Originally, I read the article below and thought to just publish it with a comment about how I was right. If minimum wage at fast food places went up to $15 an hour, the menus would be so pricey we might stop going. Yep, that was the goings on of my argument from the first installment of fast food problem solutions. Granted, that one is tongue in cheek.
Now, this one is serious and it is talking about the problem of raising minimum wage to $15. Now, I found something new to pick on here, but let’s look at a couple of ideas before you read:
1) $15 / hr minimum wage will rip too deeply into the pockets of the restaurants, the customers, and the stock holders. All three of these will suffer, the last two because the only recourse the restaurants will have is to either lay off employees or raise prices. Now, that’s bad, but here is collateral damage. If you are working a $15 an hour job right now, you should be fairly happy with yourself. You are being paid a decent salary and doing more than the minimum wage guys. What happens when it goes up? You are, certainly, not going to get an $7 an hour raise to compensate. Nope, now you are working just as hard as before, but only making minimum wage. That’s going to make things frustrating and I predict that a lot of people will find minimum wage jobs where they don’t have to do so much to earn the money. Just an opinion.
Okay, now lets get back to your assignment – 4 minutes of reading:
What happens at $15 is only the beginning…
Done? Well, to see my next point we have to go back to the “comments” section because that’s where my story takes place. The quoted sections below are from the article you just read:
“disqus_C67ZJ9pNj6
If you are an adult and are still flipping burgers, maybe you should reevaluate your career choices. These jobs were never intended to be a life long career, they are entry level jobs.”
There is always one, in my opinion; there is always someone who has to pick and call the person – slow or ignorant or something (inferred).
Not everyone can be successful. Low wages should be an incentive to get an education or skills – and then a better job.”
“James Reed druid0621
Honestly, you and the 64 people who thumbed you up, you have no idea how the world actually works. Some people don’t have the opportunity to just ‘get more skills” then magically, poof! a better job comes around!
I know many people who went to school to “get more skills” where are they? Working a 10 dollar per hour job.”
Ah, the voices of reason. They say it just as it needs to be said. Not everyone can do this. Great if you can, but don’t down the other 90% who can’t get the job.
I won’t go into the comments any more, but YOU SHOULD. You should read the next 10 or 20 and see how bad these people bash others who are in a position where they are having financial difficulties. It is cruel and heartless. I know there are people out there who waste their lives whining about things they could do something about. Sure there are. But there are also those who are in this position or that position because they are trying or have tried for so long to get it to work and haven’t been able to. Yes, I believe anyone can use intention and the abilities of our mind to change their surroundings, but not everyone understands, and not everyone has the fortitude to push through without some major help.
What makes me burn is not so much that I agree or disagree with any of it. It makes me upset that people seem to have no more compassion, in general, than to kick someone when they are down. If you pressed through, bucked up, and are now making good money at a good job, how wonderful for you. But, we can’t all have those jobs; there aren’t enough of them. If everyone had those jobs, then there would be no fast foods and no low-level entry work to do except for a very short time by people on the move and our society doesn’t work like that.
Just have a heart!
What do you think? (the article had over 800 comments!)
Namaste,
Scott
Kindredspirit23's Blog 
Comments
as I age I learn more about myself AND my limitations…1st, I understand my mother nearly killed me as a baby…my understanding is she shook me until I stopped crying…it’s called shaken baby syndrome”, SBS…my brain was damaged severely…I mix up numbers, letters, products with similar labels…I often cannot get my brain and hand to work together…the best wage I have ever made was/is $12.50 base+$2.00 night differential…when my shift is at night I make $14.50…I went to college, I got 76hr, but not algebra…i’m blind in one eye(likely caused by a stroke from SBS) and this hampers my hand/eye corridation…I don’t get disability,and with only 10yr or so left till my earliest retirement, I don’t even want it…my days of “sucking it up and getting off my dead-ass” are over…I will always be doing manual labor and being told i’m not good enough…difference, now, is my “give a damn” is busted…I seriously just want me a little bit of dirt and a nice little box for my conditioned air, tv, and ‘net…i’m tired of all the drama…
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Ah, the “stroke” card. I get to play that one, too. It’s a very valid card. People do not seem to understand that if your brain becomes damaged, you may look ok (or not), but functioning is affected, the way you think is affected. My memory is shotty at times, I forget short-term stuff. My OCD is gone (wow, great!), I have double vision, my left side is a bit weaker and I have bad arthritis in both hips. Yep, life can be rough, but what fun we can still have! I trust God and He works it all out, always has. I just kinda choose and watch and wait. Still, it would be nice to not see double, especially driving (I block part of my right eye – fixes it), and to walk and move normally. We will see.
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yeppers…I love life but i’m starting to see people aren’t that necessary
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Still, it is nice to have them around?
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+I like the distance of the ‘net…
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Each to their own. If they weren’t, at least, there, then we would be bad off.
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oh, ikr? but people just rub me thin…kids are usually super cool at least honest…adults often are selfish and heartless
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Well, as a teacher, I mostly found it that way.
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As a person with a high level of education and unable to put it to use, I’ve come to realise a few things about the world of work, namely that starting out with money helps you reach the places where highly paid jobs are. If you start out without money, in some fields, it is VERY hard to get ahead. Some do. It’s not impossible. They enslave themselves to their work, they take on massive loans that they sell their souls to pay back, or they qualify for financial help from universities. As I am too ‘ordinary’ in that sense (I am not a single parent, I am not an ethnic minority, I do not have a prison record etc) so I do not qualify for financial help. I am not going to enslave myself to my work to pay back a huge loan because, you know what? Sometimes it’s nice to enjoy things and not be a slave to the idea that your job defines you. I am a baker. I bake cakes all day long and I love it. It’s not highly paid and it’s not using my education but it’s fun and it leaves me enough time to spend with the people I care about.
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See? Now, I would say you use your education wisely. You are gainfully employed in a job you love doing things for others.
What’s not to like about that?
Here in the US, I am guessing that financial loans for students are easier than abroad. You can get them here. Problem is really payback.
Most students who become doctors, for instance, will be able to, eventually, pay things off, but others, like teachers may have a lot more trouble.
I was able to because I taught at a low-income school for a specified number of years and got forgiveness of a large part of the last one.
Anyway, I agree with you.
Scott
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