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What are Hacker News's thoughts on a livable wage?

2 points by Layke1123 4y ago

If you work 40 hours a week, does Hacker News think you should be able to afford a home, vacation once a year, and a vehicle, or is that too much?

cato_the_elder 4y ago
I'm a fan of an alternative framing of it, advocated for by people like Blake Masters. I think in a well-run society, you should be able to raise a family on one single income. Interestingly, Elizabeth Warren (who, unlike Masters, is a left-wing politician) has also used this framing in her 2004 book titled "The Two-Income Trap" [1]. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Two-Income_Trap https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Two-Income_Trap
- smt88 4y ago
  The interesting thing is that Masters advocates for it, not Warren. A living wage has been a common refrain from the US left since the early 1900s. It was a core goal for FDR, as well.
stevenalowe 4y ago
Not all work has equivalent value, the cost of living varies wildly…
- Layke1123 4y ago
  But shouldn't work have a minimum value? I mean without one, what's to the wage gap from getting smaller and smaller?
  - stevenalowe 4y ago
    There is no minimum value for work, since some work can have negative value. The notion of a "wage gap" is meaningless unless comparing equivalent work and productivity, so first define "work" and "productivity" in an objective way that can be applied across all occupations and scales. What's a quanta of work? IDK
Dracophoenix 4y ago
HUD defines the "poverty line" for a family of four qualifying for low income housing in the Bay Area as $118k. That's not taking into account the car payments, vacations, and personal debts. If your definition of a living wage is a six-figure annual salary or close to it, then I have a bridge to sell you.
Ekaros 4y ago
Type of vacation might require qualifiers. But I think it should be reasonable level. Home(protection, water and heat), food and basic healthcare with some time off should entirely be afforded to everyone in any country that calls itself western or first world(economic sense).
deleted 4y ago
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2 points by Layke1123 4y ago

If you work 40 hours a week, does Hacker News think you should be able to afford a home, vacation once a year, and a vehicle, or is that too much?

cato_the_elder 4y ago

I'm a fan of an alternative framing of it, advocated for by people like Blake Masters. I think in a well-run society, you should be able to raise a family on one single income. Interestingly, Elizabeth Warren (who, unlike Masters, is a left-wing politician) has also used this framing in her 2004 book titled "The Two-Income Trap" [1]. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Two-Income_Trap https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Two-Income_Trap

smt88 4y ago
The interesting thing is that Masters advocates for it, not Warren. A living wage has been a common refrain from the US left since the early 1900s. It was a core goal for FDR, as well.

stevenalowe 4y ago

Not all work has equivalent value, the cost of living varies wildly…

Layke1123 4y ago
But shouldn't work have a minimum value? I mean without one, what's to the wage gap from getting smaller and smaller?
- stevenalowe 4y ago
  There is no minimum value for work, since some work can have negative value. The notion of a "wage gap" is meaningless unless comparing equivalent work and productivity, so first define "work" and "productivity" in an objective way that can be applied across all occupations and scales. What's a quanta of work? IDK

Dracophoenix 4y ago

HUD defines the "poverty line" for a family of four qualifying for low income housing in the Bay Area as $118k. That's not taking into account the car payments, vacations, and personal debts. If your definition of a living wage is a six-figure annual salary or close to it, then I have a bridge to sell you.

Ekaros 4y ago

Type of vacation might require qualifiers. But I think it should be reasonable level. Home(protection, water and heat), food and basic healthcare with some time off should entirely be afforded to everyone in any country that calls itself western or first world(economic sense).

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]