the most alarming thing to me, is that this graphic needs to exist because it's true. People believe that most minimum wage earners are high school age kids working after school jobs because just a generation

ago, that was TRUE

the middle class has erroded so fast, people's perceptions of the real situation haven't caught up. And at the same time a huge chunk of the middle class has slipped down to minimum wage status, minimum wage

stagnated, meaning it no longer pays rent on a cheap apartment, or provides food for a family. It's not enough to live on, and yet more and more people are forced to try

Raising the minimum wage will destroy the middle class entirely though. Employer will make do with less workers.

nods we've been seeing the slow disappearance of the middle class. Keeping the min wage this low just makes it much much worse

Instead of someone taking tour order you.Will have a touch screen.

Nonsense.

there is another graphic that shows how much it would really cost stores like walmart to raise the min wage. Its not as much as people think

Yeah no, raising min wage doesn't eradicate middle class. Our min wage rises with inflation yearly yet we still have a middle class. We would still have one if they raised to a liveable working wage.

oh and I'm nodding in agreement with ReneeF

The whole idea that raising the min wage will will eliminate the middle class is tea party bullshit. Its to the richs fat cats advantage to widen the gap between the rich and the poor.

Raising the min wage would save the middle class - all these companies will continue to need people to run it. They may have to cut some executive pay.

pay as little as you can for the most amount of work.. keep raising the prices and keeping the wages low.. increase profit margins will getting all those nice govt tax breaks.

In fact, it's quite the opposite: refusing to raise the minimum wage will eradicate the middle class, as steady inflation will continue to price things like housing outside of the grasp of the

majority of wage-earners, who depend on a fair minimum wage to maintain a middle-class lifestyle.

rich employers need to stop being assholes trying to hold as much as they can for their own pockets and care about the people they employ, first they whined that they would all go broke if they provided health

care now they whine because they don't wanna pay people something they can live with

And before someone comes in with the "minimum wage was intended for teenagers" Fox News bullshit, let's go on and set out that the minimum wage was created as part of the New Deal to

establish a fair day's pay for a fair day's work for all Americans as we were coming out of the Great Depression. It had nothing to do with teenagers making pocket money,

and that's a fallacious argument that needs to die a flaming death.

A lot of people don't realize that the minimum wage is supposed to be the minimum amount for people to have a roof over their head, clothes on their back, and food on the table.

but... stop being poor.

/endsarcasm

Xio: some people visibly never understood inflation in living costs if they think minimum wage shouldn't be raised.

on wait, my sarcasm is still on somehow...

Some people need to wake up and smell the coffee. If the minimum wage was raised, the middle class would start BUYING stuff again and the economy would start growing again.

Mouse: they defend trickle down, but not trickle up. funny, huh?

yeah that is funny how that works.

When I see people my age or older working in most of the fast-food joints, which used to be the domain of teenagers almost exclusively, I'm smart enough to figure out that something's wrong with minimum wage.

I should say something wrong with the idea that minimum wage is helping teenagers, that is

Also, not even all teenagers are earning extra spending money - there are some who have to work to save for college, or who have to help keep their families afloat, so even if the myth was right, it wouldn't

be bad to raise minimum.

but her's the question. And I know by asking this will raise some brows. But when you look a areas that earn more money the cost of living tends to go up with the cost of housing, food, milk. Don't you think

that might happen in areas that they raise the minimum wage.

Well, yes - because the people at the top are well, primarily greedy. Instead of taking a little less so that we keep the middle class, they'll just raise prices to keep everything screwed up.

gabieglam If you earn more, you still can buy in places where things are cheap. If you earn the minimum, you don't have so many choices.

I mean in the city I live in 550 (rent wise) gives us a one bedroom apartment but if we were to go say like an our out of town a two bedroom house on a nice plot and fenced in yard.

^ That is so spot on it's insane

wow 550? i miss those prices on rent >.<

Seriously. $550/month for rent doesn't even exist.

Uh, here that is. Here being Long Island. I should have made that clear.

that pic reminds me of this ridiculous youtube commercial that has been popping up before videos on my and ben's phone. talking about how people will lose their jobs if we raise the minimum wage

I see this - currently the people who can get work are working 2 -3 jobs in order to pay for every day things. One job to pay rent and food, one to cover health ins/ car payment. If you earned just a bit more

then that 3rd or 2nd job would not be neccesary. Freeing up a job for someone that is not currently working

more people able to work, more income flow. The gears of economy start turning again rather then grinding into nothing. It has other impacts as well. I mean, the Gov. would get their cut without even having to

up taxes. you earn more then get more from their percentage. Lower depression rates with people being able to afford to live has impact on health ins costs going down ( theoretically)

New two bedroom apts where I live are about 2700/mo. That's the Bay Area in CA.

The 2nd paragraph on this page, in bold, gives a good summary: Out of Reach 2014: National Low Income Housing Coalition

Pretty much what you have now is the skilled workers whose jobs have been outsourced or eliminated are taking all those jobs that used to be the "teens working for gas money" jobs.

And they are working two or three of them since most of those jobs have been less than full time to avoid having to provide benefits.

So working 60-80 hours a week, but without overtime pay since they are working at different places.

THAT is the reality. And a huge number of those folks have college degrees as well.