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I didn't put that solution forward, another poster did. I don't really agree with him, because I think under the current circumstances, making all crappy jobs i

by Fargren 13y ago

I didn't put that solution forward, another poster did. I don't really agree with him, because I think under the current circumstances, making all crappy jobs illegal is bad, as you say. I do believe some of the crappiest jobs should be illegal (that's why I agree with minimum wages as long as the amount is well thought), because that keeps the worst abusers in check. However, I think justifying it with "the market" and "Everyone needs that crappy job they hate in order to motivate them" is wrong. The only reason for that jobs to exist is that we can't provide better ones right now.

FreezerburnV 13y ago
So what are the "crappiest" jobs then? What metric would you use to measure them? Should all jobs (or most) seen on the show Dirty Jobs be outlawed? How many of those being outlawed would it take before society collapses due to no garbage being collected, maintenance being done on bridges, fishing not happening, etc. And are those jobs actually crappier than working at Wal-Mart or K-Mart? Which should be outlawed, under your scenario?
- Fargren 13y ago
  No. No particular job should be outlawed, probably (that is, nothing that is legal to do for free should be illegal to do for money). But the point of minimum wage, as I see it, is to keep potential employers from abusing people who are not in a position to demand better wages, because if they won't work for almost no money, they won't get to work at all. The idea is that if you need someone to do work for you, you are generating profit from that, or you wouldn't hire them. By having a floor on how much you must pay, you are trying to keep people in bad situations from being abused by those who would exploit them.
drcode 13y ago
> The only reason for that jobs to exist is that we can't provide better ones right now. Oh, and how do you figure out which jobs are better? Hmm... maybe through some kind of market mechanism...

by Fargren 13y ago

FreezerburnV 13y ago

So what are the "crappiest" jobs then? What metric would you use to measure them? Should all jobs (or most) seen on the show Dirty Jobs be outlawed? How many of those being outlawed would it take before society collapses due to no garbage being collected, maintenance being done on bridges, fishing not happening, etc. And are those jobs actually crappier than working at Wal-Mart or K-Mart? Which should be outlawed, under your scenario?

Fargren 13y ago
No. No particular job should be outlawed, probably (that is, nothing that is legal to do for free should be illegal to do for money). But the point of minimum wage, as I see it, is to keep potential employers from abusing people who are not in a position to demand better wages, because if they won't work for almost no money, they won't get to work at all. The idea is that if you need someone to do work for you, you are generating profit from that, or you wouldn't hire them. By having a floor on how much you must pay, you are trying to keep people in bad situations from being abused by those who would exploit them.

drcode 13y ago

> The only reason for that jobs to exist is that we can't provide better ones right now. Oh, and how do you figure out which jobs are better? Hmm... maybe through some kind of market mechanism...