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The point of a minimum wage is exactly to stop the those desperate for work to work for less than a living wage. This is due to the thought that allowing people

The point of a minimum wage is exactly to stop the those desperate for work to work for less than a living wage. This is due to the thought that allowing people to be hired for less than a living wage is essentially condemning those people to work for hours that are not healthy for mind or body in order to make ends meet. If a minimum wage is too high, then sure, its a bad thing because companies can't afford to hire workers for menial tasks which stops workers from working. But simultaneously, if it's too low, it leads to dangerous precedents exactly like you've described - menial tasks being farmed out to people desperate for any kind of cash, leading to them having to work inordinate number of hours to make a living wage - this is not a society I want to live in, and having to work exceedingly large hours due to my job not giving me enough money is also a "violation" of my human rights - that of a "just and favourable condition of work". The trick is of course balancing the minimum wage with it's downsides of being too high - and there is fair argument that the US has let this slip below livable wage. >This, 100%. If I have some menial task that doesn't justify paying minimum wage, and I have a person interested in this contract, then the government's intervention is violating our rights. USA already has a problem with wealth inequality, and in the current system, removing minimum wage entirely would overall exacerbate this, not help, as now you're having minimum wage workers compete with no income workers - and the argument is that - increasingly - minimum wage workers already have trouble making ends meet. Minimum wage in this context is as much a Violation of rights as the context you are suggesting - and in my opinion, an odd choice of words to use in this context. Edit - Can you explain why I'm being downvoted? I don't think I've broken any rules here.

dgzl 8y ago
> menial tasks being farmed out to people desperate for any kind of cash, leading to them having to work inordinate number of hours to make a living wage Your point of view is that people who are willing to work for less are being exploited, but you fail entirely to see how real legally legitimate paid work would actually help underprivileged populations obtain success, as opposed to their current $0/hr wage. > now you're having minimum wage workers compete with no income workers You've said it yourself, dropping minimum wage would allow underprivileged workers the ability to compete for jobs. Maybe minimum-wage workers are scared that they'll lose their job to someone who's actually desperate for work.
- JauntyHatAngle 8y ago
  No I totally get it, but my belief is that there would be more exploitation occurring than net benefit gained from being able to hire people and pay them extremely low wages. I don't want to return to the days where people would have to work 60+ hours to keep a roof over their head with bare necessities. We are closer to that reality than that of wealthy menial workforce in my view.
BurningFrog 8y ago
> The point of a minimum wage is exactly to stop the those desperate for work to work for less than a living wage. I'm fascinated that people can see this far, but can't see that if you stop people's best way out of this¹, they're in an even more desperate position. ¹ The sub minimum wage job that they'd take if allowed

dgzl 8y ago

> menial tasks being farmed out to people desperate for any kind of cash, leading to them having to work inordinate number of hours to make a living wage Your point of view is that people who are willing to work for less are being exploited, but you fail entirely to see how real legally legitimate paid work would actually help underprivileged populations obtain success, as opposed to their current $0/hr wage. > now you're having minimum wage workers compete with no income workers You've said it yourself, dropping minimum wage would allow underprivileged workers the ability to compete for jobs. Maybe minimum-wage workers are scared that they'll lose their job to someone who's actually desperate for work.

JauntyHatAngle 8y ago
No I totally get it, but my belief is that there would be more exploitation occurring than net benefit gained from being able to hire people and pay them extremely low wages. I don't want to return to the days where people would have to work 60+ hours to keep a roof over their head with bare necessities. We are closer to that reality than that of wealthy menial workforce in my view.

BurningFrog 8y ago

> The point of a minimum wage is exactly to stop the those desperate for work to work for less than a living wage. I'm fascinated that people can see this far, but can't see that if you stop people's best way out of this¹, they're in an even more desperate position. ¹ The sub minimum wage job that they'd take if allowed