What century are you talking about? You think the owners of businesses want to exploit children? When I was a 10 years I was paid a penny a minute to do yard work. I didn't think I was being exploited. It was the only job I could get at the time until I was old enough to get a paper route (damn child labor laws). And I was happy to have that job since my only other alternative was nothing. That's life.
I'm not saying the business owners want to exploit children, what I am saying is that business owners will not oppose it if it means more profits for them. It's happened before in American history.
On the issue of you getting a paper route... look, what I am saying is that some people have an astonishing inability to relate. There's a difference between earning extra cash (to buy a car or magazines or candy) and having to work to help mom and dad pay the rent so that you don't end up living under a bridge. And this is where we're headed. Years ago, back in the 50s and 60s, a middle class father's salary was enough to pay for a house, college as well as vacation. That's gone.
Getting what you get because those are the only choices available is what life is. Nobody, or very few, get exactly what they want. They always want more for less. I buy a Ford because I can't afford a Porche. If someone is still getting minimum wage after six months to a year on the job there is either something wrong with him or he should get another job. Virtually all fast food restaurants start at over the minimum and give raises as time and skill level goes up. Some even get promoted to higher positions. No one works for years in the same job at minimum wage.
Dude, you're so far off the mark... it's not about buying a Ford instead of a Porsche... it's about having to spend your day working so that your kids can have a plate of food in front of them 3 times a day.
Sure, some people have to work several jobs to make ends meet. I was one of them. I worked three jobs seven days a week but during that time I also got an education.
You don't believe that for a second. And neither do I. When you get to the point that you have to lie to state your case you've drank the cool aid.
It took me nearly eight years to get a college degree. Sure it was a lot harder than for someone who came from a rich family and had his way financed for him. It's unfair that someone else was born with better opportunities than I was. It's one of the things I hate about this world. How unfair it is. But that's how it is.
Being "fair" or not is a personal opinion. That people can't
survive or live a decent life at the current minimum salary is a fact backed by numbers. The big fast food chains are making a killing in profits, so if people decide to unionize and take it to the big corporations, so be it. You may find it "unfair", but I'm sure the 360,000 people who are trying to unionize will beg to differ. See, they're not even messing around with your right to have to work 3 jobs and go to college for 8 years.
Would it be more "fair" to force someone to pay what you think they should get to make a good living? How much should that be? Can you really make a good living making $15.00 an hour? How about $20/hr? In fact, why don't we start everybody at $50 grand a year. They won't be rich but I think you can living comfortably on that. And what effect will that have on the economy and business?
How much is something that should be discussed between the workers and the company. It should not be dictated by either the government or anyone else. That would be the ideal. But we all know that the shareholders and the officers always end up conspiring against the worker, and it's usually because of money, so it should not come as a surprise that more people are trying to unionize.
Again, it's very easy to be generous with other people's money and tell them how much you have determined that they can afford.
Wanna hear something? I am a net tax contributor to the economy, both at the federal and state level. If you ever got any financial aid or food stamps or any kind of government assistance... I want my part back. I don't want to finance your sorry ass.
