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I'm still waiting to hear this mythical 'living wage' definition.

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No need for food stamps. Be different with 4/5% real unemployment, and those 50,000 closed and moved factories operating. But if retail and service jobs being created one out of four? And NO jobs bill with all the work that NEEDS to be done?

Cry me a river about not have a living wage and not doing the work that needs doing. You can't have it both ways and holler lazy, entitled, or any other winger excuses, and not be called a winger. But at least you can see some raise for the working poor. You ain't loony. Split the difference at $13.50. Let the CEO's and paper pushers figure out how to take care of the sweating workers. Or the owners of those billion dollar sweat shops.

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and unskilled youth unemployment in Aussie is 17% ;and 63% of all jobs lost were jobs for young, unskilled Aussies. That min. wage is certainly working out for them.

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matter of perspective and definition Tom. Youth wages are set as a percentage of the minimum adult wage so it can only add to unemployment after they reach their majority. the reason for youth unemployment is that those job creators aren't creating jobs here either. I see where GM is withdrawing from Australia, 'just as they are from Europe, it's cheap to manufacture in South Korea

They should remember we have long memories and are loyal to manufacturers who give us local content. their reasons are a high Aussie dollar and manufacturing costs, Wages are not a high component of that, it is electricity, transport and we know that your QE has driven up the value of our currency

In any case you try to get some of these youths to work, it's a lost cause, if it hasn't got a screen and a game they don't want to know. Reality sets in around 25. In our economy those who want to work will find employment but there are many who opt out and become a statistic. If they get a job they can rely on being paid at least the minimum and are thus not slave labour the alternative is called New Start and gives them enough money to catch the bus

A whopping 4.7 percent of hourly workers make minimum wage, half under the age of 25. Once again a crisis that really isn't a crisis.But again, they're going to need a raise to pay for Obamacare and make it in their new part time jobs.

Characteristics of Minimum Wage Workers: 2012

It's a crisis for the 4.7%. Give them a raise.

Betting many of them work in restaurants where addition revenue from tips are standard . Betting some work retail where commissions add to their pay.

Betting most work at McDonald/Wendy's/Burger King or Walmart, where there are no tips or commissions.

nobody works for min wage here in NY for any job. If $15 is a reasonable "living wage " why not make it $25 ;$35,$50 ? .

COL varies considerably around the US. That is why so many states have higher minimum wages. Around the entire northeast and NY corridor, you won't find a single minimum wage being paid. And I don't think that exempt jobs (waiters) are even included in the stats.

Supply and demand usually determine what wages are paid unskilled jobs. But now that we are in a recession, employers cut wages as much as they can get away with. It is time to raise the minimum, but 15 would just push up all the low paying skilled jobs, AND raise the COL. It isn't the SOLUTION to much of anything!

The PROBLEM is the change in the global economy means we no longer have much manufacturing to give jobs to under trained people to learn on the job. We have known for decades that service jobs were going to be all that was left for them. Did we expand our trade schools? Nope. Welding jobs are still going begging! Especially underwater welding! There are tons of fracking jobs. The people working at fast food and big box stores don't have the wherewithal to get out of the rut they are in.

Is raising it enough to match what they get in food stamps unreasonable? Haven't figured out what that is yet, but its where I would start. But as I remember one of Obamas proposals was for a training program for the unemployed where companies would get subsidies for the salaries they paid. That sounded reasonable but went nowhere.

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Its a crisis for the 4.7%. Give them a raise.

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Most of them probably live their parent(s).

Food stamps are paid out on a sliding scale according to a formula based on income.
I got so tired of people on Facebook saying 'it's $4.50/day' that I went to the SNAP website and filled out an application without submitting it. Even the CEO of Panera lived on 4.50/day for a month, without bothering to even get the facts.

People who get only 4.50/day HAVE INCOME, and not a small income either.
People on welfare get considerably more.

FEEL FREE TO GO LOOK.

I bet many have kids. Or rent, or get up early to catch a bus to work.

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Did we expand our trade schools? Nope. Welding jobs are still going begging! Especially underwater welding! There are tons of fracking jobs. The people working at fast food and big box stores don't have the wherewithal to get out of the rut they are in.

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We became seduced with liberal arts colleges . I advise every kid I know relocate to where the job market is hot (even though it's very cold these days in North Dakota these days ).
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money...ota/50136572/1
Workers Missing in Job Boom - KWES NewsWest 9 / Midland, Odessa, Big Spring, TX: newswest9.com |
Pennsylvania job scene booms with Marcellus shale | Oil Patch Asia

of course on the other side of the border is upstate NY where liberal's policies have kept the region in a continuos state of depression (except perhaps in the college towns like Ithica ).

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Food stamps are paid out on a sliding scale according to a formula based on income.
I got so tired of people on Facebook saying 'it's $4.50/day' that I went to the SNAP website and filled out an application without submitting it.
People who get only 4.50/day HAVE INCOME, and not a small income either.
People on welfare get considerably more.

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But they are the working poor, many single females with kids. KIDS need attending, and food is but a start.

The amount is increased for each child.
I'm not going to spell out how it's done when it's easy and very enlightening to go look.
Just make up a scenario for a single working mother, etc, and don't finish it.

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I advise every kid I know relocate to where the job market is hot (even though it's very cold these days in North Dakota these days ).

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It's a good solution but extremely challenging without a lot of help and support. Any move requires a well thought out plan. Some companies though do provide for help if they know you are interested and serious about relocating and that's a good thing if you have no other contacts or relatives where your going.

Lateral mobility is often harder than upward mobility. Doing nothing is not an acceptable option when you have nothing.

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But they are the working poor, many single females with kids. KIDS need attending, and food is but a start.

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Trust me, it's the single females without children who get the short end of the welfare stick. You try living on less than $600 a month with $70 worth of food stamps.

Why is a single female without children on welfare?
And you know one who gets 600/mo + 70? 600 is high for welfare singles and 70 is low.
AGAIN - the food stamps are on a sliding scale.

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Any move requires a well thought out plan

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Nah just get up and go. You think the Okies had a plan except to get to California where the jobs were ?

She's my daughter and she's disabled. I believe her SSI is $550.