Your points are quite spot on. But I think just questioning the status quo is a good place to start. We can't find solutions to these real serious questions until we examine the whole issue.
I think tying Welfare to Minimum Wage is a great idea, it accomplishes a litany of issues all on its own. But the fact remains- if you're spending 40hrs a week at a place, you deserve a living wage. There are certainly questions to answer before such a drastic step can be taken world wide, like what about a 'snot-nosed kid' at his first job? Does s/he deserve a 'living wage' if they are just going home to life off Mum and Dad? I should think not, unless they are supporting someone & can prove it.
For me it boils down to this- If your company is making Billions in profits and still relying on government subsidies to pay their employees, well guess what? That's wrong no matter how you slice it. It needs to be brought to an end immediately. I don't mind my tax money going to help my fellow man. But I do mind when my tax money is lining the pockets of the Wal-twats, the McDouches and their ilk.
I think its easy to address the 'snot nosed kid' angle; workers that are minors and are claimed as a dependent of someone else's tax return have a lower minimum wage than someone who is not a dependent.
Edit: Skolor raises a good point below. Also in hindsight having a two-tiered minimum wage would just encourage employers to favor minors and dependents over others, which would undermine the whole point of increasing the minimum wage.
A comparable problem: I work as an engineer, and I'm married. Because of my status outside work, I get paid more than the guy who sits beside me. My employer ends up paying (slightly) more for my healthcare costs, due to also paying for my partner. On the other hand, I get paid a fair bit less than the guy a few offices down, because he is not only married but also has a couple kids. Its not a huge difference, compared to our total salary, but it's my understanding it gets closed $1/hour difference between a single guy and someone who has a bunch of kids. If we're all doing the same work, and performing the same, why is one person getting paid more for something they choose to do outside of work?
I see the issue of dependent workers the same. If two people do the same work, with the same level of performance and experience, they should get paid (roughly) the same. Keep in mind, at current minimum wage, a difference of $50/week is a 17% increase in pay, if full time. That's a pretty big difference if the only change is your parent's tax status.
Your points are quite spot on. But I think just questioning the status quo is a good place to start. We can't find solutions to these real serious questions until we examine the whole issue.
I think tying Welfare to Minimum Wage is a great idea, it accomplishes a litany of issues all on its own. But the fact remains- if you're spending 40hrs a week at a place, you deserve a living wage. There are certainly questions to answer before such a drastic step can be taken world wide, like what about a 'snot-nosed kid' at his first job? Does s/he deserve a 'living wage' if they are just going home to life off Mum and Dad? I should think not, unless they are supporting someone & can prove it. For me it boils down to this- If your company is making Billions in profits and still relying on government subsidies to pay their employees, well guess what? That's wrong no matter how you slice it. It needs to be brought to an end immediately. I don't mind my tax money going to help my fellow man. But I do mind when my tax money is lining the pockets of the Wal-twats, the McDouches and their ilk.
I think its easy to address the 'snot nosed kid' angle; workers that are minors and are claimed as a dependent of someone else's tax return have a lower minimum wage than someone who is not a dependent.
Edit: Skolor raises a good point below. Also in hindsight having a two-tiered minimum wage would just encourage employers to favor minors and dependents over others, which would undermine the whole point of increasing the minimum wage.
Is that really a problem that needs to be solved?
A comparable problem: I work as an engineer, and I'm married. Because of my status outside work, I get paid more than the guy who sits beside me. My employer ends up paying (slightly) more for my healthcare costs, due to also paying for my partner. On the other hand, I get paid a fair bit less than the guy a few offices down, because he is not only married but also has a couple kids. Its not a huge difference, compared to our total salary, but it's my understanding it gets closed $1/hour difference between a single guy and someone who has a bunch of kids. If we're all doing the same work, and performing the same, why is one person getting paid more for something they choose to do outside of work?
I see the issue of dependent workers the same. If two people do the same work, with the same level of performance and experience, they should get paid (roughly) the same. Keep in mind, at current minimum wage, a difference of $50/week is a 17% increase in pay, if full time. That's a pretty big difference if the only change is your parent's tax status.