In most U.S. States a minmum wage worker would have to work 80+ hours a week to afford rent

[A Real Human Bean]

Well these folks are living somewhere, somehow, no?

Our individualistic ass society thinks that everyone has to be able to do everything on their own. That's not the way things work for everyone. Some people actually pull their resources together and make shyt happen. Why don't these media outlets take the time to display how the folks who are working these jobs are making it instead of painting a bleak picture like there's no way these folks can survive?

The picture for the poor in the US is bleak. There's a lot of reporting and research on how the poor manage to survive. It typically involves help from social welfare programs, that people in our "individualistic ass society" seek to destroy, by utilizing rhetoric such as "everyone has to be able to do everything on their own".

Furthermore, when the media reports on how the poor "survive" in the US, it still highlights the desperate need for serious economic reform.

Peasant societies in Haiti are "living somewhere, somehow" and "making it" but it doesn't mean change isn't needed.

 

[DEAD7]

And ultimately it'd backfire because you can't make money out of thin air.

But seriously, lets look at this.

In a negative income tax system, people earning a certain income level would owe no taxes; those earning more than that would pay a proportion of their income above that level; and those below that level would receive a payment of a proportion of their shortfall, which is the amount their income falls below that level.

Your suggesting that a percentage of the income from the top earners in this country(top 20-30%) couldnt cover the bottom 20%?
Interesting...


The people in the middle would owe no taxes... and not be burdened...
... and labeling it "slave labor" does not remove its benefits.
Being part of the work force is a good thing however you slice it IMO, and keeping jobs here rather than forcing them overseas should be a goal along with affording people a decent living.

A NIT does not disrupt low-wage markets, whereas a minimum wage makes certain very low end jobs impossible (as anyone whose labour is valued at less than the minimum wage must be unemployed). A NIT would therefore increase the availability of cheap labour, which would enable businesses to do domestically some of the work which they would otherwise have to outsource to other countries.

A NIT would reduce administrative overhead,[citation needed] since the large bureaucracies responsible for administering taxation and welfare systems, with the multitude of rules, thresholds and different applications required, could be eliminated. The resources saved by eliminating these bureaucracies could then be spent on more productive government activities, or returned to the people via tax cuts.

A NIT is also expected to have an immediate stabilizing effect as well as a positive influence on the cycle of economic "boom and bust" (during recession, the minimum income aids individuals' confidence whilst businesses are aided by option to lower wages).

 

[GunRanger]

Only a small percentage off jobs are minimum wage, and less than 3% of workers get paid it. Who expects to afford a 2 bedroom apartment on minimum wage? And why should you?

 

[MrNoFlyZone]

The picture for the poor in the US is bleak. There's a lot of reporting and research on how the poor manage to survive. It typically involves help from social welfare programs, that people in our "individualistic ass society" seek to destroy, by utilizing rhetoric such as "everyone has to be able to do everything on their own".

Furthermore, when the media reports on how the poor "survive" in the US, it still highlights the desperate need for serious economic reform.

Peasant societies in Haiti are "living somewhere, somehow" and "making it" but it doesn't mean change isn't needed.

Some of what you're saying is valid, but when you have an individual FPL @ $11,670 with an average income around $15k with the federal minimum wage, exactly where does the reform come from? That's the problem with looking at the government and their formulas for answers. They don't adjust to real world conditions, their numbers are bullshyt. So when people take the situation into their own hands, rally together and make it happen without waiting on the government to get their actuarial in line, they actually move the needle themselves and force institutions to look at things from their actions and not some...buh buh but we need economic reform.

 

[Absolut]

dumb ass statistic. why is someone trying to get a 2 bedroom place when making minimum wage?

 

[DEAD7]

dumb ass statistic. why is someone trying to get a 2 bedroom place when making minimum wage?