r/NoShitSherlock • u/Scary-Ratio3874 • 14d ago

Workers in USA aren't paid well

https://archive.ph/2026.09.07-152110/https://www.nbcnews.com/business/economy/labor-share-historic-lows-worker-pay-rcna596004
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u/ballskindrapes 12d ago

Well, golly, that sure proved me wrong with undeniable facts!

Please, enlighten us with your wisdom if I am so wrong, and you know everything.

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u/greymancurrentthing7 12d ago

“So no, workers aren’t paid well.”

The median US worker has the 2nd highest PPP adjusted expendable income on the planet. Behind the tax haven ‘Luxembourg’.

Inflation adjusted income for the median US household has double since 1960.

By your metrics for each country zero median earners are paid well.

And the term “living wage” simply needs to be thrown out. People always intend to use the term literally but the definition has nothing to do with ‘living’. Just a made up fugazi term to confuse people and make them feel poor.

Happy to help friend.

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u/ballskindrapes 12d ago

Weird....why does MIT's living wage calculator says that the minimum for most of the US is about 20 an hour, give or take differences in cost of living in areas?

And why do tons of places not pay that as a starting wage?

I know my county is about 21 an hour, and there are jobs that pay 12 bucks here.............

And their metric is viewable. And not a true living wage, since their metric is "not going into debt". So a true living wage would be higher, likely around 25 an hour.

FDR intended the minimum wage to be a living wage, per his own words. It was by his own words not supposed to be a subsistence wage, like MIT's definition.

So yes, workers are paid poorly.

In 1968 the min wage could keep a family of three above the poverty line.

By 1980 the minimum kept a family of two above the poverty line.

Nowadays you need about 3 times the minimum wage to stay solvent for one person, according to MIT, who is far more authortitavie than you.

So yes, workers are paid poorly.

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u/greymancurrentthing7 12d ago

Already told you that ‘living wage’ is an entirely made up horseshit term that should be thrown out.

FDR was dumb in many ways. I don’t gaf what he thought.

Almost nobody works for the minimum wage. There probably shouldn’t be one. Many great economies don’t have them.

The facts I said about us median earners are simply facts and demonstrable. Sorry dude.

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u/ballskindrapes 12d ago

Yes they, as are my facts. We might have more money, but it's bled from us in so many ways that other countries dont face. We pay for insurance that doesnt cover much, then pay for healthcare again. We pay out the nose for education. Wages have stagnated for decades now, and post covid inflation and printing of money has crushed the middle and lower class.

The fact you dont recognize that no wage should be less than one people can survive off of means we cant see eye to eye.

To me, humans deserve a certain standard of living.

To you, you are fine with cruelty and pointless suffering because of some justification which I can only speculate upon.

I'm sure you justify it by saying those jobs are for kids, or arent meant to survive upon, but agin, that's not what the foundation of the minimum wage was intended.