How Can the Government Think This?

[ayin jade]

When minimum wages are raised cost of living goes up too. 

[johnthebaptist]

7 hours ago, The Survivor said:

How can the government think that working American citizens and residents with families can afford to live off of minimum wage while for decades this country's jobs are being move and outsourced and given to illegals (yes they are I witnessed it for years first hand)? What ever happened to the American dream?

Personally, I would like to own a home with plenty of space and land in a quiet area, but I can never afford to and there is no quiet places around where you can see the stars at night without city light affecting the view. So that not going to happen. Especially if my next job is at McDonald's (again) because no one else is hiring in the tech field.

Your thoughts on how the government sees paying Americans low wages?

The problem with a high minimum wage would be that it would cause inflation, I think.

[LonerAndy]

9 hours ago, The Survivor said:

How can the government think that working American citizens and residents with families can afford to live off of minimum wage while for decades this country's jobs are being move and outsourced and given to illegals (yes they are I witnessed it for years first hand)? What ever happened to the American dream?

Personally, I would like to own a home with plenty of space and land in a quiet area, but I can never afford to and there is no quiet places around where you can see the stars at night without city light affecting the view. So that not going to happen. Especially if my next job is at McDonald's (again) because no one else is hiring in the tech field.

Your thoughts on how the government sees paying Americans low wages?

I don't believe that government has anything to do with it.

The government is nothing but the tax payers.   Are the tax payers obligated to provide you with a wage you want, to have the life you want?

Of course not.

Our government was built on the idea of self reliance.  The idea that it's up to you to find a solution your life, and for a Christian, that's with G-d as your provider, not government.

Now I have known people who worked at McDonalds for life.  And they made good money.   Something like 80% or so of all store managers and district managers, started off as hourly crew.

IF you are working at McDonald's longer than a year, and still making minimum wage, then you are doing something wrong.

You can move up to management, just by showing up... working... and getting along with people.

I was working at a parts store, Advance Auto Parts, and they wanted me to be store manager.... because I showed up on time.... I worked the entire time... and I got along with people.

When you ask "How can families afford to live off minimum wage", to me that is a ridiculous question.   If you have a family, then you had better be doing something that pays more than minimum wage.

Burger flipper at McDonald's is a job for 3 types of people.

A:  People in high school or college, working while they live at home and go to school.

B:  People who are retired, and want to be productive in their twilight years.

C:  People who intend to move up the corporate ladder.   You can join the management training program, get tuition reimbursement, and end up on a management track at McDonalds.

But if you have a family, and you are working minimum wage, then you are doing something wrong.  Either you are not on-time... or you are not working your best... or you are not getting along with people.

The American dream is perfectly alive and well.   I know dozens on dozens of people who have the American dream.  But the American Dream isn't "I get what I want, the way I want it".   That is has never been true, anywhere, or at any time in history, of this country or any other.

None of us gets exactly what we want.   Sometimes we have to take what opportunities are presented to us.

You said you were in the tech field.  That's a bit vague.

But the bottom line is, there are plenty of jobs.  Tons of jobs.   You need to do what you must, to get the job you want.

That may mean moving to a new area.  All the people I know, all of them... that have a $50K+ income... had to move to where their job was.   All of them had to.

All of them had to network.  You need to contact people, and talk to people you knew in college, or people you know from a previous job.  Or someone a relative knows.  Networking is huge.   If a company gets 50 applications, and 2 of them come from people they know... they are more likely to hire from the 2 people, than the 48 even if those people have more qualifications.

You need to get a degree or a certificate.  Now you can still succeed and get a better job without them, but it is harder.   Having Cisco certification, will quickly get you hired, whereas otherwise you'll be hunting longer.

And you need to be open to doing a job you don't really like, until you get a job you do.   Working, at anything, will get you a better job in the long run.   That company will call up your current employer, and what they want to hear is "Oh crud!  Yeah, he's a good employee, and we really don't want him to leave!".     If you are not working your butt off at your burger flipper job, then it will be harder to get your future job you do want.

But it's not governments job to fix your life.

You need to either move to where the jobs are, or you need to work harder than other employees, or you need to get along with people better.   But the solution to your problems are not out there in society, and new minimum wage laws, and such.   Those things never solve anything.   The solution is in your mirror.

[other one]

4 hours ago, ayin jade said:

When minimum wages are raised cost of living goes up too. 

and usually minimum wage people loose jobs in places that can't afford to pay them that wage, or like McDonalds where they can be replaced with machines.   And it's really odd that in those places that use computers to place orders and not people, my orders rarely if ever get screwed up...

[Neighbor]

Prayer too; start the day  with prayer, do all that is done during the day to the glory of God, give thanks in all things, and finish the day in prayer. Ask God to lead and to protect each day .

 

 

[missmuffet]

4 hours ago, other one said:

and usually minimum wage people loose jobs in places that can't afford to pay them that wage, or like McDonalds where they can be replaced with machines.   And it's really odd that in those places that use computers to place orders and not people, my orders rarely if ever get screwed up...

It will not be long and all of us who drive up to a window of a fast food restaurant will be served by a robot. That is the way technology and our world is going. 

[The_Patriot21]

Well...tired of the jobs where your at...move somewhere where there's jobs in your field...or perhaps learn a trade that is in demand where you live. 

I did both. In high school I was sick of my town....so I moved to Nebraska to Bible college...and got married. I absolutely loved the town I lived in, but couldn't find any work that paid very well, so I ended up moving back to Wyoming, and got my CDL because CDL jobs are in high demand in my home town. I went from working min. Wage jobs to six figures a year just by moving and gaining job skills.

Don't blame the government, instead do something about it.

[The Survivor]

Interesting comments.

The federal minimum wage is regulated by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and enforced by the U.S. Department of Labor. Although the federal minimum wage rate is subject to change, it has not increased since 2009. The current federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour.

Seems like the government does have its hands in people's pay.

A side note about praying. Yes, I suffered and I prayed. But I still lost a lot I prayed to not lose. Family. Friends. Credit. Evictions. Embarrassment. It took me years to dig out of the ground from a job loss, but I still suffered even more no matter how much I prayed. I may not be a good prayer, but I do know who God is and what He can do. I just do not expect Him to do anything I ask for because He is not a genie. Praying may work for other people better than I.

Let me clarify one bit, so people do not need to go crazy about my lives... I am not looking for a job. I do work in high end tech, but I am also subjected to high taxes, high rent, stuck not saving, and unable to leave town due to obligations. Chances of layoff are always floating around. But I am not looking to work at McDonald's (today anyway). So I am not looking for work. Just in case that has to be clarified. I merely mentioned past experiences and experiences of what other people are going through. With lack of jobs, people who I know are stuck in smaller roles having to take up another part time job or two just to have enough to feed their kids. So my question is more to this country as a whole because all the stuff I read (and my attention span is short) is people suffering with job losses (not really the governments fault there) and lack of new jobs they want... or need to survive.

I do enjoy reading most of the comments people have posted and your viewpoints. I hope to read more.

[Neighbor]

4 hours ago, missmuffet said:

It will not be long and all of us who drive up to a window of a fast food restaurant will be served by a robot. That is the way technology and our world is going. 

Hi, Also  it may be that the industry is suffering a lack of existing store growth. Seems the bigger outfits have been selling off their franchises in order to sustain bottom line revenue. It seems to  me not to be a great place t advance up the corporate ladder, if the corporation is selling it's stores. For there will be fewer managers needed, and far mor eindependently run franchises where the local owner is the manager.

https://brandongaille.com/19-shocking-fast-food-sales-statistics/

"To counter weak sales, Wendy’s sold off 400 company-owned units in 2013 to franchisees.

Other companies have done the same: Yum! Brands sold off more than 680 company-owned restaurants in 2012-2013. McDonald’s has gotten rid of over 200 locations.

Burger King owns less than 1% of its total locations in the United States.

Last year, McDonald’s got about two-thirds of its revenue outside the US. 50% of Yum! Brands sales comes from China.

Despite trying to add healthy options to the menu, salads and similar items account for as little as 2% of total sales in the industry.

In 2012 those with annual household incomes of less than $70,000 spent an average $1,718 a year on food away from home.

Encouraging repetitive customers also helps. 6% of the American population will eat at a fast food restaurant 7x per week or more."

 

The poor including the working poor are with us, and many of us are that poor. It is not just the other guy.  The problem is real  it is individual, and government cannot solve it! One either goes forward gaining in income or one falls back and into eventual poverty, for anyone on a fixed income knows it doesn't buy this year what it bought lat year. That is just the way  it is.

So how does the local body of Christ Jesus  bring some help one to another becomes a hard question to ask and especially hard to  try to respond to or answer. Government is not a viable answer.

What are ways Christian bodies might band together to lift all  up to sufficiency of food clothing housing and medical services? Is there any way? Might Christians start with interest in the subject and with prayer to God to become more enlightened?

Most Christians that I know are families that cannot raise $400 cash  in an emergency need. As most got financially devastated in 2007-8. Most live on next Friday's income alone. So while the stock markets roar with speculation rather than real growth in production by  companies, most of Americans anyway are not,  are not, seeing  increase in personal assets.  They are just holding their own hoping nothing more that is bad hits before Friday comes.

To prosper as a worker is simply going to cost the worker more time spent working  every day and every week and every year. The idea that 40 hours is a normal work week just isn't so. It has always been flawed thinking. It isn't working out well for many  if not almost all hourly  wage workers, yet government planners want us to think in those terms. 

Got to just up and grit it out praying for the opportunity to work more each week and to find self employment  or find talent that is more valuable to employers. Start with gritting out more time in prayer.

[Neighbor]

4 hours ago, The Survivor said:

But I still lost a lot I prayed to not lose. Family. Friends. Credit. Evictions. Embarrassment. It took me years to dig out of the ground from a job loss, but I still suffered even more no matter how much I prayed. I may not be a good prayer, but I do know who God is and what He can do. I just do not expect Him to do anything I ask for because He is not a genie. Praying may work for other people better than I.

Maybe. I think many if not most Christians have suffered great  long periods  of adversity.  God is more than a genie of course. So how is it reconciled? I guess it depends upon  each individuals desire and if they pray  for what is proper or not. Praying for a pile of easy money or to win Lotto may be a suspect prayer that if answered will not benefit but instead do harm. Praying to get daily bread and to share some of it might be the better prayer. The riches obtained by man are all going to burn away anyway. So is the long term goal to be with the most toys for today?

For some that is the goal, win the most toys. For others the goal is very different, they are notably content in their lot and excited for their future with Jesus. Maranatha becomes a real and a joyous chant.