If minimum wage is raised to above poverty level, then won't those people.......?

Question

Who make minimum wage lose any government benefits they are entitled to such as subsidized housing, healthcare, food stamps, etc.?

All of those cost alot more than they would end up making.

Answer 1

Just the thought of that makes me want to raise the minimum wage.

Answer 2

A good economy requires balance for both labor and business interests. Having really high wages is great for labor and bad for businesses and vice versa. We all would have to pay higher prices for everything if we raised the min wage that high and it could hurt our economy. But on the other hand we spend BILLIONS of dollars for social welfare programs b/c people who work full time still can't make ends meet. Social welfare is basically corporate welfare b/c those companies pay workers crap wages and taxpayers end up picking up the rest of the cost; meaning tax payers fuel corporate profits in a sense. I hate welfare but realize some people who work full time for low wages still need it for basic necessities, althoug there are those that abuse the system and take advatage of America's generosity. I think we need to pay workers enough so they don't need any govt help. It would help single out the lazy one's who don't want to work. If working full time can provide a basic living then there is no need for welfare and those too lazy to work can starve or rely on private charities for all I care. But if we raise wages we need to cut taxes for businesses to offset labor cost increases. And if we got rid of welfare all that money saved could go to eliminating taxes for businesses. But unfortunately that is my dream/vision and I'm not an economist so I don't even know if a system like that is even possible. Also min wages should differ from region to region as they do now b/c cost of living varies in this country. But basically raising wages that high would kill our economy right now unless we found a way to offset those increased labor costs through tax breaks and such.

Answer 3

When you raise minimum wage everything else goes up in price as well. So truthfully what you end up doing is increasing the cost of living. Those that made more than Minimum wage will not necessarilly get a raise to help compensate for the increase.

Not to pick on Steven S but lets just say they paid a burger flipper at McDonalds $50 an hour. How much do you think your going to pay for that burger?

The truth is some people just don't have skills to be more than what they are and that's a shame but those who have learned marketable skills shouldn't be punished for it or forced to pay for their inabilities to provide for themselves or their families.

Answer 4

Depending on the persons situation and degree of poverty. Usually minimum wage workers are not entitled to any of these government benefits. Helping people to survive without government assistance should be the goal of all of us. government assistance is never the answer to overcoming poverty.Raiseing the minimum wage could help lower income people afford gas to get to work which might help them to stay off of government programs and be a help to the overall economy.

Answer 5

Raising the minimum wage has a tendency of increasing unemployment. If an employer has to be forced to increase the money he/she spends on employee salary, then that employer will either (1) raise prices of products/goods, thus making society pay for the increase in wages, (2) lay off workers, (3) not hire any new employees.

Minimum wage is simply a bad idea pushed by politicians who wish to appear sympathetic and caring. They feed off the public's ignorance of basic economics.

Answer 6

I believe minimum wage should be raised and every able-bodied person on welfare should be made to work - no exceptions! If we have to continue to subsidize them for a few years it would still be a bargain! This may be a way to stop generations of people on welfare....now if we could just get the illegals out of the country so these people would have jobs to go too.....

Answer 7

Food stamps and other similar programs are supposed to be temporary...as in WHEN ONE NEEDS THEM. Taking more people off permanently, would be a good thing, as long as those people are properly trained, which is the problem in America, as college is too damn expensive. Fact is, $5.15 an hor, for both parents, is still below the poverty level. Only once has a recent Congress DENIED their own raises, during 2001. IN the10 years since a last minimum hike, Congress gave themselves raises 9 times. Please be guided accordingly.

Answer 8

Well, if you go onto your states website and do some digging...
In Massachusetts they state with minimum wage, a family of four could not afford to live in the necessary apartment (3 br). You would have to work like 120 hours a week to afford it. Wish you would have asked when info was fresh, could've left link.

Answer 9

This is the whole idea behind why people decide to take welfare over work, even when work is plentiful. Often the jobs they would receive would not have health benefits and would obviously be harder than sitting at home, taking care of their kids.

Something has to be done with the welfare system to make it easier to get for those work parttime and fulltime for low wages. And yet there need to be incentives to get off the program for those who can work!

Answer 10

I,ve got a better idea, Organize the majority to take control & rule away from Congress & all levels of representative government Starting with the control of Money/Power/Wealth! How ya like that Sheman Shariz! Rid our society of the real bums explioting our families for generations etc.