House and Senate Democrats introduce legeslation to increase federal min. wage to $15/hr by 2025

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Hope this legislation gets passed. as $15.00/hr =  $ 31,200/ year  barely enough  to cover rent. heath insurance, food, clothing for a family --- as my one son has learned.

 

 

US healthcare expenditures per capita are double the OECD average and much higher than in all other countries. But there are many fewer doctors and hospital beds per person than the OECD average.

US infant mortality rates in 2013 were the highest in the developed world.

Americans can expect to live shorter and sicker lives, compared to people living in any other rich democracy, and the “health gap” between the US and its peer countries continues to grow.

US inequality levels are far higher than those in most European countries

Neglected tropical diseases, including Zika, are increasingly common in the USA. It has been estimated that 12 million Americans live with a neglected parasitic infection. A 2017 report documents the prevalence of hookworm in Lowndes County, Alabama.

The US has the highest prevalence of obesity in the developed world.

In terms of access to water and sanitation the US ranks 36th in the world.

America has the highest incarceration rate in the world, ahead of Turkmenistan, El Salvador, Cuba, Thailand and the Russian Federation. It's rate is nearly five times the OECD average.

The youth poverty rate in the United States is the highest across the OECD with one quarter of youth living in poverty compared to less than 14% across the OECD.

The Stanford Center on Inequality and Poverty ranks the most well-off countries in terms of labor markets, poverty, safety net, wealth inequality, and economic mobility. The US comes in last of the top 10 most well-off countries, and 18th amongst the top 21.

In the OECD the US ranks 35th out of 37 in terms of poverty and inequality.

According to the World Income Inequality Database, the US has the highest Gini rate (measuring inequality) of all Western Countries

The Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality characterizes the US as “a clear and constant outlier in the child poverty league”. US child poverty rates are the highest amongst the six richest countries – Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Sweden and Norway.

 

I think $15 per hour solves a lot of these issues ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING in basic ECONOMICS, that the money will ALL BE SPENT IN OUR ECONOMY! Food, accommodation, transport, medical etc etc. 

It's kind of an exponential thing! Give people health care(single payer) keep them well, they work.... No benefits necessary... They pay taxes... They buy stuff... More stuff needed... Economy increases... People are happy... Less crime, INSTEAD OF ALLOWING A FEW INDIVIDUALS TO HOARD ALL THE MONEY! 

BASIC ECONOMICS! 

JUST explore the dynamics of cities which is a microcosm for how society functions! 

English/European Market Town. Middle ages? Farmers... Meat... Agriculture etc. They live in the country minimal customers. So go into town to the market where everyone is and Voila' MORE CUSTOMERS! Take the money and buy shoes, clothing, furniture, luxuries from another artisan. EXPONENTIAL! 

The cycle of money and trade! 

$15 an hour buys food/clothes /furniture /luxuries VOILA'

THE CYCLE OF MONEY AND TRADE! 

 

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10 hours ago, TheMoonisMyLantern said:

Yes, it is fair. If we didn't pay it forward, no one would be able to successful except for a select few, which is basically where we're headed.

And like I said, I'm all for supporting small businesses. But by advocating for large corporations, doesn't that go against the interest of small businesses? 

No.  There is room for and a need for both.

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9 hours ago, toomuchbaloney said:

Book Review - The Price of Inequality  (Stiglitz)

If you haven't read this book I highly recommend it.  It's likely available at your local library if you don't want to purchase it, that was my experience.  It is very readable and I read through it surprisingly fast.  

 

I've heard of it before.  I will check ot out.

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Specializes in Hospice, Geri, Psych and SA,.
10 minutes ago, Beerman said:

No.  There is room for and a need for both.

Not in capitalism there isn't, you make as much money as possible and if you can limit other people from providing the same goods without being labeled as a monopoly then you win!

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7 hours ago, Curious1997 said:

I think $15 per hour solves a lot of these issues ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING in basic ECONOMICS, that the money will ALL BE SPENT IN OUR ECONOMY! Food, accommodation, transport, medical etc etc. 

The $15 per hour increase effects only 10% of the working population.  Of which a decent portion is part-time workers.  For that reason alone, I think it overly optimistic that it's going to solve many of those problems.

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11 hours ago, MunoRN said:

It's a restaurant, starting wages vary by position and I have two salaried positions, the servers and dishwashers start at $17/hr, the line cooks start at $20 but I rarely put someone as a cook who hasn't already worked there in a different position.  Tips are pooled and distributed using ratios based on each position, we're only open for dinner but after a 3 to 5 hour night most staff end up with around $150. 

I depends on where the restaurant is located, but it seems those are decent wages for most restaurants. 

How did you decide on those wages?  Is that what the market is for the type of employee you want?  Or, did you decide that was a "living wage" for your area?  How many first time job seekers do you employ at those wages?

 

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Specializes in Hospice, Geri, Psych and SA,.

What do you all think of base national income as opposed to setting minimum wages higher? I know that concept is still considered quite radical but I think with the exponential effects that AI and continued automation are going to have, that establishing a basic national income seems inevitable. 

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11 hours ago, SummerGarden said:

This argument is old and has not addressed the real problem that every person who works a full time job should be able to sustain themselves separate from the social system.  Thus, I agree with the posters that state that people cannot be self reliant and self sufficient working wages that do not make them independent of the welfare system.

I agree.  Someone working the cash register at Burger King should not expect to make enough to support a family on that alone.

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Specializes in Hospice, Geri, Psych and SA,.
6 minutes ago, Beerman said:

I agree.  Someone working the cash register at Burger King should not expect to make enough to support a family on that alone.

People don't expect to be able to do that with minimum wage, but when that's the only job that one can find. 

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5 minutes ago, TheMoonisMyLantern said:

People don't expect to be able to do that with minimum wage, but when that's the only job that one can find. 

Perhaps you should then not have a family until you have a skillset that is of more value in the labor market.

Those jobs are great for people who are gaining work experience.  

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21 minutes ago, TheMoonisMyLantern said:

What do you all think of base national income as opposed to setting minimum wages higher? I know that concept is still considered quite radical but I think with the exponential effects that AI and continued automation are going to have, that establishing a basic national income seems inevitable. 

The most obvious drawback to this is the inflation that will follow,  and in the long nothing has been gained.

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Specializes in Hospice, Geri, Psych and SA,.
17 minutes ago, Beerman said:

Perhaps you should then not have a family until you have a skillset that is of more value in the labor market.

Those jobs are great for people who are gaining work experience.  

I agree, people should definitely wait to have kids until they are financially stable. We need to be aggressive with education on safe sex, offer contraception, along with family planning oh wait that's right Republican's have done everything they can to defund and destabilize Planned Parenthood which provided those services to many many communities around the nation. Well there goes that plan.

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