Would you work for $1 per hour in America???

Question

If you wouldn't and don't think that anyone else would either, why do we need a minimum wage??? If the pay sucks, people leave jobs. Employers need to compete with each other to hire the help that they want.

It seems to me like minimum wage hurts people more than helps them. Some businesses would hire a 16 year old for $4.00 per hour (and the teen would willingly work there), but they may not be able to afford minimum wage. Therefore, no work for the teen.

Why do we even have minimum wage? Why is it the governments business what I decide to work for? If I think my time is only worth $1 per hour why should the government say it's worth more?

Arn't there some people that aren't worth paying minimum wage?

So you're saying that if a company told you they'd only pay you $1 per hour you'd work for THEM?

....It's not fair that everyone is paid the same because not everyone is equally skilled. More skilled workers can and do make more than less skilled workers. THAT is fair.

Answer 1

Some people can't see the forest for the trees!

We have a minimum wage beause capitalism is a flawed economic structure. Seller's try to maximize their profits. They often do this by minimizing their labor costs. People, you see, are commodities in capitalism. The more people you have the less they are worth and paid.

But prices don't come down with cheap labor, the surplus value is extracted by the owners of capital as higher profit margins for themselves.
This leaves many people unable to afford basic living expenses even if they are working.

Deep down, some Americans have a heart and realize that we can't leave people behind for profits. It might be your mother, your father, your sister or brother who gets left behind one day. So, we have minimum wages, welfare, unemployment insurance, disability insurance, social security etc to patch-up the cancers in our economic system. These social programs are only a palliative- they ease the symptoms of our economic dysfunction but they're not a cure. Without them the world economy would've collapsed again (how often we forget the Great Depression- which was worldwide!) many years ago.

Yet every day conservatives say to eliminate the bandaids (social programs) to save our system, not realizing that the economic cancers (greed, income inequality, poverty, etc.) will spread and ruin the system anyway.

Maybe we should let the cancers run free in our economic system? Then the People will finally be aware of how the economy functions and a real economic revolution will occur.

No, on second thought- the system would collapse but the poor majority would die from starvation, disease, etc. making a revolution unlikely. Then the rich would just sit back with the land of the "free" to themselves, smoke their cigars, drink their wine and eat their cheese thinking, "Suckers!"

Answer 2

Nope. I make too much money to take a job for a buck an hour.

I don't necessarily agree with the miniumum wage but also disagree with your assumption that there's no work for the teenager with minimum wage. The unemployment rate is generally low throughout the country, the most unemployable are those who are uneducated or under-educated. They usually get the least-skilled jobs.

But doesn't mean they can't make good money. A little good old fashioned ingenuity or hard work can bring in good dough...talk to anyone who owns a small business (me hee hee), and the limits can be gone.

I see no good reason for the minimum wage because wages really aren't tied to skills. Wages are typically tied to the labor market availability. A PhD Rocket Scientist makes a lot more than a grocery bagger because 1) he's more educated, 2) has specialized and hard to find skills, 3) is much more rarer in the market place than Joe Schmoe whose best skill is making sure the eggs don't break.

Answer 3

There are numerous jobs in America that do not pay minimum wage. There are places, such as sales, that will have you be an "independent contractor" and you only get a commission on the the sales that you produce.

A licensed babysitter, depending upon where they are located, but rarely ever make minimum wage per hour, even if they are watching a lot of kids.

Another type of job is any type of waitress, be it cocktail or restaurant because they are expected to make there wage in tips. When I was a waitress they only paid $2.01 in wages and I had to pay taxes on 8% of the total tickets that I wrote/sold at the end of the day whether I received a tip on them or not.

At very exclusive strip joints on music clubs in America, there are some workers actually have to pay a fee upfront to appear on stage and they make their money off of either tips or a percentage of admission price sales and/or drinks at the door.

Answer 4

Minimum wage is for the rights of workers in a company to have a right salary.

Answer 5

I agree with alot of your points. People unfortunately are lambs and wait to be told what to do:in politics, in religion, in economics, in times of crisis, etc. If you dont have a job a dollar an hour could feed your family and is well worth it. I havent had a salary in years, I work on commission only, meaning I only get paid if I work and generate income. But many people would rather have a guarantee based solely on showing up then have a performance based pay scale. It is very interesting to me.

Answer 6

Excellent thinking. Minimum wage is the government "taking care" of us. we don't need it, almost all min.wage increases happen during an congressional election year. if min.wagers get an increase and you don't it just makes your job worth less. it doesn't give min.wage earners a raise. cause it was an adjustment for inflation. but those idiots who believe it was a raise vote for the numnuts who are giving it to them and actually holding wages DOWN.

Answer 7

Think of it like this if we didnt have mimimum wage then most couldnt survive. Because a company coulld pay you what the wanted and only what they wanted to pay you. For a teen like me and you its good cuz i feel like you do but for my family it wouldnt be ok cuz we need all the money we can get

Answer 8

Minimum wage exists because people are ignorant of the law of supply and demand and use emotions to make their decisions.

Answer 9

yes, if the overhead expenses are lower than that.

in the Philippines, minimum wage is $5/day! but we can survive by spending only $2-3/day. ;-)

Answer 10

b/c everyone is treated equal it doesn't matter if you are 16 or 100 we should all be equally paid it is not nice to take away what is right....