• anticolonialist@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    We need to stop looking at minimum wage as a set number across the country, It creates a wage disparity for the working class. A livable wage in Alabama would not be a livable wage in California, a livable wage in California would be an insane wage in a place like Alabama.

    The minimum wage needs to be directly tied with median housing costs either at the state level or at the county level. The wage needs to be set where housing would only comprise of a max of 30% of income. So at 30% if the median rent is $2000 per month, the livable wage in that area would be set at about $6700 a month, or about $42 an hour. This would help control housing costs as well as keep wages livable.

      • anticolonialist@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        I acknowledge that, but people keep quitting a specific number and specific numbers don’t work across the nation. Because of varied COL. Minimum wage should be tied to a major COL item like housing

    • Dazed_Confused@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      Suppose that happens. What’s stopping the landlords from just raising their rents then? Can the government control housing costs? Is it even possible in a “free” economy?

      • anticolonialist@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        The government wouldn’t need to control housing. Landlords would be under pressure from other companies to keep housing low so their wage costs remain as low as possible.