3 ms·

Unemployment is only at around 4% right now, extremely low. Want to take a huge bite out of poverty? raise the minimum wage and increase benefits so that folk

by zzzeek 9y ago

Unemployment is only at around 4% right now, extremely low. Want to take a huge bite out of poverty? raise the minimum wage and increase benefits so that folks don't need to work three jobs just to pay their rent. no AI robots needed. just garden variety wealth redistribution that's sorely needed.

Danihan 9y ago
Raising the minimum wage will simply result in jobs being replaced by kiosks. Not that it won't happen soon anyway, but why hasten it.
- zzzeek 9y ago
  Here, argue with the Economic Policy Institute regarding this very basic and widely recognized economic fact: http://www.epi.org/publication/minimum-wage-workers-poverty-anymore-raising/ http://www.epi.org/publication/minimum-wage-workers-poverty-...
  - neuronexmachina 9y ago
    The EPI piece actually doesn't address the other commenter's point in any way.
- c0nducktr 9y ago
  Why keep putting it off? Isn't this the whole point of technology? So that humans will no longer have to do these jobs? Lets just have it happen and deal with the consequences. Why keep kicking the can down the road?
  - 111_1_111 9y ago
    Because it will be much easier to deal with an increase in joblessness/transition to different types of work if it doesn't happen all at once.
    - deleted 9y ago
      [deleted]
DoreenMichele 9y ago
raise the minimum wage and increase benefits so that folks don't need to work three jobs just to pay their rent. No. Offer actual affordable housing. New housing has more than doubled in size since the 1950s, plus we have largely eliminated small, cheap housing alternatives, such as SROs* and boarding houses. There is no end to how much we can grow houses and inflate the cost associated with not being homeless. If we don't deal with housing, no amount of raising wages fixes this problem. Though I agree that we need to provide universal health care. * https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_room_occupancy https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_room_occupancy
vixen99 9y ago
Lots of evidence that minimum-wage laws reduce employment opportunities for the young and the unskilled of any age. High MW legislates them out of jobs.
- lovich 9y ago
  If people on minimum wage can not make ends meet any way then why have the job? It's being subsidised by the government already via food stamps and other welfare so why not cut out the middle man? Additionally if the unemployment is 4% then raising it slightly isn't a problem. 0% unemployment is bad for an economy and the US has safely hovered between 4-6% which is needed to let businesses be able to hire when more workers are needed

by zzzeek 9y ago

Danihan 9y ago

Raising the minimum wage will simply result in jobs being replaced by kiosks. Not that it won't happen soon anyway, but why hasten it.

zzzeek 9y ago
Here, argue with the Economic Policy Institute regarding this very basic and widely recognized economic fact: http://www.epi.org/publication/minimum-wage-workers-poverty-anymore-raising/ http://www.epi.org/publication/minimum-wage-workers-poverty-...
- neuronexmachina 9y ago
  The EPI piece actually doesn't address the other commenter's point in any way.
c0nducktr 9y ago
Why keep putting it off? Isn't this the whole point of technology? So that humans will no longer have to do these jobs? Lets just have it happen and deal with the consequences. Why keep kicking the can down the road?
- 111_1_111 9y ago
  Because it will be much easier to deal with an increase in joblessness/transition to different types of work if it doesn't happen all at once.
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]

DoreenMichele 9y ago

raise the minimum wage and increase benefits so that folks don't need to work three jobs just to pay their rent. No. Offer actual affordable housing. New housing has more than doubled in size since the 1950s, plus we have largely eliminated small, cheap housing alternatives, such as SROs* and boarding houses. There is no end to how much we can grow houses and inflate the cost associated with not being homeless. If we don't deal with housing, no amount of raising wages fixes this problem. Though I agree that we need to provide universal health care. * https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_room_occupancy https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_room_occupancy

vixen99 9y ago

Lots of evidence that minimum-wage laws reduce employment opportunities for the young and the unskilled of any age. High MW legislates them out of jobs.

lovich 9y ago
If people on minimum wage can not make ends meet any way then why have the job? It's being subsidised by the government already via food stamps and other welfare so why not cut out the middle man? Additionally if the unemployment is 4% then raising it slightly isn't a problem. 0% unemployment is bad for an economy and the US has safely hovered between 4-6% which is needed to let businesses be able to hire when more workers are needed