General Discussion

Mr.Bee

(1,597 posts)

2. Hiding In Plain Sight

Sun Nov 2, 2025, 07:00 PM

Nov 2

Every retail job I've applied for in the last twenty years asked me, 'we'll start you out at a couple dollars an hour above minimum wage, how do you feel about that?' Like they were doing me a great favor.

Multiply $7.25 an hour by eight hours (they never want you working overtime)
then multiply that by five days, then multiple that by four weeks.

I'll tell you, $58 a day before taxes.
$290 a week.
$1160 a month

...and how much is rent? Utilities? Gas? Groceries?

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kcoates erronis Boxerfan yellow dahlia Attilatheblond questionseverything Dixc HarryM k55f5r orangecrush Linda ladeewolf Talitha stollen love_katz raging moderate

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Highlight:

Of Course Americans are BROKE [View all] Mr.Bee Nov 2 OP

Thank you for the data. yellow dahlia Nov 2 #1

Hiding In Plain Sight Mr.Bee Nov 2 #2

My MAGA relatives would say, Diamond_Dog Nov 2 #3

I would tell them Mr.Bee Nov 2 #6

Well, you can imagine how they feel about FDR. Diamond_Dog Nov 2 #11

Did any of them ever stop to think Diamond_Dog Nov 2 #22

I certainly heard that line many times over the years in markodochartaigh Nov 2 #17

EVER SINCE REAGAN, (actually HWBush's CABAL) popsdenver Nov 3 #49

++++1000 Diamond_Dog Nov 3 #50

If the Republicans continue popsdenver Nov 3 #51

Median wage has been stagnant relative to productivity for 45 years. pat_k Nov 2 #4

Please supply reference links. Not disputing your excerpts, but backup documentation is needed. erronis Nov 2 #7

Oh! I beg pardon- Mr.Bee Nov 2 #9

World Economic Forum, Capital in the 21st Century, pat_k Nov 2 #10

Thank you! erronis Nov 2 #15

They've been stealing from us for decades Mr.Bee Nov 2 #12

FWIW pat_k Nov 2 #14

Regarding weakening of unions and tax law that facilitated concentration of wealth: pat_k Nov 2 #13

Republicans always talk about "redistribution of wealth". markodochartaigh Nov 2 #19

Yes, R's have been hellbent on systematically "redistributing wealth" from the hands of the many to the hands of the few pat_k Nov 2 #23

Why don't the labor unions understand these charts and data? FakeNoose Nov 3 #40

Sadly, a great deal of damage had been done by '60. pat_k Nov 3 #41

That also means that the current business model Javaman Nov 2 #5

FDR's concept of the minimum wage: Mr.Bee Nov 2 #8

And, policies that concentrate wealth in the hands of the few at the expense of the many make for a very fragile economy pat_k Nov 2 #18

I very much concur Metaphorical Nov 3 #34

And who was in charge then? Oh yeah Ronald Reagan. Initech Nov 2 #16

Yes he certainly did. Diamond_Dog Nov 2 #20

Ronald Reagan was elected president in 1980 KS Toronado Nov 2 #21

Must do more than raise the minimum wage. Inheritance tax, wealth tax, capital gains taxed higher than labor and... pat_k Nov 2 #24

Oh there's a ton of stuff we need to get done and quickly. KS Toronado Nov 2 #32

My big worry is that too few of our electeds are out there advocating for the big stuff. pat_k Nov 3 #33

A tax on spending rather than income Metaphorical Nov 3 #35

Should be at least $30 per hour MichMan Nov 2 #31

Seattle's minimum wage is 20.76 and will increase to 21.30 1/1/26 pat_k Nov 3 #42

The minimum wage as established in 1938 was 25 cents per hour MichMan Nov 2 #25

But did it have the same purchasing power? leftstreet Nov 2 #27

In 1957, J. Paul Getty was worth $2-4 billion dpibel Nov 2 #30

Raygun made munimum wage political southmost Nov 2 #26

K&R Bayard Nov 2 #28

Big corps worked to keep prices down and wages low. Klarkashton Nov 2 #29

That goes back HarryM Nov 3 #36

So glad you pointed this out. cer7711 Nov 3 #37

Minimum wage should have been indexed to inflation like Social Security. n/t Buttoneer Nov 3 #38

From the comercial. "I was drowning in debt." Hotler Nov 3 #39

TOP TEN COUNTRIES of Minimum wage chouchou Nov 3 #43

K&R BlueWavePsych Nov 3 #44

"republicans"... Godot51 Nov 3 #45

When You Say 'Republicans' Mr.Bee Nov 3 #46

"... until 1980, when it was frozen for nine years." Grins Nov 3 #47

The last Increase Before Reagan Mr.Bee Nov 3 #48

In 2025 Mr.Bee Nov 4 #52