There Are LOADS Of Jobs Out There, But NONE Of Them Pay Living Wages!

What's a living wage?

I live in the UK. I earn ~£7,000 a year working 45 hours a week with no paid holiday or sick leave (I'm self employed)

Now, admittedy, I'm single, don't have a car and share a rented house with a friend. But I'm living quite comfortably. Although I don't have the latest iPhone, computer games, 80" 3D TV, and don't have a fortnight's holiday abroad every year. None of which I want let alone need.

Edit: I should also point out I'm 46 and was earning twice as much 20 years ago. But the good thing is that I don't pay any income tax to the govt

reply to post by AndyMayhew


Is this what people believe life is supposed to be? Slave away 3/4 of your life, just to have the bare necessities? I always thought that life was about experiencing as much as we can, in the short time we are here. Kind of hard to do when most of your waking life is spent slaving away to make a few people rich beyond imagination.

reply to post by TKDRL


Exactly

Do something you enjoy. Don't be a slave to materialism. There's a lot more to life than simply trying to make as much money as possible (which invariably leaves you unhappy because there's always someone better off than you)

reply to post by AndyMayhew


if I heard the news on the tv right, the proverty level for a family of four is now over $20,000.
many of the social programs have their guidelines set above the proverty guideline....maybe 120% or 150% of it....
so, well, two minimum wage jobs one for mom, one for dad, won't put a family of four over the guidelines for many of the programs.

according to this site, I would possibly be eligible for 106 different gov't programs, everything from providing childcare, to education, to food, and shelter if I had a family of four with both me and hubby working minimum wage jobs...
not all of them are there to provide basic necessities, there are educational grants, help with mortgages, ect...but yes, food stamps, hud, and the others were listed.

it's not the responsibility of the taxpayers to keep a business's workers alive and healthy enough to work. if they want healthy workers showing up on a daily basis, they have a vested interest in paying them enough to stay healthy, have the transportation, with a decent diet and shelter. otherwise, their workers aren't gonna be worth crap!

reply to post by Thunder heart woman

reply to post by Thunder heart woman


Life has a funny way of teaching high minded people who judge others without walking a mile in their shoes. I wouldn't be surprised if you learn how it is to have people judge you as you have judged others.
Peace.

reply to post by dawnstar


you`re correct. The government established poverty level for a family of 4 is about $24,000 a year. current minimum wage pays about $15,000 a year. A family of 4 with one person working a full time job at minimum wage falls $9,000 below the federal poverty standard and are therefore eligible for taxpayer funded, foodstamps, medical care and other handouts.
Why are taxpayers being forced to subsidize the pay of employees working for private companies that are making record profits?
This isn`t free market capitalism this is nothing short of extortion and theft.

People complain about paying taxes for welfare to help the poor but The amount of tax money being spent on welfare is nothing compared to the amount of tax money being spent to subsidize minimum wage earning employees of private companies.These companies are making record profits and the tax payers are the one who are footing the bill for it.

Originally posted by Thunder heart woman
I will agree that there are jobs that do not pay living wages. BUT what are we supposed to do then? Live on welfare? I'm sorry but welfare is not a lifestyle choice for me, and my parents did not raise me up to just take and take and sit on my behind. I'd rather dig ditches than sit on my duff and take my monthly check. I will work as long as I can, and I have multiple sclerosis and a heart condition. I cannot abide laziness. Welfare is a hand UP, not a lifestyle.

Had to slip in the Multiple Sclerosis and heart condition part......????

People are lazy....if someone has NO job they should take whatever they can till something better comes there way.

I have NO sympathy for people who are jobless.......GET a JOB....and I bet you claim some sort of benefit...because of your condition.


So, digging ditches for you is out of the question.......with your heart condition and all.....

Originally posted by Tardacus
Why are taxpayers being forced to subsidize the pay of employees working for private companies that are making record profits?
This isn`t free market capitalism this is nothing short of extortion and theft.

Are you saying that in capitalism welfare is theft, and that business have a right to pay whatever they want? I totally agree. That's why I'm a socialist.

reply to post by TKDRL


That's why we have these things called hobbies.

I don't care if my job sucks as long as I have things to do that allow me to enjoy it. Balance.

Still, I could use a good chunk of the average CEO pay (what is it, $9 million last year?) to start a business, pay down debts and live.

reply to post by Tardacus


Bingo was his name-o!

You get it but others do not, hence their petty attacks on the "welfare state".

Wake up people.

Why are you doing the bidding of the same bastards that are raping you by paying you # and forcing you to scrape by?

No offense, but are you people INSANE?

Originally posted by TKDRL
reply to post by AndyMayhew

 

Is this what people believe life is supposed to be? Slave away 3/4 of your life, just to have the bare necessities? I always thought that life was about experiencing as much as we can, in the short time we are here. Kind of hard to do when most of your waking life is spent slaving away to make a few people rich beyond imagination.

The government is so corrupt I am actually amazed that people continue to pay taxes to support this broken down system. I wonder how much they spend on psychological operations dumbing down ATSers for example.

Judging the level of disinfo here I would say A LOT! a)Our own #ing tax money used to bail out those "too big to fail" businesses as they export jobs overseas and continue automating everything. b)Then spend money brainwashing all the stupid sheeple that it is good for them.

Holy # this world is evil!

Originally posted by EarthCitizen07
automating everything.

What's wrong with automation? I thought you were agreeing with TKDRL that leisure time should be maximized.

Originally posted by gentledissident

Originally posted by EarthCitizen07
automating everything.

What's wrong with automation? I thought you were agreeing with TKDRL that leisure time should be maximized.

You're kidding right???

If computers and robots do all the work, then how are people going to earn their paychecks?

Not to mention most of the stuff produced today is cheap pos that lasts 1/3 what it should!

Five day work weeks and sustainable paychecks. Like it used to be!

Originally posted by EarthCitizen07

Originally posted by gentledissident

Originally posted by EarthCitizen07
automating everything.

What's wrong with automation? I thought you were agreeing with TKDRL that leisure time should be maximized.

You're kidding right???

If computers and robots do all the work, then how are people going to earn their paychecks?

Not to mention most of the stuff produced today is cheap pos that lasts 1/3 what it should!

Five day work weeks and sustainable paychecks. Like it used to be!

I'm thinking of a totally different system. This one involves technology, communication, and prosperity for all. This system doesn't limit our potential for the sake of a paycheck .

Capitalism can never provide that, because at its base are greed and selfishness. That is what it runs on and is encouraged by it.

reply to post by dreamseeker


yes .. but how good of a family can you provide for on any of these services without first having had something substantial .. ie Unemployment compensation allows you to exist for a short while, when it runs out --- it's not like you were able to 'put away savings' to live off of for long afterwards ....

reply to post by The Sword

It's generally because the poor ones who want you to live by their bidding can't afford to keep you at all. So the choice is between the person who makes sure you can get maybe a 3rd of what you need done, or the one who can't do squat.

Each of us needs to be buying Made in USA items (everything possible) even if we have to pay more for it. We will pay far more if we continue to fund this Chinese economic boom.

It's kind of an expensive moral choice, but one that effects the livelihood of our neighbors and, sooner or later, ourselves.

*Additionally, buying goods made in Asia is pretty much funding outright slavery or near slave-like work conditions. If you disagree with slavery, it's important to not buy slave-made goods.

they say the first person who will live to be 200 has already been born....living longer...holding onto the jobs much longer...that is not going to work for the up and coming behind them...

reply to post by Tardacus


I starred your post because you made a very good point. A family of four cannot be supported by a minimum wage job these days. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, it (nuclear family) requires TWO incomes to sustain a minimal standard of living.

This is because since the 'womens movement' and their proliferation in the workforce, the nations wealth didn't automatically double because there were more jobs. More competition for menial (minimum wage jobs) diluted the workforce and made it necessary for many families to require two working adults to support a family.

Blame it on the corporations all you want (which I partially do) but there are many factors at play here.

ETA; I never really considered a minimum wage to be sufficient to support a family ever. These jobs are for kids.
Don't you think many of us would love to have a stress free job and be a mindless drone (like many of the stunned youth I see today) working at a video game store, sitting behind a till, pouring drinks, or something that requires no thought or responsiblilty and still be able to comfotably provide for the family? Of course we would. But these jobs do not entail any skill, thought, problem solving, responsibility, or anything! They are menial jobs that any slug could do.Thus the pay that is attributed to such jobs.

It is time for the youth of our nation to quit complaining and figure a way for THEMSELVES to succeed. We see it (opportunity) in telecommunications, internet, etc. YOU have opportunities. Ingenuity and dedication is what's required to get out of the rut we are in.

Immigrants have nothing so are motivated to DO something. This is the wake up call.