When I was a kid, money equaled cool stuff and freedom to do what I wanted. I was lucky that I didn't have to worry about bills and wasn't really concerned about my ability to make money in the future. As an adult, I wish I had been better informed about finances and economics as I was growing up and moving into the world.
I had no idea how other countries handled their money. Why would I have needed to know? I was just a kid. Right? These days the average person has a better understanding of global economics and how the many countries of the world are all intertwined. It's true: our world is becoming flatter and with that comes knowledge and responsibility.
Ask yourself this: Do you have any idea what the minimum wage is in the United States? Does Kansas have a higher minimum wage than what is required by the federal government? Did you know that states have the option of increasing that minimum wage?
Recently, I discovered that in Australia there is a huge concern that foreign workers are being underpaid. Can you guess how little they're being paid? Would you be surprised to know that it's higher than the minimum wage in the United States? Would you be surprised to learn that the minimum wage in Australia for a full-time adult worker is nearly double our minimum wage? Check out this article, Raw Deal for Sushi Workers, to find out more.
Based on what you've read in the article, what are your impressions of the situation? Would that happen here? What if we increased our minimum wage? Would that have an effect on the economy? How does this affect your future? Knowing what you know now, would you be more likely to consider working abroad?
My impressions are sad because we have to pay a lot of money. It's happening a lot here. We would still pay for an unnecessary situation. It would have a huge effect on the economy. I may not get the job I wanted. I would feel terrified if I died in this state of matter. Dying in the army is not how I want to die.
ReplyDeleteIf we increased our minimum wage, it would make people life's easier. Making more money, can pay for the bills and and not have to worry. I'm not sure if this will effect my future by any means. I might spend a lot and never have money or spend just what I have to spend. If the the minimum wage went up we would learn to spend our money wisely.
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ReplyDeleteThis would effect my life because that means that it would make my family's and other people's life better, and a lot easier than what it is now, but on the other side it might effect our economy, (not sure though). I think that if they raised our minimum wage then we would have more money to spend on what we call "entertainment/fun activities", instead of just paying our bills, and common things like that. I don't know if it would effect my future or not.
ReplyDeleteIt would be hard to live like that... You would have to pay bills and finance and insurance stuff while everyone else is having fun and stuff...
ReplyDeleteI agree with Brooklynn, that would be hard. You have to pay for all of the bills and you look around and everyone else is having a great time. I think that would make me kinda depressed
ReplyDeleteI agree with brooklynn that would be hard. You would have to pay bills and finance and insurance while everyone else is haveing a good time.That would make me sad
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ReplyDeleteI'm a bit confused by Tacinda, tplc18, and Brooklyn. Tell me more about why only you would have to pay for insurance and finances while everyone else is having a good time. Make sure that you check out the article before you reply further. I'm also not sure how littlescotthoney wound up dying in the army because of sushi workers being underpaid. Please connect the dots for me. :)
ReplyDeleteMorgie, I'm very interested in knowing how you think raising the minimum wage might effect the economy. You and Allison have talked about the positive effects it would have on your families, would that be different for the nation?
ReplyDeleteI'd love to hear more from all of you. :)
My impressions are sad because we have to pay a lot of money. It's happening a lot here. We would still pay for an unnecessary situation. It would have a huge effect on the economy. I may not get the job I wanted. I would feel terrified if I died in this state of matter. Dying in the army is not how I want to die.
ReplyDeleteLike my way is that the world is going into a money crisis.they don't have enough to feed everyone but it means 2012 may happen but at the same time it might not be the world being destroyed its the end of humanity to.The world is just a ever balancing scale we happen to be at the lowest part in history at the moment.
ReplyDeletei am surprised that the minimum wage in Australia is double ours. i don't think that would happen here. if they in creased our minimum wage i would be so happy. i think that would have a effect on the economy. it would help me in the future be cause i would get more money in the future.
ReplyDeleteWow so yeah that is insane that there paying people lower than they should. Money is actually and issue? Wow! Ok well I think that people should get paid as much as they should be paid. Not lower.
ReplyDeleteI learned that in I think Africa the amount of money they get paid is double the amount of money we get paid here in America.
ReplyDeletemy impression is that I would become a lawyer. because the job I'm aiming to do is a job that I don't get paid regularly then it's probably not going to effect me. I have more then enough money in the bank for my first 4 years of college and probably 3 years of law school plus you add in side jobs so money with me is nothing to worry about.
ReplyDeleteI think that it would be hard to have to pay bills and everybody else is having fun like Elicia and Brooklynn. But the people in the Army are dying and who really wants to die. Nobody does and that really sucks. But it is a part of there job fighting and maybe dying in the process.
ReplyDeleteIt surprises me that the minimum wage in Australia is double our minimum wage. I don't think that they would raise our minimum wage here. If they increased our minimum wage it would make a lot of people happy here. If they did raise our minimum wage it would have a effect on the economy. It would help me in the future because we would get more money in the future.
ReplyDeleteIf I found out that I was being underpaid it would reflect my life. I would try to take it up with the government to give me my money rights. I wouldn't have the money to pay for food and things that I need.
ReplyDeleteIf I underpaid I would think about everything in my life think what my next course of action will be, then I would most likely ask my boss for a raise so I can eat at least.
ReplyDeleteWell, I personally think that the restaurants need to get over their stubbornness (if that even a word??) and think about what it would be like to be in that person's shoes. To be paid lower than they should be just because they are the "odd-one-out"
ReplyDeleteI don't necessarily think that it's going to happen here but I think that it MIGHT already be happening here (I said MAYBE not for sure), all the exchange students coming in from (I think, I might have to double check on this one) China and Japan, and enrolling in our school systems. People might be unerpaying them because they don't want to waste "their" money on a "stranger" that "blew in one day" and the next day the wind changes and blows them back from where they came from.
I know that if we increased our minimum wage that a lot of families would be very graceious of this because most (divorced families, and families that had a rough start) of them are working for minimum wage because that's all that they could get are all that they were able to "push" for.
It would most likely have an effect on the economy. You never know, prices could go up or they could go down because of supply and demand or what's being handed to them.
I most likely will become a tattoo artist, an artist, or a veterinarian that charges on the size of, so say, a tattoo, or how sick or hurt the animal is. But if minimum wage goes down, people aren't going to come in as often as they would when it goes up. So, yes, it would affect me depending on which way it decides to go.
No, I would not work abroad. I know that people out there are very harsh and sometimes make you feel like dirt because they want to make themselves feel better and because they think that you deserve less because you aren't contributing to their community and paying their taxes, too. What I understand it is, they look at us as coming in, taking their money, not paying taxes or contributing to their community like they have to, and leaving them with nothing but a mess to clean up and another worker to find.
Wow the minimum wages are so different, I mean why arnt they all the same wouldn't it make everybody a little bit more happy. I mean $7.30 in the U.S. compared to $15.00 in Australia, its crazy. :O
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