Christy Clark wants the poor to stay poor...

[matai]

...and the rich to stay richer. Interesting article on how she said no to increasing the minimum wage to $13.00.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/mobile/canada/b-c ... -1.1716532

What do you think? I think if minimum wage people would earn more, they would pay more income taxes & spend more, paying more sales taxes as well. Then maybe BC would not do a $2,000,000,000 deficit this year and maybe the need for the food banks for full time workers would not be as great as it is right now.

[LoneWolf_53]

I think what you're forgetting is that there will always be entry level jobs, and it's those that for the most part minimum wage rules are made.

It's up to the worker to acquire skills and training that entitles them to enter higher wage brackets.

I doubt there's very many who view flipping burgers at Mc D's as their life career choice, though even there no doubt there are some motivated ones who worked their way up into management and the accompanying higher income bracket.

I happen to think Christy is being rational whereas some wouldn't be happy if minimum wage was raised to $20hr.

Where Jim Sinclair is out to lunch is in clinging to a notion that minimum wage jobs are intended to make ends meet. Most are aware that they don't, and either get skills to improve their lot in life, or take on second jobs. Always been that way, and more than likely always will.

What do you expect a guy who represents 450,000 unionized workers to say? Leave it up to him to make the decision and we'll be paying $50 for a burger so that his unskilled $25hr minimum wage earners can generate him some more union dues.

[GrooveTunes]

I think what you're forgetting is that there will always be entry level jobs, and it's those that for the most part minimum wage rules are made.

It's up to the worker to acquire skills and training that entitles them to enter higher wage brackets.

I doubt there's very many who view flipping burgers at Mc D's as their life career choice, though even there no doubt there are some motivated ones who worked their way up into management and the accompanying higher income bracket.

I happen to think Christy is being rational whereas some wouldn't be happy if minimum wage was raised to $20hr.

Where Jim Sinclair is out to lunch is in clinging to a notion that minimum wage jobs are intended to make ends meet. Most are aware that they don't, and either get skills to improve their lot in life, or take on second jobs. Always been that way, and more than likely always will.

What do you expect a guy who represents 450,000 unionized workers to say? Leave it up to him to make the decision and we'll be paying $50 for a burger so that his unskilled $25hr minimum wage earners can generate him some more union dues.

It doesn't take much skill to dig ditches (e.g.) but it's very hard work. Why shouldn't the ditch digger get paid a better wage considering their more likely to get hurt on the job then a skilled paper pusher? This whole notion of unskilled workers getting lousy pay because they don't have a great eduction is baloney. Anyone that does heavy physical work is worth more then most of the lazy *bleep* educated folks that I know.

[LoneWolf_53]

Ditch diggers? That's all you've got?

I think you'd have to first show me a construction site where there is actually a ditch digger, as opposed to an equipment operator doing the digging, and I'm sure not for minimum wage.

Besides which there again, no one forces anyone to do work they don't like. If you don't want to dig ditches, and think it's too hard and dangerous, then get an apprenticeship for something else or otherwise acquire skills to improve your lot.

Places that actually do need to use employees for repeated hard manual labour be it ditch digging or what have you, aren't usually paying them minimum wage anyway, since they wouldn't be able to keep them for long at that rate if they are good workers.

Anyone that does heavy physical work is worth more then most of the lazy *bleep* educated folks that I know.

Yeah well from my standpoint, someone who is stuck doing heavy physical work because they have no skills to offer, could well be characterized as lazy *bleep* themselves expecting someone else to put out, when they aren't willing to put forth the effort to better their own lot.

Don't get me wrong I agree there most certainly are lazy *bleep* educated folks out there, but to give credit where it's due, they did at least put some effort into getting the position they have.

There's nothing stopping the ones you're apparently trying to defend, from improving their situation, other than lack of motivation.

[Crazy Horse]

What do you think? I think if minimum wage people would earn more, they would pay more income taxes & spend more, paying more sales taxes as well. Then maybe BC would not do a $2,000,000,000 deficit this year and maybe the need for the food banks for full time workers would not be as great as it is right now.

No, because students won't be paying more in taxes if they get a bump to $13.

And adults only have themselves to blame if they are making minimum wage.

[LoneWolf_53]

And adults only have themselves to blame if they are making minimum wage.

And that smacks the nail square on the head.

[matai]

"Il n'y a pas de sots métiers, il n'y a que de sottes gens".

There's no stupid jobs, only stupid people.

I'm sure miss Clark wouldn't go to the restaurant to cook her own food, serve her own wine, clean her own table & dishes, yet these may be 'unskilled' jobs, yet they are necessary and when she chew on her steak, she well knows the people who made her happy meal can't make ends meet. Especially in Kelowna. It's disgusting.

[Captain Awesome]

Raising min. wage never helps anybody.

[LoneWolf_53]

There's no stupid jobs, only stupid people.

Quite true, and anyone who thinks of flipping burgers as a career for an adult would be one of those stupid people.

I'm sure miss Clark wouldn't go to the restaurant to cook her own food, serve her own wine, clean her own table & dishes, yet these may be 'unskilled' jobs, yet they are necessary and when she chew on her steak, she well knows the people who made her happy meal can't make ends meet. Especially in Kelowna. It's disgusting.

Actually what's disgusting is some people always looking to pin the blame for other's bad choices on the first available politician they figure they can use as a scapegoat, to shift the blame away from where it truly belongs. The ones making bad choices.

Heaven forbid they actually take ownership of their poor decisions and it's predictable outcome.

Thinking that continually raising the minimum wage level will fix all society's ills is ridiculous.

[Glacier]

...and the rich to stay richer. Interesting article on how she said no to increasing the minimum wage to $13.00.

I'm all for criticizing the Premier, but wow, you're taking things to a whole new level. You are saying, in essence, that the Premier who raised minimum wage higher and faster than anyone else in history doesn't care for the poor because she doesn't give into the latest demand. Goes to show that if you give them an inch, the go for a mile.

[OREZ]

There's nothing stopping the ones you're apparently trying to defend, from improving their situation, other than lack of motivation.

So a laborer supporting a family has nothing stopping him/her from improving his/her situation other than lack of motivation?

[jimsenchuk]

Yes minimum wage should be upped to 13 bucks an hr, even at that you are still very close to or in the poverty level.

[LoneWolf_53]

There's nothing stopping the ones you're apparently trying to defend, from improving their situation, other than lack of motivation.

So a laborer supporting a family has nothing stopping him/her from improving his/her situation other than lack of motivation?

If you're looking for sympathy you're fishing in the wrong pond because I was once that labourer supporting a family.

Other people with families have done it and so can anyone if they're persistent and motivated enough.

If they're sitting on their butts, expecting someone to hand them the good life, then likely they'll be in for some disappointment.

[Smurf]

I agree LW as I went through similar circumstances, however we have to remember that there are many out there who for reasons beyond their control will never be able to improve their status in life. Many of them are good workers, actually better than many fully capable people. Do they not deserve a good life. I'm not saying raising the minimum wage is the solution, I don't know what is. I just don't agree that everyone who doesn't improve themselves is lazy.

[Rwede]

*removed*