electric bill, etc? If I lost my job tomorrow, we couldn't do it. His salary is more than a minimum wage job and yet we have a hard time using it for just living expenses.

I feel like we are very, very fortunate and it makes me really think twice when I complain about not having enough money. It is hard to live on so little.

**Ima saver** · 07-29-2006, 09:04 AM

Re: Oprah - Living on Minimum Wage

It really is. I have never made more than minimum wage. When I waitressed, I made only $2.01 an hour. The waitresses today now make $2.13 an hour!!!

**neguy11** · 07-31-2006, 09:20 PM

Re: Oprah - Living on Minimum Wage

I think it should be left up to the states. How can you set a minimum wage that will work everywhere? The COL is different everywhere you go. Most high-COL states already have increased the minimum wage.

**tgavin71** · 08-01-2006, 03:47 AM

Re: Oprah - Living on Minimum Wage

Minimum wage in Australia is $9.30 US which is a lot higher than the minimum wage in the US. Just based on figures without knowing the tax system I'd have to say that the US minimum wage needs to be increased.

**Roupey03** · 08-01-2006, 04:50 AM

Re: Oprah - Living on Minimum Wage

I think that minimum wage should be based on what state you live in. Seeing that New York is a lot more expensive than Ohio. It makes sense to me.

**PrincessPerky** · 08-01-2006, 05:01 AM

Re: Oprah - Living on Minimum Wage

raising the minimum wage didn't bring crowds out of poverty 10 years ago, it isn't going to now...If walmart has to pay its workers two or three dollars moe an hour, where do you think the money is comming from? either a raise in product price (who do you think buys that stuff anyway? middle clas and poor..) or less workers (meaning more work for your day..more stress) or less profit...(yeah like that will happen)

**rob62521** · 08-01-2006, 07:21 AM

Re: Oprah - Living on Minimum Wage

If you are interested in reading more about people living on minimum wage, read Nickel and Dimed. An author goes undercover and tells what it's like.

**neatdesign** · 08-01-2006, 07:34 AM

Re: Oprah - Living on Minimum Wage

Originally posted by PrincessPerky

If walmart has to pay its workers two or three dollars moe an hour, where do you think the money is comming from? either a raise in product price (who do you think buys that stuff anyway? middle clas and poor..) or less workers (meaning more work for your day..more stress) or less profit...(yeah like that will happen)

But should people have to struggle to afford basic necessities (housing, health care, food) just so that others can buy a T-shirt at Walmart for $7.99 instead of $8.99?

Other countries have minimum wages which are far higher than ours, and they do just fine. The UK (where my husband is from) has a minimum wage of about USD$7/hour -- AND free health care. Prices for goods in England are, at worst, a little bit more expensive than they are here. Yet they do just fine.

Meanwhile, we have a minimum wage of $5.15/hour and extremely limited free health care. How can someone be expected to afford health care at $5.15/hour?

~ Jenney

**boefixepa** · 08-01-2006, 08:07 AM

Re: Oprah - Living on Minimum Wage

What we are failing to talk about here and maybe someone who can find the info can post it, but who actaully earns minumum wage?

I know the only time in my life I earned it was when I was a teenager working as a checker in a grocery store. That lasted for about six months, after that, because I was a good worker I moved up. By the time I left for college I was making $8 an hour. So baised on my experience and the ones I've known in my life the only people making min wage are teenagers! I see no reason to raise minimum wage if this the case for the most part. General rule wise, I am sure there are exceptions.

The few full time checkers who were there made considerably more than us...considerably. Also, going to bat for the small business owner here, the wage must be taylored to the skill required to do the job. No one at our business earns minumum wage...No one! I think the least we pay is $9 an hour. I see no reason why some who just starts and all they are going to do is fliping burgers or scaning groceries should start at some huge wage! Sorry, I don't see it and I wouldn't expect it. Most all companies give raises over time baised on performance. If you can't grow within the company, find another job. No one is making yo stay somewhere you aren't happy. I've worked more than one job many times to make ends meet and I know it can be hard, but I don't see that there is a huge problem with wages. What I see is a huge problem with the attitude, work ethics, and skill levels within the work base, and that's an even harder problem to solve. So what??? is the answer to throw money (ie raise min wage) at the problem and hope it keeps them quite for a time? I don't know, it's one of those situations where there is no easy answer...

Now, I don't think raising minimum wage is going to raise people out of poverty, people must do that themselves because they choose to. I know all the reason why it's hard and all that, but giving then a few more dollars in hour is not going to cause a miraculous difference. The ROOT of the problem does not lie in minimum wage.

**neguy11** · 08-01-2006, 08:19 AM

Re: Oprah - Living on Minimum Wage

Originally posted by Roupey03

I think that minimum wage should be based on what state you live in. Seeing that New York is a lot more expensive than Ohio. It makes sense to me.

Exactly. It makes no sense to force businesses in Nebraska to pay their workers a minimum of $7.25, when the COL is living is much less than say in a place like Chicago or NYC.

At the end of the day someone is ALWAYS going to be on the bottom. I think in a perfect world the people on the bottom would be the young and as they grow older their work their way up. But things happen -- people get sick, they need costly surgery, they don't use birth control and have children when they can't afford them, etc.

Anyways at most jobs by working hard, not showing up late, not calling off sick, etc. just being a good employee you can move up and make more money

**markio26** · 08-01-2006, 08:38 AM

Re: Oprah - Living on Minimum Wage

i have never worked a job that pays minimum wage... if i did, i would quit and take a babysitting job or something instead... i think we should all have a small business going on the side... two or three ways to make income, besides a regular job....

Oprah - Living on Minimum Wage