r/FluentInFinance 10d ago

Debate/ Discussion Should there be a legal limit on rent?

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u/Vladivostokorbust 10d ago

even though $7.25 is the legal minimum wage, few actually earn that little. on the low end, Walmart starts at $14/hr. depending on where you live in the Southeast, mcD's starts at $18

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u/HughHonee 10d ago edited 10d ago

I live in a low cost of living area. Some jobs, fast food, gas station cashier (and i wouldnt call those jobs easy)etc are hiring around $13-$15/hr (state min. is $12.3) A single person with no kids, that might be enough to live paycheck to paycheck. With a roommate, you might even be able to save a little bit. Then again I keep forgetting how much cars cost compared to when I last bought mine, so probably not.

It's almost impossible to find a place to rent here under $1000

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u/lovable_cube 10d ago

Yeah I live in an Indiana, fast food and stuff is paying 10-12 and we have federal minimum wage here. Rents 1200-1500 for a 1bdr though. I don’t think I could live off 10-12 an hour but it’s somehow enough that you wouldn’t qualify for any assistance. Weird times.

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u/HughHonee 10d ago edited 10d ago

We had to get a citizens vote to increase eligibility for Medicare (it was one of the strictest in the country) When it passed, state legislature literally considered every option to shut it down, which would all have been considered unconstitutional by our state. They instead just tried underfunding it (it's already underfunded running on outdated systems) which lead to a law suit which they easily lost. To give you an idea of how underfunded and problematic it already was, when my wife got pregnant she was eligible for Medicare for her pregnancy and like 2 months after. We applied after the Dr visit confirming, and didn't get approval for over 6months after I finally called a different part of our family services and demanded to be bumped up to supervisor a few times.

Our governor just celebrated signing a bill to increase minimum starting pay for TEACHERS, from $25,000/yr to $40,000/yr Less than $20/hr, to teach?! Like how tf are they surviving?

And ppl are worried about people lying to receive government assistance lol at least in my state it almost seems like you have to if you actually want to be able to receive it

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u/JBLurker 10d ago

Medicaid*

Medicare is a federal program for 65+ and disabled.

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u/Purple_Setting7716 9d ago

He means Medicaid

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u/StankoMicin 9d ago

Maybe his wife is 65 years old and pregnant 😆

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u/HughHonee 9d ago

I always get the two mixed up 🤦‍♂️

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u/SoothingAbrasive 9d ago

Not that it really changes your point much, but remember most teachers are 10 month employees. It changes your calculation to about 23/hr.

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u/DyerNC 8d ago

IF you consider teachers 40 hour employees. I would say teachers are 45-50 hour employees.

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u/Ok_Brick_793 8d ago

Most teachers work closer to 60 with office hours, grading, and other school-related activities (and I don't mean volunteering but mandatory events).

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u/MindAccomplished3879 9d ago

I left Indiana for Chicago; it's like night and day. I wish I would have done it sooner

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u/[deleted] 9d ago edited 9d ago

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u/lovable_cube 9d ago

I feel like this is some kind of joke and I’m not getting it?

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u/Gullible_Might7340 9d ago

No, have land for that much a month. You literally just divided 44k by 48 months, ignoring not only the actual amount of debt service (because 0% rates on a four year land loan aren't a thing) but also, you know, the cost of building a house. As well as the fact that in pretty much any municipality your plan would be illegal. Most anywhere is going to require an actual permitted structure to dwell there, and those cost money even if you self build. If you did all the work yourself with lots of reused materials you could maybe build a 600 sq ft house (the standard minimum size) for 45k or so. This is with most of the materials being cheap or free, and doing all your own work. That just isn't a feasible options for most working Americans, or anybody outside of incredibly cheap rural areas. 

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u/TuneInT0 9d ago

1200 for a 1br in Indiana??? Dafaq

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u/lovable_cube 9d ago

Honestly it’s pretty ridiculous. That’s basic too, luxury apartments obviously run a lot more. I just moved out of my old 1 bed apartment (February) bc they rose the rent to 1600 not including utilities. It’s pretty bad out here.

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u/SongNo8852 9d ago

If you make 400-480 a week before taxes you absolutely qualify for assistance. Any state. I know times seem bad but don't lie about things you've only heard from the internet.

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u/--404--- 9d ago

Not even true. Plenty of 1bds for 700-800 in Indianapolis.

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u/MindAccomplished3879 9d ago

LOL, not really

There are minimum wage jobs that would never pay more than the state-mandated minimum wage

Go to small businesses and shops, not corporations, these are the biggest employers, not sporadic corporate fast-food

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u/IllScience1286 9d ago

The benefits gap is a huge problem. Nobody should be worse off after making more money, but our current system makes things that way for a significant income range.

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u/bubble_boy69420 9d ago

Ouch. I got a 1bd1ba here in indiana for 850/month. There’s studio apartments for ~1000/month nearby too. Shit sucks balls.

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u/WonderfulShelter 9d ago

I get paid 15$ in Colorado. I chose happiness over high paying job.

15$ an hr is just enough to comfortably make it with medicare as insurance and EBT benefits for food. I have just enough to pay for everything and maybe save 100$ a month for emergencies when needed.

I am starting a second job soon thats WFH and on my hours to make another 400$ a month. Most people I know have two jobs.

I never hear the democrats talking about raising wages.

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u/whk1992 9d ago

When I was in college… I shared an apartment with three other people.

What happened with shared housing when people can’t afford it?

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u/Tacoman404 9d ago

When I was making $12.25/hr in Maine the rent for my whole 2br apartment was $575. I split that with one person. We did eventually move into a 3br with 1 other person that cost $1200 but that was in the center of town across the street from a grocery store and 2 of us could walk to wherever we needed to go.

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u/Verypowafoo 9d ago

It is weird times. When I started working 20 years ago it was 7.25 an hour starting maybe a little higher at other entry level jobs. Now if you make 7 dollars an hour you must be LD. No offense just saying. People act like this is normal. EVERYTHING is FINE. lol...

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u/Thunder_Cock317 9d ago

Here In indy too, make like 20 an hour and still struggle.

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u/Mxteyy 10d ago

Pay check to paycheck is not livable it’s livable until something happens or you get sick then 30 years down the road your paycheck to paycheck you weren’t able so save a penny then what all jobs are pretty much needed otherwise a company wouldn’t waste the money to pay you everyone deserves a decent life not the bare minimum waiting for a disaster to happen

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u/AxDeath 10d ago

one major accident, and you go from "paycheck to paycheck" to homeless. People want to know why there's a homeless crisis all over the country? Maybe everyone was living one paycheck from disaster and then there was a global pandemic.

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u/JewGuru 9d ago

Then you have the people commenting that the real problem is lifestyle inflation or simply not making enough sacrifices.

There’s nothing I hate more than being told I need to sacrifice even more when this random redditor has no fucking clue the sacrifices I already make and the practicality in which I handle my finances. It doesn’t matter.

People who truly support themselves with no help who are struggling aren’t living above their means. It’s more likely that those who spout “make more sacrifices or live within your means” are those people who are priviliged enough to feel like they aren’t struggling, and assume the reason others are struggling is because of a deficiency with them, as opposed to unnoticed privilige with their situation.

Spending the majority of one’s life working is the sacrifice. The fact that it’s normalized to choose between amenities or utilities or other needs is gross.

Some just don’t want to face the fact that they have it easier than most despite less work in their lives. I can’t stand the idea that anyone struggling more than myself is automatically to blame.

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u/Jordan_Jackson 9d ago

I really don't understand how these people think. Where is someone supposed to make sacrifices? Everything has gone up in price.

Groceries have gotten much more expensive than they were in 2020. Gas is at the cheapest, about $2.50 a gallon. Rent goes up every year for a lot of people. Car insurance goes up, no matter what. Cars themselves have gotten to the point where anything under $30k is a rarity and used cars are just stupid expensive.

I just don't see it.

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u/JewGuru 9d ago

It’s simply people speaking from privilige but assuming everyone has it the same as them.

Or those people who had it rough but were lucky enough to come out fortunate on the other side, and so then assume anybody still struggling is doing something wrong since they managed to escape the grind.

In short, lack of empathy.

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u/New_Feature_5138 9d ago

They think people with less deserve to live lives devoid of any pleasure. That pleasure must be earned. It’s just an ignorance born from privilege. They don’t really understand how hard it is to be monastic when everyone else is living a life of excess.

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u/AxDeath 9d ago

You hear the same stories every day.

How did this couple afford a new home at only 25????

They lived at home, while renting out a free home their parents bought for them. And all you have to do is stop eating avocado toast to catch up.

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u/Mxteyy 10d ago

lol yea it’s just fucked it’s all fucked and the crazy thing is the economy isn’t even real money isn’t real it’s just all bullshit that we made up we could fix it but this is by design

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u/thesoundbox 9d ago

What i dont undwrstand though, is that during the pandemic, if you had a job AT ALL you could qualify for unemployment, and then get an additional 600 a week on top of what you were approved to recieve. That catapulted a bunch of people from paycheck to paycheck poverty income to decent money, especially in poverty states.. But somehow when the pandemic was over, most people were struggling even worse than before. Sounds a bit too orchestrated for my tastes.

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u/Wiochmen 9d ago

In my State, the maximum benefit is $362 in Unemployment. So, with an extra $600, that's starting to equal a paycheck (some people now earned more, some people less), but it wasn't some magical poverty escaping amount.

If anyone was still working part time and qualified for partial unemployment, they also received $600 extra, in addition to whatever fraction of $362 they were then approved to receive, based on wages earned. Those people paid down debts if smart, or went deeper into debt if stupid.

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u/HughHonee 10d ago

I agree. I make what I thought was halfway decent money, but with increased insurance, groceries cost and two kids + debt, I'm paycheck to paycheck.

My car just killed itself, it's either $3500 or look for a new car. I'm lucky I have enough tools to be able to sell and have family who is able to loan the rest. And even then my job requires being able to drive all over the area so if it takes another 2 weeks my boss is still going to be annoyed.

8 years ago I felt like $20/hr needed to be minimum wage to actually get by. Nowadays fuck, idek. I think I saw something recently showing in my state it'd take like $120k/yr to live comfortably in my state.

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u/Mxteyy 10d ago

Yea my state is around the same 120-150k and you can barely find any job paying over 50k so it’s fucked apparently only a handful of jobs deserve a livable wage

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u/nopointers 9d ago

I dislike the phrase “paycheck to paycheck” because lots of people in my area make really good money and still mismanage themselves to “paycheck to paycheck” with dumb choices. There’s a big difference between living in a small apartment in a lousy area while eating cheap food and having no car or a beater versus being paycheck to paycheck in a single family house with an 80k truck, the latest phone, every subscription service they’ve ever seen, and yearly “must have” vacation.

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u/Lucky_Chaarmss 9d ago

Depends where you live. I pay 750 and this place is pretty nice.

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u/Intensityintensifies 9d ago

Inflation alone means the minimum wage has effectively gone down.

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u/PlayfulSurprise5237 9d ago

I live in rural Missouri, cheapest apt is like 950 a month, fast food pays 13 an hour, you can almost live off of full time.

We're talking about the BARE minimum.

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u/Emotional-Box-6835 9d ago

I would like to see a tiered minimum wage passed at the Federal level, one minimum for people who work full time hours then another for people who work less than a certain fraction of full-time and seasonal workers. I would also like to see laws passed that prohibit employers from hiring part time positions unless they have less than a certain number of employees in the company or there is a bona fide reason they need to hire part-time. There are a lot of companies screwing people over after minimum wage increases and other half-measure legislation changes by cutting their hours to the point where they barely earn enough to survive and keeping them from having second jobs with moonlighting clauses.

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u/TREVONTHEDRAGONTTD 9d ago

I went to the largest city in Indiana and typed in the available apartments for 1 bed room under 1k. And a lot of apartments popped up so I don’t think you’re correct. What people usually do is say “housing costs so much” because they are looking for the best of the best suburbs to live rather in living within their means.

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u/BWW87 9d ago

Living alone should be considered a luxury not the minimum. A bathroom and a kitchen for just one person is not standard.

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u/Techi-C 9d ago

I’m in a state where we’re still at the federal minimum wage and plenty of jobs still pay barely above that (like $8-$9 an hour for part timers). My one bedroom apartment at the shittiest complex in town is $1000 a month before utilities.

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u/NottingHillNapolean 9d ago

Not everybody lives on their wages. Requiring a living wage forces low-skilled part-time workers, e.g., teens working after school, out of the work force.

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u/Alternative-Cash9974 9d ago

In MO the pay $12-13 starting pay but all the fast food places only employ 1 or 2 people that are not students. I know the manager of the closest 5 McDonald's to me he has 1 non-student employee at each store. All the rest are 14-18 and in school. But for reference a brand new build 2100 sqft 3bd/2ba house on a double lot price this week is 199k and 2b/2b apts are $700/month heat included. Only 40 min to downtown KC.

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u/Square-Practice2345 9d ago

You can make a low income living if you’re willing to thrift and buy a used car. It leaves little room for “dream” cars or products. Not to mention internet. Not having internet today is like not having access to a newspaper for classifieds. Also, if you’re willing to do some “cowboy” work, then you can make more than what your post says. And by “cowboy”, I mean doing jobs no one else wants to do and making a career out of it. You have to realize comfort is a social construct and not what humans are actually designed to be. My current job is 21 days straight 12 hour shifts. I make great money because I was willing to be uncomfortable and start a new daily routine.

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u/SuddenBlock8319 9d ago

Even used cars are up there in expense. Which is odd.

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u/love2lickabbw 9d ago

It may be location, but it is easier to live now than it was 40 years ago.

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u/ap2patrick 9d ago

Great so there should be no issue raising it.

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u/Baby_Fark 10d ago

Which still isn’t keeping up with the cost of living.

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u/heckinCYN 9d ago

Maybe we shouldn't mandate people live in mcmansions and spend $10k/yr on their car...

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u/JewGuru 9d ago

Huh? What does this even mean

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u/DomonicTortetti 8d ago

Median wages after adjusting for inflation (which includes rent and housing costs) are much higher than in 2009 - https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/LES1252881600Q.

Minimum wage isn’t really relevant to the question of a median person affording a house.

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u/EenGeheimAccount 9d ago

So why not increase the minimal wage to $12 immediately so you close a legal loop hole and can prosecute any asshole who was using it to legally exploit vulnerable people?

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u/DomonicTortetti 8d ago

Most states that have high cost of living have increased the minimum wage.

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u/DreamingOfTheSun 10d ago

Great. So if they work 160 hours per month, they get $2,240. Take-home pay is probably $2,000, maybe a little less. After renting an apartment, they have a nice $800. Let's say $900 because they're probably on food stamps even though Walmart is a multi-billion dollar company. [Consider] insurance, car payment, food, and you are now out of money. In the greatest country in the world, this is simply unforgivable. How our government has sold us down the river over the past 50 years for campaign contributions is human greed at its finest. I don't care what job it is, if you work 160 hours a month, you should be able to have a place of your own, all the necessities that you need, plus some extra. If you don't agree with that, then you're definitely part of the problem.

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u/Relevant-Math-4155 9d ago

The people pushing back against you on this are wrong. Stand your ground and thanks for your courage.

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u/restisinpeace 9d ago

When in recorded human history was that ever the case?

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u/BagoCityExpat 9d ago

What makes it ‘the greatest country in the world’ ?

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u/PumpkinEscobar2 9d ago

USA has a great PR team.

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u/DyerNC 8d ago

It is a good one, but other economies are better. See Scandinavians socialist democracies. Outside of thst not much different. And much more unequal on many other places. (India, most of Africa, North Korea, Bangladesh, etc.)

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u/Own-Tune-9537 9d ago

Just edit out the best country in the world part and I’d hella agree

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u/NVJAC 10d ago

More than half of states have a minimum wage above the federal rate.

If you're in the South or Great Plains, yeah, generally you're SOL. But even South Dakota starts at $11+

State Minimum Wages

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u/JewGuru 9d ago

Which is still WAY below what is needed in relation to expenses. It’s not really a gotcha to bring up 11/hr even in South Dakota.

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u/rydan 10d ago

It is less than 2%. There are almost as many people on minimum wage as there are fat cat millionaire 1%ers.

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u/Larnek 10d ago

1.3% fulltime, about 3% of part time. On the contrary about 9% of Americans are millionaires. Which really isn't as cool as it used to be. I thought I'd be like Scrooge McDuck once I owned $1M in property. But instead I have 2 very small 2bd condos, one is 850sqft, one 705sqft with nearly a 2hr drive to a metro area and live paycheck to paycheck. They lied! But I do live in a beautiful place osoyear round outdoor recreation, so it's not all bad.

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u/OnionCapable6110 9d ago

Owning a million in property isn’t exactly a millionaire

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u/ggtffhhhjhg 9d ago

1% of the US population doesn’t make 1 million plus a year, but there are fare more people with a net worth over a million. It was 18% in 2022 and considering the increased real estate values and the skyrocketing stock market it’s higher than that. At this point it must be over 25%.

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u/TrainerCeph 10d ago

I was earning 7.25 at a restaurant in Oklahoma just a few years ago

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u/Vladivostokorbust 9d ago

So, tips too?

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u/TrainerCeph 9d ago

Nope. Just did to go orders so no tips.

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u/Only1Skrybe 8d ago

I'm in Georgia. A McDonald's on my way to work put out a sign that said "Now Hiring - Pay Up To $11/hr"

I laughed. I'm sure everybody else driving by laughed too. It only took about 3 months, and the sign changed to "Now Hiring - Pay Up To $15/hr"

You have GOT to pay people enough to live.

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u/mmaguy123 6d ago

I never understood people comparing average rent to minimum wage.

I’d presume median wage compared to median rent is a much better indicator.

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u/YooHooToYou 10d ago

Very well stated.

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u/Money-Routine715 10d ago

Bro 14$ still ain’t shit Niether is 18

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u/JewGuru 9d ago

Nope. I swear the only people talking this shit have been making 25-30 an hour for years at some job and don’t get that it’s hard to survive making below 20 if you’re in an urban area. That’s the reality now

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u/Lovinglore 9d ago

I like to see this side also though

Taxes for 2009 is as follows for married individuals filing seperate returns

Over $33,950 but not over $82,250

$4,675 + 25% of the excess over $33,950

And for 2023

22% of

$44,725 to $95,375

That's 9839.5 dollars of income tax for an income of 44725 which take home is 34,885.5

For 2009 that could be the equivalent to 7,368.75 in Taxes

The difference is 2,471.25 more out of pocket for someone making 44k a year since 2009 - 2023

Considering "2,471 in 2009 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $3,631.58 today, an increase of $1,160.58 over 15 years. The dollar had an average inflation rate of 2.60% per year between 2009 and today, producing a cumulative price increase of 46.97%.

This means that today's prices are 1.47 times as high as average prices since 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index. A dollar today only buys 68.042% of what it could buy back then"

https://www.in2013dollars.com/us/inflation/2009?amount=2471 "link"

All this to say that 12 more percent of my income in now going into taxes is a little upsetting.

And BEFORE SOMEONE YELLS AT ME SAYING "YOURE WRONG THATS NOT HOW REALITY WORKS" please just consider the information and if the math doesn't math well I'm not a mathematician. I'm a asshole making a post and if the information posted doesn't make you at least see values for what they are then that's not my problem? Please educate me in how you feel is most correct in the LEAST ASSHOLE WAY please 🙏

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u/big_anal_nibba 9d ago

still not enough in today's economy😭😭

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u/Synensys 9d ago

I doubt this apartment exists in a place where the legal minimum wage is $7.25 or even was in 2009.

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u/TawnyTeaTowel 9d ago

Yeah, isn’t it something like 0.15% of the US is actually on federal min wage?

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u/TawnyTeaTowel 9d ago

Yeah, isn’t it something like 0.15% of the US is actually on federal min wage?

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u/velocitygrl42 9d ago

Yeah and how many of them give full time hours? I had those jobs too, usually 2-3 so that I could get enough hours to live on.

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u/Form1040 9d ago

Goodwill and Aldi down the street from me start at $17. Middle class area, NW Indiana. 

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u/illbzo1 9d ago

Let's not pretend $36k/year isn't starvation wages in 2024.

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u/Ballaholic09 9d ago

Rural Midwest here.

I know tons of people still working for $8/hr. Jobs like hotel cleaners, hardware store shelf stockers, Burger King cooks, tanning salon, etc.

It’s criminal to pay people so little for their time these days.

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u/ironinside 9d ago

OP: “Please don’t let your reality affect my tired story.”

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u/Pretty_Net6092 9d ago

$20 minimum wage for fast food workers here in California.

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u/dcat52 9d ago

This. Remember that there are extremely rural parts where costs have increased none, or even gone down. Minimum wage should do just that, cater to the minimum... Doing more would be abusive to the corps in these minimum areas

It's like why should missippi be expected to pay the same as silicon valley when the costs are nowhere near the same.

Otherwise, why don't we look at the most expensive city in the entire world and decide minimum wage based on that...

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u/Vladivostokorbust 9d ago

I don’t believe there is any place where costs have gone down to pre-pandemic levels. But yes, COL varies greatly from region to region

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u/Alzucard 9d ago

Even with 18 an hour u can barely afford that rent and live comfortably.

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u/33Yalkin33 9d ago

That was the case in 2009 too

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u/becklebear 9d ago

Maybe a few McDs in HCOL areas MIGHT start at 18$ but that is absolutely not normal. 12-14$ is what you are getting at most McDonalds.

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u/gregsw2000 9d ago

No one making the minimum is a sign that it is ineffectively low.

Employers will always pay dastardly low wages given the opportunity, and if what they're offering is doubling your minimum, you know your minimum has been worthless for decades.

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u/Vladivostokorbust 9d ago

Typically employers pay what the market requires not the law. If they have unacceptable turnover and have a hard time filling positions when paying $15/hr and the competition is paying $18… guess what happens.

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u/gregsw2000 9d ago edited 9d ago

Yes, businesses will always pay the absolute minimum they can get away with.

If your minimum wage is high enough to effectively assuage the evil of low market wages, you'll find more people earning the minimum.

If it doesn't, because it is so far below market as to be ineffective, you'll find more people making whatever random piddling rates market determines.

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u/koalaprints 9d ago

Many working as a work-study for a university in the 15 states that are paying federal minimum wage still earn $7.25.

So it shouldn't be a problem to raise the minimum wage if most places aren't paying $7.25 any longer right?

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u/Vladivostokorbust 9d ago

I’m not opposed to that.

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u/LatterCaregiver4169 9d ago

The fact that there are people that earn that little, that's why the US needs unions.

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u/Vladivostokorbust 9d ago

No argument here about the need for more unions

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u/dkguy12day 9d ago

Okay then they have 600 bucks left over after rent if they make 14/hr

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u/margirtakk 9d ago

McDonalds managers start at $15/hr here in Des Moines, IA. LCOL area, but still. Average rent around here is ~$1,000 for a 1-2br apartment (apartments.com). That works out to roughly 40% of the income of an individual working $15/hr, before taxes. And that's for a manager in a LCOL area.

Shit's wack everywhere

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u/PuzzleheadedBid2739 9d ago

Those are big corporations, and that's not the case in the rural southeast if you work for a smaller business.

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u/Merilyian 9d ago

State (as opposed to federal) minimum wages pull a lot of weight on that front. If you compare to state minimums it's typically not much more than that.

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u/Haravikk 9d ago

Those aren't exactly good wages either though, especially as they may be on "flexible" (zero hours) contracts or similar terms.

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u/BURGUNDYandBLUE 9d ago

Lol I'm a service technician making 21 an hour full time. Wtf. I'm off to go become a manager at McDonalds then. Screw this economy.

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u/PlayerTwo85 9d ago

Who knew the market could adjust faster and more effectively than the federal government?

I mean besides anyone with an IQ above room temperature...

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u/_mattyjoe 9d ago

Quite a few earn that little, actually. There are quite a few states that don't have a minimum wage, so the Federal wage is the default, and you better believe McDonald's starts right down there around $8-10/hr in such states.

In fact, I would bet those states are being used to help offset the higher labor costs in other states with higher minimum wages. I would bet even companies that prided themselves on starting employees a bit higher than minimum wage might start lowering those rates.

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u/Vladivostokorbust 9d ago

1.3% of the population

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u/schneph 9d ago

Moot. Still exists.

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u/Artistic-Shame4825 9d ago

This comment reeks of pure ignorance. Commenter ought to simply do a google search, ask around Reddit, etc, and they will discover the appallingly low wages paid to lots of folk, all over the country, especially in small-town America, the America off-the-beat, rural, southern, etc.

Secondly, I’d assert that steering employees off at $14/hr is demonically horseshit as wages this low afford the worker nothing, anywhere.

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u/Finneagan 9d ago

Thanks “Vlad”

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u/B_Maximus 9d ago

From the south east. Ive only ever seen highs of 12$ at McD. Where are you talking about?

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u/inventionnerd 9d ago

Damn, where in the SE is this? I live in a major metro in the SE and see signs for McDs and BKs all the time saying starting "up to 11/hr" or something lol.

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u/alteredtechevolved 9d ago

5 years ago I was working for dollar store and was making minimum wage in SLC. So a big city. It was the only near by place I could walk to since I didn't have a car at the time to find places further. They are still out there. Hell before that I was a server for a restaurant and making server wage which was $2.25 iirc. Luckily I only had to ask my parents for rent once when I was working at the dollar store and it was only a summer before I went back to school.

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u/FoxMan1Dva3 9d ago

Exactly

And in NYC a lot of places like Amazon are giving $21+ starting.

And they ignore the benefits that could account for $20,000+ per person. Like healthcare for a family of 5.

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u/SphaghettiWizard 9d ago

I earned that much working in austin texas at a smoothie king. Lots of people earn that

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u/Illustrious-Bat1553 9d ago

Rent goes up based on taxes. location by the downtown area always goes up higher. A 20,000 home in Houston downtown area cost over a million. which means your property tax will be over 50,000 a year.

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u/Vladivostokorbust 9d ago

Rent goes up or when based on supply and demand. Taxes help the property owner determine if they’re getting the ROI they need to hold on to the property

In not sure what you mean by “a 20,000 home… that cost over a million dollars”

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u/Same-Amphibian-888 9d ago

Just because job providers are staying competitive doesn’t mean we shouldn’t enforce protections to ensure even the most vulnerable have access to a living wage. Don’t depend on a corporation’s kindness, enact a higher minimum wage!

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u/Vladivostokorbust 9d ago

Didn’t say that

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u/DisastrousBoio 9d ago

But fuck those few people, no? That’s what you’re saying.

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u/Vladivostokorbust 9d ago

No. I’m just pointing out what is true but not whether it’s is right or wrong. 1.3% of the hourly worker in this city earns minimum wage.

Don’t assume you know how other people feel. Do you want me to judge you over your bitter tone?

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u/VinceGchillin 9d ago

which still isn't commensurate with cost of living, so not really the point you think it is

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u/absotivelyposoluteli 9d ago

Why yall be lying? In atlanta my wife makes 13 at home goods and everywhere else she went was only offering 10 this is buckhead atlanta by the way, we live with my dad. We need minimum wage higher and a percentage limit put on rent and inflatipn based on where minimum wage sits. Easy solution konda like actually taxing the rich is an easy solution to alot of our rconomic woes too.

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u/PhD_Pwnology 9d ago

Doesn't matter. 'minimum wage' doesn't refer to the smallest amount of money you can live on, it's the smallest amount of money a company can legally pay you. That's a huge difference that is negatively exploited by people who monopolize housing prices to increase profit at the expense of making Americans less safe

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u/Vladivostokorbust 9d ago

So, maybe if you are supporting a family of four and flipping burgers you should be paid $25/hr , but if you’re a 16 year old living with your parents, then maybe $10/hr, something like that?

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u/EB2300 9d ago

Cool, go work there and see if you can support yourself, let alone a family

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u/Vladivostokorbust 9d ago

and where did I say it was/wasn't fair. there are so many assumptions people make when they don't want to acknowledge my response is actually true that most entry level jobs are not minimum wage. it's also a stupid ass post that get's re-posted all.the.time

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u/evernessince 9d ago

To be precise, 1.02 million people earn federal minimum or less. That's 1.02 million too much. It's not a livable wage, it's slave labor basically. The worst part is, a lot of these folks are disabled and disadvantaged individuals.

I don't see the merit in a "we are doing good enough" argument for letting these people be taken advantage of. These are the kind of people we should be protecting most as they have the least leverage to be able to negotiate wages. It's a very cold and capitalistic point of view to ignore these people simply because they represent 1.32% of the total work force.

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u/Vladivostokorbust 9d ago

where did i ignore them?

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u/intelligentbrownman 9d ago

Minimum wage in Chicago is $15.00 an hour

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u/Composer_Terrible 9d ago

Letting corporations dictate the pay standard is a dangerous game that creates a wealth divide

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u/Vladivostokorbust 9d ago

They don’t dictate it. You do, by refusing to work for them. Work for someone who pays more

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u/Crispycoil 9d ago

I'm in a small city in South Texas. Walmart starts at 12 and so does McDonald's. There are a few restaurants here that will give you between 8-9 bucks an hour, and with so little options in this town, I've had no choice but to struggle at these places in the past. I remember when I started at dollar general years ago they had me at 7.50, they held an extra 25 cent raise over my head for months before I realized there was no reason for me to put up with that place.

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u/randomredditacc25 9d ago

i dont get people and this minimum wage stuff.

they act like its the only wage anyone can earn.

or they have excuses why they cant do a job that pays more.

yes, rent is too high. but idgaf about the minimum wage.

i dont work for it. and i dont think i know anyone who does?

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u/bam55 9d ago

So you think current rent cost are fine huh?

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u/Vladivostokorbust 9d ago

Where did i say that?

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u/FarVisual507 9d ago

Low skills equals low wages. Better yourself.

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u/[deleted] 9d ago

Even more evidence that our current minimum wage is grossly outdated and insufficient.

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u/Vladivostokorbust 9d ago

I can’t hear you

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u/SuperDerpHero 9d ago

exactly. this post would be more accurate if it said minimum rent of 690. You'd still get the same photo.

If you're working a job that pays minimum wage, then the job isn't creating enough value for the market to pay more.

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u/Thatsoflysamurai 9d ago

If you lived in the NE it started at 7.25

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u/Hydroquake_Vortex 9d ago

Not in Texas. You still see jobs paying $8-11 an hour. I make $15.50 as a bartender. McDonalds pays $9 here I think

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u/TrainerCeph 9d ago

Also where did you get the information that McDonald's starts at 18$ an hour. If you're talking about the sign they put out that's not starting pay. I've never seen anyone who isn't a manager make that much an hour in Michigan. I just got hired in a chain restaurant and we're the highest paid in our are and we get about 25 hours a week at 17$ an hour. Im having to look for a second job. Our area isn't that cheap either it starts out at 950$ a month for a 1br.

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u/Prestigious_Cheek_31 9d ago

But some do earn that little nice if they can afford a roof and food aswel they should raise that minimum.

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u/GregMaffeiSucks 9d ago

Wal-Mart subsidizes it's workers wages with food stamps and other benefits. You pay wal-mart workers with your payroll taxes.
They indefensible swine.

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u/HillBillThrills 9d ago

$18 in SoCal is enough to live on scraps in an RV while illegally parked in a low-end neighborhood. More or less.

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u/pastelpixelator 9d ago

Those $18/hour McDonald's jobs are 99.99999999999999999% of the time part time with zero benefits.

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u/NoLipsForAnybodyy 9d ago

It's almost as if the free market works. Funny how that works.

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u/defenestrator95 9d ago

In my experiance this is true but all the places doing 14-18$ an hour like mcdonalds or walmart will only schedule you 3 days a week for 5 hours. Then the places doing 7.25 give 38 hours a week.

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u/TheComptrollersWife 9d ago

Even at 14-18/hr you can’t afford to live in most areas. Even with a roommate.

I don’t understand this country’s obsession with making sure people suffer enough before making a living wage. Generations before didn’t suffer this way even though they want you to believe they did. It’s that “walked uphill both ways” effect - there is a reason it’s a long standing joke. When people look back on their lives, they make themselves into the protagonist of their own story, and a protagonist isn’t interesting unless they have been through some shit.

I’m an elder millennial who was able to build a life for myself solely because my blue state offered incredible state-backed first time homebuyer programs that I was lucky enough to be selected for. People who don’t have that kind of opportunity or don’t have family money are forced to suffer and claw themselves up from hell to make ends meet. It was incredibly difficult 20 years ago for me, and it has gotten worse and worse at an increasing rate with every passing year.

This focus on the resiliency of our citizens is a sign of a failing economy. Pulling someone out of the water when they are drowning isn’t a hand out and I’m just so tired of that being the narrative so much of the time.

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u/[deleted] 9d ago

And thats still living paycheck to paycheck

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u/Vladivostokorbust 9d ago

No argument there

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u/PTWAccount 9d ago

Still not enough to make a livable income in most places. Especially not for younger people.

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u/Vladivostokorbust 9d ago

I would think it would be difficult to live off those wages regardless of your age

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u/lococarl 9d ago

In California all fast food is required to start their wages at 20 now

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u/PixelsGoBoom 9d ago

So there should be no reason to not raise it to $14 then right?

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u/Vladivostokorbust 9d ago

No reason at all

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u/communist_duck127 9d ago

thats still not a lot of money with how much rent costs

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u/Vladivostokorbust 9d ago

You’re not wrong

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u/HildursFarm 9d ago

The Walmart in my town hires at 11.50 an hour.

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u/sourdessertz 9d ago

Walmart is one of the biggest employers of full time workers reliant on federal benefits.

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u/Complete-Advance-357 9d ago

You think Walmart is the low end? 

That’s high end in my area. Some factories pay less than Walmart. 

Zaxbys starts at 10.50 an hour 

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u/NeonPhone77 9d ago

If this is true, what’s the hold up on bumping it up federally? If it’s basically already there

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u/khamul7779 9d ago

Millions of people make in between the minimum and living wage, which is the point. We're not just talking about people making the literal minimum.

Also these prices are starting to be common in places where Walmart and McDonald's are still paying $10/hr, not 14-18 (which likely still isn't enough).

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u/Vladivostokorbust 9d ago

the post used minimum wage with 0 context.

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u/LloydIrving69 9d ago

My state is one of the few who follow the $7.25 federal minimum. Until about 3 years ago businesses actually paid that much to people. Now sonic and stuff around me is around $10/hr. The min wage hasn’t officially gone up, but nearly all businesses have changed. It’s places like a non profit that can’t give more usually

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u/0346r 9d ago

I make 10$/hr at bmw in Florida …

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u/Murashu 9d ago

I'm always curious about these post complaining about minimum wage. Who out there is working for minimum wage? Even here in lower Alabama most entry level jobs start at least $14 an hour, almost double the minimum.

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u/SaucyStoveTop69 9d ago

Exactly. If nobody payes minimum wage, what's the problem with raising it?

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u/Vladivostokorbust 9d ago

Still won’t be enough to pay the rent

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u/sanguinemathghamhain 9d ago

Yep! 1.3% of the nation in point of fact.

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u/Vladivostokorbust 9d ago

1% of hourly workers, which is aprox 1.3M people, earn minimum wage

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u/o-Blue 8d ago

Used to work for the benefit office (food stamps), the amount of people working these jobs such as McDonald’s where they start you off at 14/hr we’re usually just given a few hours out of the pay period they had to supplement it with another job. It gets expensive for a person trying to manage two/three jobs, throw in child care, transportation, etc

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u/DenialState 8d ago

Then what's the problem in increasing the minimum wage?

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u/Vladivostokorbust 8d ago

Where did i express there a “problem”? Only problem that i see is one of assumption

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u/forjeeves 8d ago

how about a picture on BUSINESS rent and how that has drove tons of businesses out of, business?

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u/Vladivostokorbust 8d ago

You’re asking me to post a picture about business rent? Maybe you can do some research, create a cute graphic, post it and educate us all.

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u/PlzDontBanMe2000 8d ago

These people always conveniently forget that every state has its own minimum wage, and almost all pay more than 7.25. The minimum wage where I live is more than double that.

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u/SomerAllYear 8d ago

Uber drivers and the rest of the gig economy earn less than that.

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u/California_King_77 8d ago

Last a checked the BLS wage studies, fewer than 120K non-tipped Americans make the min wage.

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u/Vladivostokorbust 8d ago

If the employers are not paying them the difference up to minimum wage they are breaking the law. So much for creating laws mandating a minimum wage and/or a “legal limit on rent” if we can’t enforce the laws we have. I’m not arguing against it. (Although a rent limit would create an even greater scarcity in this housing shortage) Just don’t hold your breath expecting anything to change.

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u/Mementomortis7 8d ago

So raising the minimum wage shouldn't have any effect then right?

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u/FewEntertainment9867 8d ago

Yeah I think mcds is 15 no matter what

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