How can Americans compete in the job market with people willing to work for below minimum wage?
964696
We cannot. This country's wage scale must be turned around. Bush has worked for 6 years to make this country into a 2 tie wage system. You either make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year or less than 50k. This is their plan. We must increase the minimum wage and massively increase the taxes/tariffs on imports. The import car companies must be made to pay for making their products here if they are sending the money back overseas. WE WILL NOT SURVIVE THIS IF WE DON'T STAND NOW. You will be working for a Japanese owned company in the near future if things are not changed.
411315
I think it is a myth that U.S. citizens won't do those jobs.  It's just that it is EXPENSIVE to live in the U.S., and making $3/hr (if that), doesn't cut it.  It's not that people won't do those jobs, it's that people CANNOT PAY THEIR RENT, FOOD AND UTILITY BILLS with that kind of money.\n\nThe only reason illegal immigrants get by doing it is because a lot of them share housing here in the U.S., and don't have to pay taxes on the money they make.  Imagine making minimum wage AND having taxes taken out by the gov't and trying to live on that here in the U.S.  It's practically impossible.\n\nWe do not think we're too good.  Lots of Americans do cleaning (which is dirty work), but they get paid enough (barely) to get by.  So is being a trash worker, but people do it because they can earn a living.  If farmers only want to pay between $3 and $5/hr to a worker, they know a U.S. Citizen CANNOT get by on that kind of money here.  \n\nNot only are employers paying illegal immigrants less than minimum wage, but they are not paying employment taxes on them (which is illegal, too), and the illegal immigrants are not paying income taxes to the gov't (also illegal).  If illegal immigrants were to live and work and pay taxes in the U.S., they would NOT be happy working for $3/hr. or even $5/hr.\n\nLet's see if their kids are happy making that kind of money?  I bet not, and they shouldn't be happy making that kind of money.
290603
Some fields doesnt have skillful persons, so there is no option for the employers. So they had to hire people from other countries. As the immigration law states that people can be given visa if and only if that jobs are not done by americans. So americans had to increase their potential or definitely they are in deep trouble.
501845
No.  Its a myth that Americans don't want to do certain jobs.  What is true is that they want a fair wage for it.\n\n==\n\nRecently, a California manager of a lawn maintenance company was telling a reporter that she couldn't find any Americans willing to do the work and she was offering $30/hr.  The reporter called her on this lie and made her place an on line help wanted ad.  Within 3 minutes, she had 20 American applicants.
449741
First, our government doesn't HAVE to hire anyone for anything.  It usually is the owners of the farms who do the hiring.  They are seeking a profit, & this means that the people who will work for the least amount of money will be hired to do the job so that the profits will be higher for the owner.  I see all types of people working in the fields, but a larger percentage of them are of Latino Heritage.  They have a oneness and more of the work ethic instilled in their culture than the average American.
640705
In San Francisco they have an ordinance so that if you work more than 2 hours a week you get $8.50 minimum wage.\n\nCheck out this link for all of the states data:\n\nhttp://www.dol.gov/esa/minwage/america.htm
353767
I´m a free market, capitalism all the way kinf of guy. But what you are saying can only be posible if there were no unemployment what so ever. If there is unemployment, in a very minimized example, 4 workers can be up for 1 spot. Who do you think the company will hire if all of them have the same skills/lack of them? The one who will work for less, of course. So, minimum wage applies mostly for phisical labour, where, even if unskilled, plenty can do the same job the same exact way. Now, Jack has 2 daughters and a wife and Steve is single, if the company offers 4 an hour, Steve can say, give 3, i don´t care! They are going to hire Steve. In the low level works, skills and attitude are pretty much not needed to make the same product as your competitors. skills and attitude might get an individual to get better jobs as time goes on, but in the mean while, it doesn´t matter if you know what 5*7 is or have a smile on while moving piles of dirt form one place to another. \n\nIf you take away minimum wage, you might as well take away every other incentive and rights the work force has. No social security, no goverment interference what so ever. Soon, we´ll have another 1929 al over again! Goverment interference got the US out of the Great Depression... Read some Keynes, he explains thing better!
73201
you will probabaly only be able to get a job making minimum wage because of your age unless you know somebody who can get you in a good office position or something most states have rules about minors and the hours they are allowed to work per week you can probably do fast food or retail
963297
I cannot tell you how many people who are earning the minimum wage but it is pretty close to the number of people who didn't pay any attention to much in high school.\nWhile that is not completely fair,mostly because it excludes the manual workers still left from the production line jobs which are fast disappearing in the US such as at the auto industry, it does demonstrate a point; you need focus to be able to have a worthwhile future in a civilized country.  Asking others to raise how much you make really doesn't solve the issue.\n\nFor example, when I was 16, I was working at Burger King.  I did that so I had some spending money, especially for dates and the car, should I be lucky enough to borrow it from my father.  When I was there, there were several adults working there full time.  I knew they were making more money than I was and that was ok with me as they worked 40-60 hours to my 15 or so and used it to support themselves.  However, it didn't take a math genius to figure that paying for food, rent and a car with what they earned wasn't going to leave a lot left over.  Hence I was smart enough at 16 to know that even as a manager, it  wasn't where I wanted to be in 10 years.\nNow I confess that after I went to college, I was expecting someone to knock himself over to hire me to do something after I graduated.  When that didn't happen, I had to do a lot of things I really didn't want to do and relearn what I should have already known.  However, in addition, I had enough smarts to know that I had to dig myself out of the hole, not expect someone else to do it for me.  \nIf you need training, go find something you can stand and get trained.  Personally I am tired of all the anti-social attitudes manifested in demanding higher pay for standing in front of a cash register.  Learn how to be nice to people and learn a skill.  It may take a while to finish the training but it will be worth it.\n\nTo answer your question after this long diatribe, for which I apologize, there are way too many people earning minimum wage in the US.  We have fostered the idea that we have the right to a job that will pay us what we want for far too long.
684321
Free market economies tend to full employment.  There are always interruptions, but the economy is also self correcting.  Minimum wage laws that cause the wage floor to be above equilibrium will create a surplus of labor and permanent unemployment.  Official unemployment figures are generated by the number of job seekers measured at unemployment offices.  And write your own darn essay.
1109800
The reason intelligent people are against the raising of minimum wage(or min wage all together), is because when you raise the minimum hiring wage you force the business owners to take the blow to their profits, which they are not going to do.  \nYou not only have to pay the basic unskilled worker coming in the door more per hour but by nature all skilled workers are going to want a raise by equal increments.  \nNot to mention the  price of ever day good will go up.  Your hamburger at McDonald's will be $10(exaggerated a little)\nThis is a political trick usually by Democrats to "buy" votes from the poor and uninformed.  It sound good to raise wages, but it doesn't work.  The free market should decide what a good wage for a good job is.
983110
Minimum wage does not meet the basic standard of living for Americans.
579467
There are no jobs that Americans won't do if they are paid at least minimum wage and are protected by American labor and employment law.\n\nCheap labor allows businesses to not hire naturalized americans and to outsource jobs.  within a generation there will be no jobs for actual american citizens and then the economy will tank because no one will be able to buy anything.\n\nWhy do people assume that illegals are only doing the manual jobs?  They are doing restaurant, hotel, construction, childcare, and any other job they are offered....not just produce pickers.\n\nif Dynacorp can hire someone for 1 dollar, why would they hire you?  or your son?  or daughter?
1120198
The minimum wage was not necessarily established with the expectation that one would have to make do living on that wage.  There are people who are actually supported by others who are happy to receive 5.25 an hour--namely but not limited to teen agers.  Others might include retired people wanting to add a little income and perhaps others with a full time job wanting to make a little extra.
209206
$10.00 or less per hour is Min wage anything below that is poverty level, the problem is our goverment hasn't wokeup to face the reason why ? it takes two people living together just to make it in this country, AMEN TO THAT !
1104611
Wait...\n\nThe law mandates that the goverment has to provide you with trained workers?\n\nThe law mandates that the goverment has to provide training for people?\n\nWhat sort of neo-marxian shangrila are you living in dude?  Not only is the goverment not required to provide training to people - the goverment is not required to provide you with applicants.\n\nThey are PEOPLE.  Not cogs to be supplied for your use.\n\nMaybe the reason you are having troubble with hiring is that you have a really crummy attitude towards your employees and no one wants to work for you?  If you are having a lot of turn over - there is a reason why people don't want to work for you.\n\nMaybe the industry standard wages are so far below other industries that it is not worth getting the training and experiance you require for the wages you offer.\n\nThere are LOTS of folks who are unemployed - and looking for a job.  If you are having troubble getting help - there is a reason.  I would recomend that you look at teh lowest common denominator - that is to say - what do all of your crummy employees have in common?
652281
As easy as job matching !.\nMost people able to work efficiently if their tasks related to their qualifications.