Introduction: Here we have another choice chapter from the barely started never completed Philosophy of the North American Smart-Ass. This time around we take on “the man”. Now ten years on, with my hair starting to show gray, there is a reasonable possibility, that I am the man.
In September of 1996 in a giant sweep of generocity we saw the government of our nation give us a pay raise. But do the math, after you calculate taxes you still are making squat. For those of you still living at home a majority of this doesn’t apply to you but listen anyway, someday you’ll want to leave.
Slavery: An institution created by those in control to keep the largest section of the work force in line. By using a system of forced labor and physical violence it keeps laborers at their jobs giving them no rewards and no chance to improve their situation.
Minimum wage: An institution created by those in control to keep the largest section of the work force in line. By using a calculated wage it keeps the laborers at their jobs but not allowing them any extra income to improve their situation.
Let’s work out the figures here.
Minimum wage * hours worked = squat.
With the new increase in minimum wage we get an equation like this:
(Minimum wage + chump change) * hours worked = squat + chump change.
What am I trying to say? I’m not quite sure. But seriously think about it. If the government really wanted to give the American minimum wage worker a livable wage the minimum wage would be raised to about seven and a half
dollars.
I guess it would be rather prudent to give my definition of what Minimum wage should be so we all know what I’m trying to say. To me minimum wage should mean that by working twenty hours a week you can afford to pay rent
with one no more than two roommates, all you bills, food every day of the month, and still be able to save enough to go to community college each semester.
The minimum wage was created to guarantee the workers a certain amount of income. Unfortunately corporate America has taken that to mean that minimum wage is all they are required to pay their workers. So what’s the problem with that, you might be asking yourself, let me explain. If I work hard and only get minimum wage and then my co-worker slacks off and never really tries at their job and they are paid minimum wage why should I try and work hard?
There is no reason why a Fortune 500 company should only be paying their workers $4.75. By only paying them minimum wage tells me that if they had it their way they would pay us less. If every one of us took the same day off this country would come to a stand still. Boy would that scare them. Millions of teenagers with paychecks and nothing to do.
But more importantly no one to serve them a Big Mac.
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