Comments on: Florida’s Minimum Wage Increases

By: Anne

Anne — Wed, 31 Dec 2014 23:46:24 +0000

You know, i would remind those ill-spirited people (get a degree… My sister has her Masters degree in Psychology and it hasn’t done a whole lot of good for her because the practice, generally, does not align itself with the theory she spent years studying! She got discouraged quickly…) So saying that you will improve your life by getting a degree is not necessarily true. i worked with more than a few physicians ( i was a nurse ) who had serious deficits in (not only) bedside manner (the so-called “art of medicine”) but “the science of medicine” (as well) and they weren’t necessarily the most compassionate of the lot either. A college degree doesn’t carry a guarantee that you’ll get what you want out of it. Those physicians… who gets more “college”, more education and time-in-the-job than they do? MAYBE a law clerk for some District Court or the Supreme Court. A college degree doesn’t mean a thing if you don’t love what you’re doing and if you go to college right out of high school you don’t always know exactly what you may (really) love to do or to be good at it. If you don’t love what you’re doing… that’s the secret to success. So, don’t be so ill-spirited and judgmental about it. Not everyone can go to college. Look at the debt (student loans) that many people coming out of college are saddled with!! Some come out with hundreds of thousands of dollars owing ( medicine ) and when you factor in the premiums they must pay for malpractice insurance ( years ago an orthopedic M.D. had an average premium of $75,000 a year! ) They need to make a lot of money to pay off that debt and the insurance premiums, don’t ya think? So, “walk a mile in other peoples shoes” for a minute and “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. Negativity creates negativity… puts out negative “vibes”. Please don’t do that. There’s enough of that in the world already. Try “practicing random acts of kindness” and as Gandi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world…” and, in my book, kindness surpasses ill-spirited(ness) by miles and miles and miles… don’t ya think so?

By: chris in Molino

chris in Molino — Tue, 30 Dec 2014 03:15:58 +0000

Well ive got two things to say. 1) FDOC is always looking for prison guards. You need no degree, no technical training, and can be dumb as a box of rocks. In just a few short months, you can start at almost $32,000 per year.
2) People always say why me. If you dont like your life, do something about it. Somebody has to lose, if you dont want it to be you then better pick your head up and keep truckin.

By: BT

BT — Tue, 30 Dec 2014 00:03:11 +0000

Everybody always gets so excited when the minimum wage is discussed. It’s indexed to inflation, so it’s not really like it’s putting anybody out, or giving the poor something extra for remaining unskilled.

There are plenty of opportunities to better your life. It doesn’t have to be college…there are many fine technical programs out there.

By: Reality Check

Reality Check — Mon, 29 Dec 2014 23:35:23 +0000

Well, it doesn’t matter if you disagree with the increase. It’s still happening. Get on with your lives, and quit trying to stifle others.

Sincerely,
A guy with multiple degrees who has worked minimum wage jobs to obtain them.

By: My 2 Cents

My 2 Cents — Mon, 29 Dec 2014 22:52:11 +0000

The complaints on how you can’t do something are unreal. If you really want something you go out and get it. I once worked 2 full time jobs and it was rough but I wasn’t getting paid much and I needed more money.
I have a close family member with a credit score in the upper 700s if not low 800s and has always worked fast food. Always!
Stop making excuses. Work. Don’t live above your means. Get a roommate if needed because it does help with expenses.
There are grants/programs to help with school costs. Research. Stop blaming everyone else for your problems.

By: Graduate

Graduate — Mon, 29 Dec 2014 20:01:26 +0000

I just finished my college degree, and let me tell you, it’s virtually impossible to GET your degree when you’re being paid almost nothing. You can’t tell me to “go get a degree if you want a better job” when I have almost NO WAY to get one. Luckily, I have parents who helped me out a lot. But not everyone is so lucky. You can’t just go get a degree and work part time anymore. That flew out the window years ago.

By: dman

dman — Mon, 29 Dec 2014 17:56:24 +0000

It’s quite obvious to determine when folks who’ve never worked with the general public make comments. “Just go get a degree! Get a better job! Just do this…just do that!”. Did it ever occur to some of you that the folks you’re denigrating may be actually doing that, and are currently in process of bettering themselves? Sure, Some aren’t, and that’s their business. $8.05 an hour is no where near a living wage, and waiting tables isn’t designed to be a career. So please inject a little more thought into the argument against minimum wage increases for these people. Many companies today don’t care about their people in general (thankfully the tide is beginning to turn on this), only about profits; so they’d gladly pay slave wages of $1 an hour if it was legal.

I tip 20% with rare exceptions. Those being terrible service or a REALLY bad attitude. Even then, I understand we all sometimes just have bad days or feel bad, but work anyway. Kudos to all the servers out there who are trying hard to make it and who often juggle many hats. Keep going and don’t give up no matter what old naysayers dish you.

People are not robots. Live and let live. And if paying someone who’s bringing you your coffee and biscuits another $.80 an hour is such a big deal for you, then please go prepare your own dang breakfast.

By: Randy

Randy — Mon, 29 Dec 2014 17:47:09 +0000

Minimum wage and a living wage are two different discussions. If you find yourself working a minimum wage job be thankful for the employment, but work towards the other discussion, a living wage.

By: Atmore Bob

Atmore Bob — Mon, 29 Dec 2014 16:40:50 +0000

I have two college degrees and was employed with the first one (bachelor’s) two months after graduation. I also worked full time during the entire time I was in college. No, you don’t have to have a college degree, but no one is going to pay you more than minimum wage for minimal skills. If you don’t know how to do anything (like a trade) and you don’t have an education, how can you demand higher pay? The servers commenting about their low wages and crappy tips need to be mindful of all the people who leave decent tips. Consider this, my tip starts at 20%, I don’t take money off for wait times, cleanliness, or anything that the server doesn’t do. However, if I’m sitting there with an empty glass for 20 minutes, you can bet the % is dropping. If we ask for something (sauce, napkins, straws) and don’t get it or it takes the length of time for you to walk to Egypt to bring it back, the % is dropping. If you walk by my table a million times and can see that the drinks are low, but don’t bring anything back, the % is dropping. On the other hand, a server who brings a refill when drinks are low, is immediately back with whatever we asked for, and removes dirty plates when they come by…the % goes up. So what if my bill was $100, if I have to call you, wait forever for drink refills, sit empty plates on nearby tables to get them out of the way, or flag down another server for something I asked you for 10 minutes ago, you’re not getting a $20 tip!

By: Atmore Bob

Atmore Bob — Mon, 29 Dec 2014 16:29:01 +0000

Molino Jim, I worked as a server many years ago when server’s wage was $2.15 per hour plus tips. If you worked as little as three tables who left $3 tips per hour, you have an $11/hour job. However, on a busy night, you may work 10 tables that averaged $3 each in an hour, that’s a $32/hour job. What about customers who tip at least 20%? What about customers who leave a $20 tip on $10 worth of food? It all averages out. Yes, you have customers who aren’t going to tip well, but the ones who do make up the difference. I know servers who are making $500+ a week in cash. However, everyone needs a raise periodically and the most they usually get is between 1-5% and it’s pennies on the dollar unless you’re earning a 6 figure salary.