MRJ said:
It would have been interesting had that story carried the information on cost of living in the states for which they quoted the incomes.
Also, if they had included the fact that the cost of food in the USA is about 9% of income. The facts on number of homes with one or more TV's and other luxuries is interesting on the rare occasions it is mentioned.
Econ, maybe some businesses could pay more to their workers, but then they will also raise prices for their products, won't they?
Some complain the minimum wage is too low. They ignore the fact is it intended as a beginning wage for people learning to work, and that many of them do not even really earn what they are paid at the beginning of their employment. Sadly, some never do!
I do know that raising the minimum wage also prices some jobs out of the market......and leaves small business owners unable to hire needed workers and still make a profit and keep their doors open.
Isn't the answer better education, young people making better choices in life, working and earning and saving before starting families, etc.?
BTW, seeing some anti-smoking programs discussed on TV today makes me wonder why no one shows young people how to figure out what cigarettes would cost them over one, ten, or 25 years and discuss what they could buy or do with that money that would be more fun than smoking. Then maybe bring in some of the associated health costs, and show them how they can do so much better financially by not smoking. Has anyone seen this done any place?
MRJ
MRJ, I totally agree with you on the ciggs. My dad smokes and I wish he didn't. He stops sometimes but not enough. My Dad's aunt died of emphasima smoking a cigg and on the oxygen machine. Not a good sight. It is too bad too many poor people smoke to handle stress or to socialize. It is funny how so much of the tobacco money went into state coffers instead of the agreed upon anti-smoking campaigns.
MRJ, Tyson has tried to be the low cost and highest margin poultry producer and packing operator but off of the backs of their employed. Why do you think they have so many labor problems. When they speed the lines up, they do not increase the wages, but they do increase the work load. In our area they had to bring in a lot of foreign workers to put up with this kind of management.
As far as having to increase prices because of higher wages, yes sometimes they have to increase the price of goods, sometimes not. It is pretty bad that someone that treats employees decent has to compete with someone who does not. Food in the U.S. is cheap. I would rather see people make decent wages at whatever job it is they do as long as they work hard and earn it.
Someone has to work on those packing plant kind of jobs. I sure wouldn't do it for what they pay---unless I really had to. Those people working at those jobs should be respected for what they do. To me it is lot harder working at a factory type job where you do the same old thing over and over than the brainy kind of jobs that require higher education. I still respect the people who do them. I am just not willing to cheat them in some way or another.