What For You is the Single Biggest Political Issue of the 2016 Election?

[Shadow Wolf]

15 an hour isn't outrageous even in the boonies.

Actually, in these boonies $15 is a ton of money, and $10 will have you living very comfortably. $7.25, OTOH, is not enough to afford rent, utilites, and eat anything more than dollar frozen pizzas, dollar pasta sauce, and 50 cent boxes of spaghetti.

 

[Daemon Sophic]

I sort of see all three of my major issues lumped together.
Stop putting money into the pockets of the few at the expense of the many, with the resulting corruption of the all too human politicians of all sides.
Stop putting money into the pockets of politicians (take ALL contributions out of politics - probably resulting in the arrest and replacement of most politicians)
Place an intelligent and reasonable (i.e. not another conservative) judge on the supreme court.

 

[Brickjectivity]

A lot of people in this election feel they are not fairly represented and their voices are not being heard. That is really the #1 issue. The people they depend upon to represent them actually do not. Nobody is looking out for the ranchers, for the blacks, for the gays, for the evangelicals, for the small business owners etc. Lots of groups feel underrepresented and unheard, and they also aren't listening to anyone else.

All the candidates do is pretend to hear various groups. "I hear you. Nobody else does, but I do." For some reason that keeps working.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

A lot of people in this election feel they are not fairly represented and their voices are not being heard. That is really the #1 issue. The people they depend upon to represent them actually do not. Nobody is looking out for the ranchers, for the blacks, for the gays, for the evangelicals, for the small business owners etc. Lots of groups feel underrepresented and unheard, and they also aren't listening to anyone else.

For the evangelicals, they should come to Indiana. One of the concerns with "freedom of religion" is the idea that someone shouldn't even have to work with a homosexual if it goes against there "sincerely held" religious beliefs. One bill that would have granted homosexuals civil rights completely omitted transsexuals. From my perspective, people are looking out for them. However, they aren't looking out for me or my community. One Indiana legislator even wanted to make it a class A misdemeanor if a transsexual student uses the restroom, lockerroom, or other sex-segregated room of their identified and presented-as sex in a public school.

 

[Brickjectivity]

For the evangelicals, they should come to Indiana. One of the concerns with "freedom of religion" is the idea that someone shouldn't even have to work with a homosexual if it goes against there "sincerely held" religious beliefs. One bill that would have granted homosexuals civil rights completely omitted transsexuals. From my perspective, people are looking out for them. However, they aren't looking out for me or my community. One Indiana legislator even wanted to make it a class A misdemeanor if a transsexual student uses the restroom, lockerroom, or other sex-segregated room of their identified and presented-as sex in a public school.

...and after this election many people will still feel like they aren't being represented, heard, appreciated, protected or included. That is the #1 issue.

 

[Midnight Rain]

Actually, in these boonies $15 is a ton of money, and $10 will have you living very comfortably. $7.25, OTOH, is not enough to afford rent, utilites, and eat anything more than dollar frozen pizzas, dollar pasta sauce, and 50 cent boxes of spaghetti.

where do you live? How much is average house rent? How much is power on average?

I've lived in the middle of the mountains and it cost more to live there than it does to live where I am now with the exception of rent. And at the time I only made 12 bucks an hour and it was difficult.

 

[metis]

If the cost of living in an area mandates $15 for hamburger flippers fine, say like San Francisco or New York fine, but if your living in Podunk _______ then it is too much. Let the local economy determine the wage not the &^%^$#$ federal government.

I wouldn't mind having the states just set the standards if they simply would do it, but most aren't. One should hopefully realize that a couple of cents per Big Mac is not going to devastate McDonalds, plus one should realize that it is brutal competition that encourages companies to keep wages low. If all national chains raise their minimum wage to at least the same level, no one company is at a disadvantage, and all ships benefit from the rising tide because now even their workers can better turn around and buy Big Macs for their families.

You can't have it both ways, namely complaining about "too much government" and then saying that the fed shouldn't raise the minimum wage, which forces the fed and state governments to pay more for the safety net.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

where do you live? How much is average house rent? How much is power on average?

Rural North/Central Indiana. If you don't waste electricity, it should run no more than $100 a month for a one bed room apartment. Houses I don't know about, but apartments start at around $500-$600 a month for one bed room.
And, as I should mention, my perspective is that of someone who has only themselves to feed.

 

[metis]

Adding to my previous reply #14
What you fail to realize that it just isn't the few extra pennies for a BicMac(which you shouldn't be eating all the time anyway) it's the total increase of wages across the board...
.

And you have just inadvertently undermined your own position. Why are so many Americans angry with what's happening here in the States? The most important reason is because their wages have been eroded, especially with the demise of unions, wages being reduced, benefits being reduced, and also medical inflation.

Do you really think angry Americans fed up with the system makes this a better country? Do you really think the hostility that this is generating really helps to make us stronger?

And let me remind you that conservative economist Alan Greenspan said to the congressional committee investigating the cause of the Great Recession that wealth disparity is the single most significant threat to the security and well being of the U.S. Do you think he was lying? Morris said much the same over 40 years ago, so was he some fool?

 

[Midnight Rain]

Rural North/Central Indiana. If you don't waste electricity, it should run no more than $100 a month for a one bed room apartment. Houses I don't know about, but apartments start at around $500-$600 a month for one bed room.
And, as I should mention, my perspective is that of someone who has only themselves to feed.

10 bucks an hour is roughly 320 after taxes in most states. Meaning roughly 1280 a month. -600 for rent -100 for power leaves you with roughly 580 a month for food, gas, entertainment, cell if you have one, internet/tv if you have it, health insurance, supplies, savings and emergency funds. Though the last two, while should not be the same usually are. You could make it but you wouldn't be able to pay off debt of any kind and wouldn't have much to go for as far as savings or having upwards mobility. Assuming you only spent 180 between all other bills such as health insurance, internet, cell, ect you would only have 100 bucks a week for food. That is enough to survive off of but just barely with most costs.

15 wouldn't be a lot of money. You wouldn't be able to buy a house or support a family of any kind. But less than 10 makes it very tight.

 

[metis]

Second I have very little sympathy for someone who decided that they wanted to raise a family on minimum wages with little or no possibility of improving themselves. When one makes a decision that will affect them for the rest of their lives they better stop and think before they leap. I am not my brothers keeper,...

Oh, I can very well believe that you don't have much sympathy for the poor-- you've made that quite clear on numerous threads.

OK, a bit more Economics 101: if every single person in the U.S. had a ph.d., would we not have unemployment or people living in poverty? Ask the Israelis, because they experience something like that when Russian Jews with so many have good educational backgrounds flooded into Israel in the early 1990's, only to find that there simply weren't enough jobs available. The Israeli government, being a responsible one on this, went out of their way to help do their best to help them out, and at all different levels.

The idea that people are poor because they are ignorant or lazy is just another one of your bizarre stereotypes. Yes, there are some that are poorly educated and some that are lazy, but most people do want to work, and hindsight is always easier in life.

The fact that you would not be willing to help out your fellow Americans, not with "handouts" but with the local, state, and federal government trying to encourage the creation of more jobs and better wages, is very telling. How and why would you turn your back on them when even a minimum amount of assistance could help out millions? Why not help many who are poor get retrained? Why not pass laws that raise the minimum wage so the "nanny state" doesn't have to take care of so many?

Like so many things in life, you get what you're willing to pay for.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

10 bucks an hour is roughly 320 after taxes in most states. Meaning roughly 1280 a month. -600 for rent -100 for power leaves you with roughly 580 a month for food, gas, entertainment, cell if you have one, internet/tv if you have it, health insurance, supplies, savings and emergency funds. Though the last two, while should not be the same usually are. You could make it but you wouldn't be able to pay off debt of any kind and wouldn't have much to go for as far as savings or having upwards mobility. Assuming you only spent 180 between all other bills such as health insurance, internet, cell, ect you would only have 100 bucks a week for food. That is enough to survive off of but just barely with most costs.

15 wouldn't be a lot of money. You wouldn't be able to buy a house or support a family of any kind. But less than 10 makes it very tight.

With $11 an hour, I had cell phone, internet, satellite TV subscription, ate dinner at a restaurant once or twice a week, built up some savings, was able to buy my own food, pay for my own house/land, and I was living with my ex even though she was unemployed, and we were both very comfortable. So much, in fact, that I had a pretty good selection of alcohol and could mix up any drink I'd want. And I was going through about $150 in gas a month just to get back-and-forth from work (26-mile drive one-way).

 

[Midnight Rain]

With $11 an hour, I had cell phone, internet, satellite TV subscription, ate dinner at a restaurant once or twice a week, built up some savings, was able to buy my own food, pay for my own house/land, and I was living with my ex even though she was unemployed, and we were both very comfortable. So much, in fact, that I had a pretty good selection of alcohol and could mix up any drink I'd want. And I was going through about $150 in gas a month just to get back-and-forth from work (26-mile drive one-way).

By savings do you mean 50 dollars a month or something more substantial? Also what year was it?

 

[Shadow Wolf]

By savings do you mean 50 dollars a month or something more substantial? Also what year was it?

I don't remember exactly how much, but it was far more than 50 a month. This was a few years ago, and I paid for my first year of school out of pocket.
Things are cheap here because people tend to not have a lot of money. When someone hires in at Chrysler making $16, they are set. New cars, new toys, nice houses and apartments - they have not a financial worry in the world and even the big spenders have lots of money left over.

 

[Midnight Rain]

You may as well try and stop trying to tell me what kind of position I was in. This was a few years ago, and I paid for my first year of school out of pocket.
Things are cheap here because people tend to not have a lot of money. When someone hires in at Chrysler making $16, they are set. New cars, new toys, nice houses and apartments - they have not a financial worry in the world and even the big spenders have lots of money left over.

I'm not trying to tell you what kind of position you were in. I was trying to gauge what it was that you called "a ton of money". I have also lived in rural north Carolina off 12 an hour and I would not have classified myself as having "tons of money". That is all.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

I'm not trying to tell you what kind of position you were in.

I changed it after I realized I misread and assumed based on the previous post.

I have also lived in rural north Carolina off 12 an hour and I would not have classified myself as having "tons of money". That is all.

In general, California is way more expensive than it is here.

 

[Midnight Rain]

I changed it after I realized I misread and assumed based on the previous post.

Its fine.

In general, California is way more expensive than it is here.

True I have not lived in Indiana.

 

[esmith]

The federal government is the only way to ensure that people of the whole nation make a livable wage. 15 an hour isn't outrageous even in the boonies.

The best way to explain why we need a higher minimum wage is by talking about a very simple economic concept used by pretty much every business ever. Its called price elasticity. Its a simple enough to calculate (harder to find the base numbers to use in the calculation however) that shows us how to get the maximum profit for the cost of an item. You could sell an item for 100 dollars and make a 90 dollar profit off each one. However you might only sell 5 total. If you sell them for 15 dollars you make a 5 dollar profit but sell 100. So you end up with a profit of 450 vs a profit of 500. Somewhere in between there is a better number. Perhaps at 20 dollars you still sell 100 but double your profit range to 1000. Perhaps at 25 you only sell 90 but end up with 1250 in profit.

Why does this matter in the minimum wage issue? Because people across the board are selling their labor to businesses (Just like any other product or service) for pennies on the dollar. Their wages should be much higher across the board (not just minimum wage) but they lack the ability to change that. Because in our current economy the workers have very very very very little power vs the companies who have far too much power. You either work for cheap or don't get to work at all.

I will agree that people don't need to live on minimum wage all the time. People need to have some ambition. But if you work 40 hours a week you should be able to support yourself to a basic level. We may disagree on what that basic level is. I think you have an idea that people living in these conditions are constantly making poor life choices or eating far more expensive than they should. This isn't true. Most people are buying the cheapest they can from the cheapest store. Burgers at mcdonalds can feed a family of 4 for about 10 bucks. Little Ceasers makes a full pizza to feed 4 for five dollars.

Its not a matter of attempting to live above your level and wining that you don't have enough. It really actually is needing more to get by. I think the minimum wage should be 20 dollars in some places. perhaps 12 in others. But a flat 15 for the whole country isn't an economy breaking thing. What is more important to me however is the domino effect it has on the rest of the economy. People making 10 an hour are suddenly at least making 15 an hour and people making 15 an hour will probably be making more than 15 an hour. The higher up on the pay scale you go the less it effects you but it will effect those making less than 20 dollars an hour for sure.

Totally disagree with you as I usually do on numerous subjects. Just so you understand where I'm coming from 100 pounds of rice cost about $40, 100lbs of beans around $90. I don't know where or how you grew up but we always had a pot of beans available for almost every meal. Didn't eat rice because my Dad refused to touch it (WWII) I never touched it until I went into the service. Why do you think we have such a obesity problem compounded by more and more diabetes...it because of the JUNK food you just put forward. A bowl of oatmeal takes about 2 minutes to cook.and cost about $4 for 42oz and you can buy bulk a lot cheaper. We have a single neighbor across the street that works part time at minimum wage. She doesn't seem to be having any problems supporting herself above the basic level as a matter of fact doing quite well for herself. She is also in the process of furthering her education. So I have a problem with your conclusions. Also your idea of the federal government mandating wages is in my opinion sheer nonsense.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Also your idea of the federal government mandating wages is in my opinion sheer nonsense.

Personally, I think the federal government should mandate the each state set a livable wage as a minimum wage that is based on that that state. Obviously, here in Indiana you don't need nearly as much money to live as you do in New York.

 

[fantome profane]

Money in politics is a major issue. Nothing of any consequence is going to change until you can rein in campaign financing.