Minimum wage or these menial jobs are NOT meant to live on for a family or anything else. It is a starting point. You are not meant to stay there & whine why you are not making more money or don't have health benefits.

I got sober at 29 yrs old & re started my employment history at $5/hr. After a lot of hard work, a lot of time at home studing my chosen profession, AutoCAD drafting, I now make $25/hr. at 54 yrs. old.

I did not feed at the social money trough either, welfare or any of that crap. I have collected unemployment when unemployed. But that is mine. I or my employer because of my employment put into that. That is my money I EARNED. I also basically spent all my off hours or times of unemployment studying & not screwing off and whining & complaining.

Minimum wage or any of those menial jobs are not meant to live off of. They are a STARTING point. You apply yourself, work hard & look for employment hard and you also can succeed.

Howdy..Good post..this concept of 'victimization'! is poison for any upreaching human being...by the way I taught a unit in drafting in a fine high school..the losers get your dust as you travel on the road of individual responsibility..oops...not very pc am I ? Nino

good post man!

Your experience is exceptional, and there is no question that people who do not apply themselves will never achieve their dreams, but for too many people your experience simply isn't possible.

Perhaps it is a person who through unwise decisions or misplaced affection had a child, or two, had their partner leave them, and is now stuck feeding and clothing two burdgeoning human beings, they can't spend their free time studying auto-cad or otherwise, because they've got to change those diapers and pay for daycare.

Perhaps it is a person who committed a criminal act, spent time in jail, and is now trying to the best of their ability, with the every fiber in their being, to make it, but many $25 an hour jobs simply will not, as a matter of policy, hire an individual who has a criminal history.

And as a matter of fact, the minimum wage has infact gone down over the years as a result of natural inflation and higher costs of living increases. And also, the minimum wage almost by definition is the absolute lowest that an employer is willing to pay now because the lawmakers didn't raise it until there was widespread support for it.

What your left with is thousands, hundreds of thousands, or perhaps millions, numbers are only polls afterall, of Americans, who are working hard to succeed but cannot succeed, because the system won't allow them to. There are people who are literally denied the American dream because they messed up in the past, maybe even the recent past, and are now stuck working for $7.25 an hour, $6 something after taxes, and despite the fact that the top 1% pay more than a third of the taxes, what that really means is that the bottom 99% control only 66% of the wealth. How many millions need to be in poverty before we shift some of the wealth to them?

And isn't that what we are fighting for? Isn't that why we are in Iraq and Afghanistan bestowing the blessings of free market and democracy, which I believe in strongly, nevermind the way in which the war against terror was fought. Isn't that what the American dream is about? Isn't that what America is all about, giving everyone who wants to work hard, and give their heart mind and soul to the Republic, a fair share of the bounty which the good lord has bestowed upon that Republic?

Give me one good reason, just one, why one million Americans should each have the right to buy and sell one million Americans, nevermind Bulgarians, with the ease with which most of us buy a plane ticket home. A recent study found that two thirds of people would give their vote away for a year's salary at minimum wage, one third of people would give it away for a free ipod, how long until someone takes them up on their offer... I'm a LCpl in the USMC, spent 203 days in Al Anbar province Iraq, go ahead and question my patriotism I dare ya. Peace...

I could not agree more. In 1977 Minimum wage was $2.10 per hour, Even with the lower cost of living no one thought they could live off of $84.00 per week. The idea of supporting a family on minimum wage has been planted by the left in order to garner support for wage increases. An increase in minimum wage directly affects union contracts, as many of the contracts are based on a percentage higher than minimum wage. In the last twenty or so years many young people have been starting families before they can afford them. This has been a result of the government entitlement era. This era coincides with the lack of civics and government being taught in school. Most young people have no idea how our tax system and budget works. I have actually spoken with young people that think; Living in government housing, having food stamps, and medicaid is making it on there own. This is a sad situation because they sincerely believe this entitlements are free. They either don't realize or don't care that someone else is flipping for the bill.

Mr.Logic and JohnGalt said it all. I could not agrre with them more.

Silvan Eron

NO MIN. WAGE IS NOT MEANT TO SUPPORT A FAMILY. BUT THE REALITY HERE IS THAT THE COUNTRY WAS BETTER OFF WHEN ONE PERSON COULD EARN A DECENT LIVING WHILE THE SPOUSE REMAINED AT HOME, TO MAKE IT A HOME, AND NOT JUST A PLACE TO SLEEP, AND FOR CHILDREN TO RAISE THEMSELVES. IF IT WERE TRULY GOVERNMENT BY THE PEOPLE, WE WOULD STOP THE INFLUX OF ALIENS WHO TAKE OUR JOBS FOR LESS PAY, AND COLLECT AIDE THEY ARE NOT ENTITLED TO. WE WOULD DO SOMETHING ABOUT OUR JOBS LEAVING THE COUNTRY. HOW MANY HARD WORKING PATRIOTS ARE MAKING LESS MONEY NOW THAN THEY WERE TWO YEARS AGO? FIVE YEARS AGO? MORE? HOW CAN THIS CONTINUE WITH OUR FOOD AND GASOLINE COSTING US MORE A MONTH THAN OUR HOME AND OTHER BILLS? IS IT WHINING TO ASK? IS

You have stated exactly those same convictions that I feel most strongly, and stated them very well. Thanks for writing.

Do you see anything wrong with telling someone what wages he should pay or earn?
I try to think of some relations between set wages and the constitution..
could not connect in any way.. in fact it seems to be in opposition of the right and freedoms as put forth in the u.s. constitution..
seems to conflict with the right to make a contract.. or an agreement..

I was in another chat and libs seemed to be the majority, it was never reasoning or discussing only smart a$$ comments and hit and run comments.......they dont want to give to others volunteer, charity work in there community ,but sit on there a$$es with there hand open and streched out wanting for that stimules check to hit the mail box.