Anybody get a 35% raise last year?

[ford91exploder]

That doesn't mean much... How of those people were paying with EBT and not cash?

Up my way LOTS.

 

[englanddg]

That doesn't mean much... How of those people were paying with EBT and not cash?

Plenty were paying with cash and credit. SNAP (EBT), while a huge margin for any grocer, and not as limited as WIC, which is still voucher based and highly restricted, doesn't buy you new TVs or video games.

 

[PrincessNelly_NJ]

Plenty were paying with cash and credit. SNAP (EBT), while a huge margin for any grocer, and not as limited as WIC, which is still voucher based and highly restricted, doesn't buy you new TVs or video games.

That could largely depend on where you live.
There's 2 walmarts near where I work and live. One is significantly nicer, cleaner, and in a better neighborhood than the other.

I see people using EBT cards way more at the one in the rough neighborhood and hardly at all in the nicer neighborhood.

When I was a cashier in high school at a local supermarket, people would come through with WIC vouchers all the time. It may not be a huge margin for the grocer but look at the overall numbers of people needing government assistance compared to years before.

 

[englanddg]

That could largely depend on where you live.
There's 2 walmarts near where I work and live. One is significantly nicer, cleaner, and in a better neighborhood than the other.

I see people using EBT cards way more at the one in the rough neighborhood and hardly at all in the nicer neighborhood.

When I was a cashier in high school at a local supermarket, people would come through with WIC vouchers all the time. It may not be a huge margin for the grocer but look at the overall numbers of people needing government assistance compared to years before.

I certainly agree. Something like 40 or 50% of americans are on some sort of government assistance program, with SNAP and Medicare being the two largest. I don't have the numbers at hand, but they are easily findable (from reputable non-partisan sources).

And, it's a fact that through tax credits, more than 50% of americans have no federal income tax liability. Which means, they pay no federal income tax (and in most states, means they pay no state income tax). And, in many cases, filing taxes is a profit center for them (through credits).

 

[englanddg]

That's not completely true. Atleast 44% of filers who did indeed had tax liability last year were married couples... Those percentages never accounted for married filing jointly.
But I understand what your saying.

http://money.howstuffworks.com/only-53-percent-pay-income-tax.htm

It does. But, also, I understand what you are saying. Without children or significant joint investment (like property) there is little reason to get married, and in fact, you will pay a tax penalty if you do. As common law marriage has been struck down in all states, there is no overriding provision to force couples to marry (not that it's a bad thing) and as a result, many people of my age and younger are choosing not to.

 

[networkpro]

Which hasnt worked out too well has it?
The rich are still getting richer...
The wage gap is a big problem in our country that really shouldn't be ignored.

The skills gap is a real problem. We have too many who confuse the relative worth of various vocations and their contribution to the overall economy . Ask anyone who has a graduate degree (Masters or Doctorate)
in history, gender or women’s studies, peace studies, hyphenated-American studies, theater majors or literature how much exactly society should pay them for achieving those lofty goals ? It gets more disturbing when you try and calculate the rate of return on investment (ROI) of those fields taking into account if they were achieved in public or private universities or for-profit institutions.

Don't try and equate a persons relative worth as a human being by how much they make, what they have, or how many people follow them. I'm quite sure everyone can think of several poor examples of human beings from every ethnicity and gender who are quite well off but represent qualities that most would not want to emulate.

 

[unkadug]

I was reading EBT as Electronic Bank Transfer.

This changed the whole meaning of that conversation.

 

[PrincessNelly_NJ]

The skills gap is a real problem. We have too many who confuse the relative worth of various vocations and their contribution to the overall economy . Ask anyone who has a graduate degree (Masters or Doctorate)
in history, gender or women’s studies, peace studies, hyphenated-American studies, theater majors or literature how much exactly society should pay them for achieving those lofty goals ? It gets more disturbing when you try and calculate the rate of return on investment (ROI) of those fields taking into account if they were achieved in public or private universities or for-profit institutions.

Don't try and equate a persons relative worth as a human being by how much they make, what they have, or how many people follow them. I'm quite sure everyone can think of several poor examples of human beings from every ethnicity and gender who are quite well off but represent qualities that most would not want to emulate.

I'm not sure what your last paragraph had anything to do with what I said...

Its not about judging people by how much they make or don't make. Its about what is sustainable. Our economy only works when people are spending.... If people have no money to spend then companies don't make money... If companies don't make money, they cut jobs.

Its an economic circle.

I'm not saying that fixing the wage gap is the only thing we need. I'm just saying that it is something that should be changed before we collapse.

 

[NelsonRD]

The problem is not education. While education is one path for success, where I live (NY) there are plenty of programs available for trades. We have adult education programs to certify you in trades such as Electrician, Pluming, Truck Driving, Chef, and on and on. These jobs pay well, and are in demand.

Where I work, we have been hiring Engineers well before 2008, and cannot find enough qualified people. But the schools don't care about preparing them for the future, there is a game tonight we need to prepare for. Every night on my local news, there is local sports coverage, but the once a year science fair is not covered.

Which hasnt worked out too well has it?
The rich are still getting richer...
The wage gap is a big problem in our country that really shouldn't be ignored.

Please stop the Rich getting Richer comment. I am tired of hearing it. You want to address the wage gap, then focus on raising the bottom half skills and earnings, instead of attacking and taking from the upper half.

 

[PrincessNelly_NJ]

Please stop the Rich getting Richer comment. I am tired of hearing it. You want to address the wage gap, then focus on raising the bottom half skills and earnings, instead of attacking and taking from the upper half.

I'm sorry that you are tired of hearing it... but honestly just don't read it.
I'm not "attacking" anyone, I stated something that is a known fact.

Not to mention... the bottom half's earnings are exactly what everyone is talking about. Why companies continue to say they cant afford to pay living wages while CEOs rake in massive bonuses.

 

[NelsonRD]

I'm sorry that you are tired of hearing it... but honestly just don't read it.
I'm not "attacking" anyone, I stated something that is a known fact.

Not to mention... the bottom half's earnings are exactly what everyone is talking about. Why companies continue to say they cant afford to pay living wages while CEOs rake in massive bonuses.

No, you are attacking the upper half again. You are suggesting that the upper half makes too much (rich evil CEOs), and that wealth should be redistributed to the lower class. What I am suggesting is worry about elevating yourself without focusing on what others are doing.

 

[PrincessNelly_NJ]

No, you are attacking the upper half again. You are suggesting that the upper half makes too much (rich evil CEOs), and that wealth should be redistributed to the lower class. What I am suggesting is worry about elevating yourself without focusing on what others are doing.

no... "You are suggesting that the upper half makes too much (rich evil CEOs)"

Now youre putting words into my mouth.
I never said the upper half makes too much... I said that they are getting richer, fact. I said that we have a massive wage gap, fact. I said that it is not good for the economy when a minority hold most of the money, fact.
I never once said they make too much or aren't worth what they get paid.

I do think it is insulting to workers when companies claim to not have money to pay living wages but have money for massive bonuses. Imo, If the company cant pay living wages... then they shouldnt pay bonuses either.

It is necessary that the majority keep spending to keep our economy going.. its not about redistribution.

And I would say... it is important to follow what everyone is doing when what people do can make a difference in your life. (ex. Taxpayer funded bailouts of mismanaged companies.)

 

[NelsonRD]

no... "You are suggesting that the upper half makes too much (rich evil CEOs)"

Now youre putting words into my mouth.
I never said the upper half makes too much... I said that they are getting richer, fact. I said that we have a massive wage gap, fact. I said that it is not good for the economy when a minority hold most of the money, fact.
I never once said they make too much or aren't worth what they get paid.

I do think it is insulting to workers when companies claim to not have money to pay living wages but have money for massive bonuses. Imo, If the company cant pay living wages... then they shouldnt pay bonuses either.

It is necessary that the majority keep spending to keep our economy going.. its not about redistribution.

And I would say... it is important to follow what everyone is doing when what people do can make a difference in your life. (ex. Taxpayer funded bailouts of mismanaged companies.)

What do you consider a living wage then? The poorest of the poor, have more today than the richest of the rich 100 years ago. What difference does the percentage of wealth the rich hold make to you? I don't care.

For an employee making 60K a year, it cost the employer almost double, about $120K a year to employ them with benefits. And a man-year for that same employee is again almost double at $300K a year to cover the cost of overhead, etc, cost that most like to ignore.

I think there is too much focus on what others are doing.

 

[PrincessNelly_NJ]

What do you consider a living wage then? The poorest of the poor, have more today than the richest of the rich 100 years ago. What difference does the percentage of wealth the rich hold make to you? I don't care.

At least a wage adjusted for inflation...
The poor of today cannot be compared to the rich of yesterday. It just doesn't work that way.
The wage gap is makes a huge difference to not just me but you too. If the wage gap continues to get bigger and bigger, at some point there wont be enough money for the majority, middle & lower class. People will stop spending all together and then you are heading for an economic collapse. It not even some much about the wage gap but just ensuring that the upper half isn't holding a majority of the country's wealth.

For an employee making 60K a year, it cost the employer almost double, about $120 a year to employ them with benefits. And a man-year for that same employe is again almost double at $300K a year to cover the cost of overhead, etc, cost that most like to ignore.

I think there is too much focus on what others are doing.

One that last sentence, we can agree to disagree. Imo, the last 10-20 years have shown that we need to pay more attention to large companies, "the job creators."
The whole reason the government bailed many companies out was because of "if they fail, we fail" so it is important to pay attention.

And again, I'm not saying companies need to go across the board raising wages... but lately we've seen a few large corporations, who have large numbers of employees on government assistance claiming they don't have the funds to pay more, while paying out large bonuses... That is just wrong to me. I wouldn't have any issue with the bonuses and massive raises they give CEOs if they were also taking care of the entire workforce as well.

I'm not attacking the Upper half... I have no issue with them, but I do have a problem with bad business management.

 

[NelsonRD]

At least a wage adjusted for inflation...
The poor of today cannot be compared to the rich of yesterday. It just doesn't work that way.
The wage gap is makes a huge difference to not just me but you too. If the wage gap continues to get bigger and bigger, at some point there wont be enough money for the majority, middle & lower class. People will stop spending all together and then you are heading for an economic collapse. It not even some much about the wage gap but just ensuring that the upper half isn't holding a majority of the country's wealth.

One that last sentence, we can agree to disagree. Imo, the last 10-20 years have shown that we need to pay more attention to large companies, "the job creators."
The whole reason the government bailed many companies out was because of "if they fail, we fail" so it is important to pay attention.

And again, I'm not saying companies need to go across the board raising wages... but lately we've seen a few large corporations, who have large numbers of employees on government assistance claiming they don't have the funds to pay more, while paying out large bonuses... That is just wrong to me. I wouldn't have any issue with the bonuses and massive raises they give CEOs if they were also taking care of the entire workforce as well.

I'm not attacking the Upper half... I have no issue with them, but I do have a problem with bad business management.

What you want does exist. It is called an Employee owned business. Disney is not employee owned.

Why can't I compare rich today then 100 years ago? The rich 100 years ago didn't have A/C, home entertainment consoles, color televisions, automobiles, I can go on almost all day.....

 

[PrincessNelly_NJ]

What you want does exist. It is called an Employee owned business. Disney is not employee owned.

Why can't I compare rich today then 100 years ago? The rich 100 years ago didn't have A/C, home entertainment consoles, color televisions, automobiles, I can go on almost all day.....

Because the economy of today is vastly different from the economy of 100 years ago.

 

[NelsonRD]

Because the economy of today is vastly different from the economy of 100 years ago.

Doesn't matter the economy. I am talking about quality of living of the rich 100 years ago to the poor today. It has nothing to do with the economy, money, etc....

So if a business is doing well, you want to reward the employees instead of the CEOs bonus money. What happens when a business does not do well, can the employees take a pay cut without you having issue?

 

[PrincessNelly_NJ]

Doesn't matter the economy. I am talking about quality of living of the rich 100 years ago to the poor today. It has nothing to do with the economy, money, etc....

So if a business is doing well, you want to reward the employees instead of the CEOs bonus money. What happens when a business does not do well, can the employees take a pay cut without you having issue?

So by your logic... as long as your quality of life is better today than 100 years ago, then it doesn't matter if by today's standards, you're still poor?

And actually many employees have taken pay cuts or completely been laid off when companies have not done well.
If a company is doing well, everyone should get a bonus.. not just the CEO.

 

[Hakunamatata]

If a company is doing well, everyone should get a bonus.. not just the CEO.

Not if your compensation package that you agreed to when you were hired does not include bonuses. Not everyone gets a participation ribbon in real life.

 

[PrincessNelly_NJ]

Not if your compensation package that you agreed to when you were hired does not include bonuses. Not everyone gets a participation ribbon in real life.

I agree, you're right about that. But when I say bonus, it could be in the form of a small raise. Not just a bonus on top of pay.