$10.10 Minimum Wage -Should Congress Pass It? Opinion ?

Betty, your story is not unique, but sad nevertheless.  Struggling for survival knows no bounds.  Sometimes desperation can bring forth inner strength that can serve one in the future.  It appears that your struggle gave you the determination to survive and win out.  Trying to hold on to what you possess is certainly a good incentive. 
Quote: “What you are given can be taken away.  What you have earned, no one has a right to.”


Ann makes a good point.  Inflation can mean a reduction in income.  That is something seniors face on a fixed SS Income.  Unless there is a cost of living adjustment, or an increase to keep pace with inflation, it means they are receiving less.

What I find hard to understand is the people who continue to support political ideas that only continue to hurt the struggling person. The impunity with which banks control the nation is amazing when they were so involved in the economic recession. I mean big banks. Many smaller ones failed too.

People who work for minimum wage are not slaves to a company. A slave has to work for free, and has no control over their own life. Those who work for minimum wage can quit their job, and go find a better on. If the worker has no talent to sell, they either have to improve their talent, find a new field of work, or stay at the same income level.

Most of the labor force believe big business is making all the money, and not sharing it with them. Where does labor think big business got the money to start up? Did it fall out of the sky? No. The start up money had to be earned by some body. If a company goes broke, will labor give that company money to stay in business? No. Will labor help pay off what the company owes if it goes under? No. Who takes all the risk, the owner of a business, or the labor force? I have seen people go flat broke many times after starting a business. Maybe afte twenty years of very hard struggle they get a business that starts making money…things don’t fall out of the sky for any body. It is hard work struggle, and much pain that sometimes works, and most times don’t.

If people don’t want to work for minimum wage, they should improve their worth, or start their own business.

Look how hard betty worked getting her own business going. If it started growing, and she needed help she would have to hire people. It does not matter at what wage she started them at, labor would always want more, and resent the fact Betty was taking home most of the money. She would be known as BAD BETTY, who makes SLAVES of her workers. BAD, BAD BETTY…she should give the workers half of her business. The workers form a union, and go on strike…they want $24. Per hour…free medical, and vacation pay. They demand their rights. Betty is a BAD person because she owns the business.

Americans wonder why big business has all gone over seas.

Domenic makes good points, however I think the theme of this thread turned into what is fair.  Paying a fair wage is needed.  A company that does that is not the subject of debate.  Paying a wage that a employee cannot survive on is the issue.  Domenic is right in that the company has taken the risk to start up, and if it fails, employees are not going to bail it out.  I have been involved in numerous business start-ups and the risk was mine and/or other investors in the business.  I believe what most object to are the large companies that don't pay their fair share of taxes and then get government bailouts.  Some of these same companies don't pay a fair wage.  If they don't provide their employees with benefits, who will the employee turn to when help is needed? 
When a person applies for a job, they are usually told about company benefits, if any, and the employee knows going it what to expect.  Small companies are strapped and cannot afford a premium program in the beginning, however with the help of the employees and eventually making good profits, the company should, without being forced or told, increase benefits to the employees who made their success possible.  
One example that is worth mentioning is a business run and owned by my late brother-in-law.  He hired good people, and when business was not good, he kept them on the payroll, sometimes digging into his own savings.  He fought against people that wanted to organize a union in his shop.  It was not needed.  If his shop had been unionized, when times got tough he would not have supported his employees.  This example is not the norm, however there are people like that and you find them in small business concerns.

5/10/2014

                  I believe the company Dominic was referring to was Hostess Cakes,
                  they were finally sold but 1200 employees did loose their jobs 
                  because they were demanding so much money through the union,
                  the company asked them to re-consider their offer because they
                  were going under, we'll the employees refused, they lost, the Co.,
                  was sold...

                                                    Cheers...  Joe

I Paid my employees 10.00 an hour. It was what I could afford, but they were worth much more to me.
Many people are not like me. 
It used to be you could get hired at the minimum wage and, with hard work and dedication, you could expect a yearly increase even it was but a few cents per hour.  Not now.  Not from people who live in billion dollar homes. 
Love,
Betty

5/10/2014

                    Betty..

                              When I was working at The Metropolitan Museum Of Art
                     I worked in The Special Exhibitions Dept. , after a year I got a
                     raise, I almost went into shock, it was .10 cents an hour and this
                     was in the 1990's. I went to the office to complain and I was told:
                     " Your lucky ! Someone else who they didn't like got .01 cents an
                     hours !"  You see The Met is a Foundation, I was use to working in
                     the outside world, not until I tried 19 times for another job ( which 
                     a friend there told me " Don't you get it, it's not what you know, but
                     who you know !" Me being stubbron kept trying until I landed a job
                     training new employees who were just hired , that paid $12- Hr. It
                     use to burn me up it was well known the millions the Met took in
                     with all the gift shops, admission, donations, etc. and yet they didn't
                     give decent raises...Many times I would read in the paper Oh The Met
                     just found 6 Million they didn't know they had and acquired a new 
                     painting. Yet Montabello who headed the Met at the time got a free 
                     Apt. chauffered Limo. plus other perks, heard the bum retired !

                                                        Cheers...Joe

Dear Joe, I wish you had been treated differently.  You are a beautiful person.  Love, Betty

In order to be successful, people have to have hope.  Hope for a better tomorrow, hope that they will have the means to survive the struggles and unexpected emergencies, like illness, accidents, or loss of a home to weather or fire.

There needs to be hope that one can earn a living through the work they do.  People work best when they have the opportunity to do work that they are good at, and when they are paid enough to feel like they have a certain amount of self-worth, and are making a valuable contribution to the community.  What is the value of work when it is not recompensed in as equal value?  How does one feel any kind of self-esteem about what they do when they are de-valued by being paid a fraction of what they ought to be earning?

There is a line in Robin Hood (the 2010 version) where Marian is explaining to Robin, who has just returned to England from the Crusades, that the deer belong to the king, and killing one for food is punishable by death.  Robin asks, "If it is illegal for us to fend for ourselves, how can a man be a man in his own right?"  (She had been explaining to him that there was no money for livestock because of the high taxes.)

When there are fewer jobs than people who need them, how can they afford to quit, or not accept, a job that doesn't pay a living wage?  Where is the means to learn more in order to earn more?  How do young people stay in school when their family is going hungry?  Where is their hope that they can find a job that will give them the means for a decent life?   How are they supposed to develop pride in working? How does on find the means to start a business?

"Let them eat cake" was what Marie Antoinette said when she was told that the people were starving because the had no bread.  Her lack of compassion eventually lost her her head.

5/10/2014

                      Ann.........  

                                     I don't wish for anyone to loose their head but sometimes
                         I think if we borrowed the guillotine from France, put it on the top
                         steps of the house of congress , lined them up and say: " Retire 
                         or the guillotine."  I know it sounds cruel, you have to do something
                         to wake these idiots up...

                                                           Cheers...Joe

I do not think it is just the people in Congress.  It is the people who take advantage of the climate of congress.  It has come to the place that no one expects a raise and everyone is afraid of losing their job because there are so very many unemployed people who would work for less than you do. At least that is the mindset.  That is where unions come it.  They are the bargainers for the little person.  The mediators that fight for the little guy.  I believe it. 
Love,
Betty

Yes, the poor people should kill the rich people, and take their money...wait, didn't they do that in Russia in 1917? What did they call that, Justice? No? Oh I remember, " Communism."
Did they not also do that in France? They got Napoleon for that one. Lets not forget Hitler. Take everything away from the rich Jews that will solve hunger in Germany.
It seem the poor always blame those who have more for their situation. I had a young person in my home one time. He was upset that I had so much, and he had so little. I explained to him, "That sofa you are sitting on, I saved for five years to buy that. The lamp one year. If I put the time it took me to furnish my house, well...it would add up to over twenty five years."

I believe as the Bible says, Give to the poor. I give money to the poor. I never give it to those who collect for the poor...that money always seems to get spent on the collectors. If the poor demand I give them money...I call 911. If any on this forum feel I am wrong...sell half of what you own, and send it to the people of the world who are starving to death. People who have nothing. people who are holding their young and can do nothing as they die from hunger. Form a union. The Gangsters love that, or did you not know who is behind the unions? Thugs...the are your union leaders for the mob. They are watching for your interest. Give me a break.

5/10/2014

                         Dominic..

                                   I know about unions, I'm from NY, they use to control the
                        Fish Market downtown which was famous until the mob which was
                        behind the unions, until Gulianni got rid of them and made the Fish
                        Market the way it should have been. 

                                                               Cheers..Joe

Very interesting thread.  The opinions expressed reflect the difficulty in finding a solution.
When one comes to the realization that there is no security in a job, it is a beginning.
It is one of the reasons that I became an entrepreneur.  The struggle to make it meant much risk.  That is the first step in any independent endeavor.  Those who risk much, stand to gain much and/or lose much.  People want security and seek it in a job.  That doesn’t exist.  The security is within.  Our self-worth is tested when we decide to be self-reliant. 
It is natural to point to a company, economic conditions, a bad business partner, etc., as an excuse for failure rather than face the truth that we made the choices we did that brought us to our current state.  What I feel about risk, success and failure is expressed as experienced in my book. 
 
The basic human needs are Food, Shelter and Clothing.  It is said that we are all born equal.  That is not true. Some are born with deformity, some with color that is a handicap in some societies, some with other conditions that could not be considered as equal.  The desire to survive is something that all living things possess.  There are no bounds with survival. 
I have talked to many people who survived war.  The aftermath of war was survival.  Going into the forests to cut trees for fuel.  Roaming the countryside, picking fruit from trees.  Picking up grain that had fallen to the ground. all for survival.  Then there are the parents with small children where one will even steal to provide them with food.  Morality doesn’t play a role when one is hungry.   Ghandi said: “You cannot talk to man of spiritual things when he has no food.”
 
In my experience, Sales is one of the best occupations where one can earn as much as they want, providing that one is willing to work hard.  It is also a profession that determines one’s worth.  Sales are the most important function of a company with a product.  Jobs in administration are the first to be cut when times are bad.  One will find that the most secure jobs pay the least.  It is the high-risk jobs that pay.   
 
One will say I can’t start a business without seed capital.  That is true and false.  Take an extreme example.  You go to a flower shop and borrow a few roses (on consignment).  You stand on the street corner and say to passers-by, “A rose for your sweetheart”.  Your earnings may be small, but it is a beginning.  You go to a company with a suitable product and offer to sell it for them.  They will give you samples or actual product to sell.  With your earnings you can begin to purchase products to sell.  This may sound too simplistic, but when one is desperate, one will do whatever.  The first thing you need to do is to stick your Ego you know where.  Ego prevents people from doing menial tasks.  Many feel that with their education and/or reputation (true or false) they can’t be seen doing such menial things.  What is more demeaning than to beg?  Even begging is not to be discounted when one is desperate.  One can observe that in many third world countries and even in the USA.
 
To demand certain pay before one is willing to work is nuts. 
 
When I returned from Beirut, completely broke, I couldn’t find a job.  I was either considered over-qualified or they didn’t feel I would stay with them for what they were willing to pay.  I went to a car dealer where I have previously purchased several Mercedes cars.  I told the owner that I needed a job.  He laughed.  Once I convinced him that I didn’t have money stashed away and was serious, he said that I could sell cars.  My only request was that I needed transportation and an advance against commissions to get started.  He said that he provided salesmen with a loaner car and a monthly advance against commissions was part of the pay package. I began to work and was successful.  It wasn’t long before the owner asked me if I would consider becoming the Sales Manager.  I told him that I didn’t want to sell cars, however until I found something else, I would help him find a Sales Manager and also provide training for his salesmen.  That was a new beginning. 
 
Everyone has some special talent.  That talent can lead you to a company that can utilize your services.  Even if you have to negotiate a start as in saying, “Pay me what you feel I’m worth” can help get your foot in the door.  Having a goal will help motivate you.   Never look at a job as dead-end, but rather as a stepping stone.  Your security is within and when you develop self-confidence, there is no limit for what you can accomplish. 
 
I hope the above may be helpful to someone.  If not, it cost me just a few moments of my time to share these thoughts.

I would like to add to the above post that the Sales became my special talent. That is ironic when one considers that I failed the Sales Aptitude Test when I was with IBM.   Whenever I was down or without work, Sales gave me the start I needed.  I sold Life Insurance, Health Insurance, Cars, Cosmetics, Jewelry, PC’s, etc.  Commission Sales jobs are always available.  It may not be something one would like to do, but it can be a living.  Consider it a stepping stone or a temporary job while pursuing  the dream.
Another talent that I didn’t know I possessed was in training.  I enjoyed training and the motivational aspects of Sales Training.  Even today, although retired, I would be delighted to give a talk or some training just to share some knowledge that may be helpful to others.
Although “State of the Art” is a term often used, there are basic things that never become obsolete and will be valid regardless of technological advances

Great thoughts. What works for one person may not work for another. Often people don't have the latent talents. My dad tried selling everything and was not able. He worked hard at it and it broke my heart to see him fail.

This thread, especially many of the more recent posts, underlines the importance of meeting basic needs, which is the title of a thread from last year, showing a chart of Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs, and explains why those who are struggling every day to just survive do not have many of the options being discussed here.  The highlighted title links to that thread.

True. That is why the poor are so misunderstood by those who have food.

dkchristi wrote:

True. That is why the poor are so misunderstood by those who have food.

  

DK.  The word, "Sales" frightens many.  Selling is simple, in fact most everyone on this forum are sales people.  Whenever we believe in a concept or a product and tell others about it, we are selling.  How often have you bought a product and told others about it because you liked it?  You were selling.
If one is excited about a product, it is easy to sell it.  If you try to push on someone else what you wouldn't buy yourself, then you will and should fail.  The customer recognizes sincerity.  Excitement and enthusiasm are the greatest selling assets.

We react from our experiences.  My dad was a wonderful person who believed in the products he attempted to sell.  I have known others that attempted sales and failed.  They all believed in their products. For some people, it doesn't work.  I'm sure that's hard to understand when you have the knack.

By the way, if anyone could sell anything they believed in, big pharma wouldn't send out models to push their pills in doctor's offices.  You can always tell the pill pushers.  The women are in the most modern, attractive, feminine clothing with long hair and perfect makeup for the male doctors and the young men are expensive suited, shined and just that brush of male magnetism for female doctors.  Maybe that's not the same in Europe.  Here you can spot them in any physicians office.  They look like they stepped of the cover of Vanity Fair, Vogue and GQ.

Sweden has the highest hourly rate in the EU.
http://www.thelocal.se/20140331/sweden-tops-eus-hourly-labour-costs

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Quote :

By the way, if anyone could sell anything they believed in, big pharma wouldn't send out models to push their pills in doctor's offices.

This is a non-sequitur. All things being equal, good-looking people always, ALWAYS have an advantage over plain ones. In everything. Successful salespeople in ALL fields are, at the very least, presentable looking with great smiles.

Yes, born ugly requires personality and character development to overcome the luck of the draw.