Make-up Seminars, Portland Entrepreneur, and Jeff's Story & homework
Portland Entrepreneur
Jeff's Story
Homework - Write a comment to this post responding to "Jeff" about his story. This comment should reflect what you have learned about the minimum wage. Due Friday, October 18th.
Mekinsie Callahan - Period 3 I just learned that "sometimes laws hurt people they were meant to protect". I think that the government should try to refrain from interfering with prices because their good intentions may backfire.
Megan Godsby P3 The minimum wage laws cause people to lose their jobs because employers cannot afford to pay as many people. On the flip side the minimum wage makes it so employers cannot pay people $1 or $2 an hour which is not enough to live off of.
Minimum wage was designed to protect people and make sure that they have enough to live off of. But because if minimum wage more people end up without jobs because owners cannot afford to pay the minimum wage. So laws that are meant to protect people just end up hurting them.
I looked up the purpose of minimum wage and cornell.edu wrote "The purpose of the minimum wage was to stabilize the post-depression economy and protect the workers in the labor force."
I think in the case of stabilizing economy, that might have been a good idea, especially after the Depression, in terms of protecting the workers, are we really protecting workers if they get cut from their jobs, especially placed in the context of now and not right after the Depression?
Thus I am in favor of not increasing minimum wage.
Caroline Fenty Per. 3 Watching this video, I saw how good intentions and something that looks good on paper can in reality have negative side affects that were not considered. While minimum wage and the laws that surround it are meant with the best intent of protecting those in the workforce, it can in truth generate unemployment since an increased minimum wage can decrease the jobs available and though employers may want to create more jobs, they are unable to due to what an increased minimum wage would cost them, which in turn costs people a chance at employment. Therefore, it should be taken into consideration that even if wages seem unfair to some, the people taking the jobs are choosing to do so and they are choosing them over all of the other options that they have.
Tim Graham P.3 Watching this video, I saw that raising the minimum wage can help people like Jeff but at the same time can ruin people like Tad. I think that its still good to raise the minimum wage but only for companies that can afford to pay their employees.
Zac Coleman P.5 The minimum wage law is good because it keeps employers from paying their employees very low wages. It is also bad because it causes employers to fire their employees because the can't afford to pay them all.
But remember there is competition between wages. If my work had contributed far more than I was being paid, I can sell my labor to another firm who valued me more.
Minimum wage laws, designed to protect workers from exploitation by unscrupulous employers, often put them out of work. While these laws do prevent industrial revolution style exploitation, it's more common in America these days for employers not to be able to afford employing as many people at the minimum wage. While, if we were to entirely abolish the minimum wage, exploitation might occur, its consequences are unlikely, whereas the negative consequences of having a minimum wage have already occurred.
This video demonstrated how increasing the minimum wage could have some negative effects on the company and its workers. Initially, if the wages are increased, then the business is forced to pay more money for its labor. This causes the business to lose profit. Because of this, some of the workers who the business doesn't believe deserves these wages are laid off. This means that the some people are left behind when the wages increase. This video was interesting because I never saw a down side to increasing the minimum wage.
This video exposed the hidden, but significant truth of increasing the minimum wage. True - when the minimum wage is increased, it is done so as it is believed it will help society overall. However Jeff's story has shown the side that not many people think of, or frankly even agree with. It showed that there is a negative effect of something that is believed to have a positive outcome. For the majority, in this instance, it may. But there are always people it will hurt more than benefit. I appreciate that Jeff shared his story, regardles of the fact that it seemed to emotionally take an effect on him, even all these years later. It provided a new insight for me that has shown both sides of increasing the minimum wage.
Kira McNeil - Period 5 I never really thought of minimum wage as a destructive thing until hearing Jeff's story. However, I do think that minimum wage is important, and by abolishing it we would suffer from being paid extremely low wages that are impossible to live off of. Everyone should strive to work at a job where they are being paid more than the minimum wage, and that is why college is important. There is no perfect solution to this scenario because either way there will be people struggling to make ends meet.
Courtney Fishbaugh Period 5 After watching this video, I have a different perspective of the minimum wage law. I always saw the law as a good thing, because it made employer's not pay their employee's low wages. I never thought about how some businesses would have to cut one of their workers because of the law. I still believe that the minimum wage law is important, because employer's pay their workers decent wages that they can live off of. It would be hard to survive if you were getting paid under the minimum wage.
I think that this story is an excellent example of how government interference in the market can cause more bad than good. This is similar to how price floors and ceilings are designed to help business, but often can run them into the ground by making impossible for them to make a profit.
I had no idea that raising the minimum wage. I always thought probably the same thing Tad did, 'Yay, a raise for everyone!' I forgot about all of the small businesses that just barely make enough money as is to pay their workers, let alone after a raised minimum wage. I only thought about huge companies, like large fast food chains, that pay most of their workers minimum wage while raking in a huge profit. Now I have the whole picture; there will always be people barely scraping by, no matter what the minimum wage is, and raising it won't help.
In the past, I always believed that minimum wage was a good thing and that it should always be a thing everywhere because of all the people paid vastly below the minimum wage. This video shed some new light on my perspective of minimum wage. I definitely think that it's still very important and it should continue to exist, just with some sort of protection for all the Tad's. I'm not sure what form that could come in, and it might just be a bigger question of rights for the disabled, but I definitely think that minimum wage should continue to be enforced just with some sort of protection for Tad's.
Before watching this video I had thought that raising the minimum wage was good for everyone. However, now I realize that raising the price ceilings and floors also hurts people as well. You forget about the businesses that have barely enough money to keep their workers as it is and when the minimum wage increases, that means the loss of some workers. This video proved to me that there is never all good in any situation.
before learning about minimum wage and price floors/ceilings, i always thought that rasing the minimum wage was a good thing because people would get paid more. howerever, after learning about this i understood that the more you raise minimum wage, the higher quality work an employer is expecting which often leads to people who cant reach that quality work to get fired.
Before I watched the video I assumed that raising the minimum wage would be a good thing because people who are working those jobs get paid more, but after I watched the video and read the packet I understand The negative consequences to raising the minimum wage, such as unemployment.
When thinking about minimum wage, I instantly think how great that would be. I seemed to have overlooked the entire scenario greatly. One can not simply pay everyone on their workforce if the salary of everyone doubles. People have to be laid off, and the ones who are lucky enough to stay will have to increase productivity greatly. Minimum wage in general can be good, and befit everyone, but It's something that you have to find the perfect balance for. JMH Period 5
I'm not sure how I feel about the minimum wage now. Before this class I completely supported it. After we watched this video and read the chapter in the book I realized that it increases unemployment, so I thought it should be abolished. The people that support the minimum wages mean well, but it ends up doing more harm than good, because even though some people get paid more, other people end up not getting paid at all. The most important thing is to make sure everything is being paid something, and then we can look at increasing it. But when I started thinking about unemployment compensation I got even more confused. I don't agree with the argument that unemployment compensation is a bad thing because you're only asking people to work for the difference between minimum wage and unemployment compensation. People that are unemployed need to be getting paid something. Also, some people can't get a job. I volunteer with refugees a lot, and once I was helping a man from Burma in an English class. He was filling out a questionnaire, and I learned that he had seven kids, no job, had never been to any school at all, and had been a farmer when he lived in Burma. There is no way he could get a job here. Who would hire someone who basically speaks no English, has never been to school, and has no skills other than farming in a Burmese climate? He wouldn't even know how to look for a job. He probably worked hard as a farmer in Burma, and he is making an effort to increase his skills by taking English classes, but there is no way he could support his seven kids without government assistance. There are many people that really can't get a job, and they need to be paid something. I understand that you're asking people that are getting paid minimum wage to work for only slightly more than you would get for doing nothing, but people on unemployment still get very little money. They'll want to work to get experience so they can get a better-paying job. It's definitely not a reason to give people that don't have a job and can't get a job nothing.
Jeff's video was important in that it was from the perspective of someone who has actually worked for minimum wage. I believe that we need certain forms of labor laws in place, as to protect individual's rights, especially for minors and the disabled. However, no good is done when someone loses their job entirely, instead of previously working for a decreased amount. The issue with abolishing the minimum wage is that we would have to rely on an individual's integrity and kindness to ensure fair wages are set. In some cases this would be fine, but in others, much injustice would arise. At this point, I am not entirely sure what the answer is. I know I wouldn't want to feel that in order to earn a decent wage, someone else would have to lose theirs (including me), but without restrictions, a person could very easily feel forced into working for next to nothing.
It should be taken into consideration that it is true that minimum wage has some downfalls. However, it had a purpose which was to protect workers from having to face the terrible fate of exploitation. Unfortunately, there will always be unemployment due to the principles of Morganism. However, one simply cannot deny the necessity of a minimum wage.
Eugene Lee-Period 5 Before watching this video, I used to think the minimum wage was good and humane for people who couldn't get stable income jobs. However, after watching this video, I'm not to sure if I like minimum wage anymore. I used to think minimum wage was good because I had a job mowing my neighbors lawn during the summer and he would pay me below minimum wage (5$) and I would be psyched. I know that in Jeff's case Tad had it rough, but there are many other people who undergo the same consequences of minimum wage cuts. There has to be them in order for businesses to thrive and not go under. Aside from what I said above, overall learned that minimum wage can cause people to lose money because their employers cannot afford as many employees. Therefore they lose their jobs.
I had always assumed that minimum wage increases were a positive change, and would benifit everyone just as tad had though. I find it surprising that the case can be exactly the opposite. Before this video, I had never thought that lowering minimum wage could actually decrease unemployment in some cases, making it possible for those with absolutely no opportunity to work, to find a job and be able to help sustain themselves.
Before watching this video, I saw minimum wage as a good thing. And when it raises I thought it was even better. But after watching the video, I see that there are negative effects to minimum wage as it hurt Tadd. Also hurting Jeff emotionally. -Brian Ha Period 7
I am in complete disagreement with the views expressed in this video. As it is, the minimum wage is not enough for the average person to survive and if it did not exist, a larger number of people would be exploited. One must remember that the vast majority of companies that pay the minimum wage are large corporations that have no trouble paying their workers and in fact, should be compensating them more for long, grueling, work weeks. Therefore, I believe the minimum wage should increase, not be abolished. Those who would be most affected are the illegal immigrants who would not be allowed on welfare and the young and uneducated who, rather than working full time for poverty wages, would choose to exploit the more lucrative underground economy selling drugs or engaging in other criminal activity. Finally, those with the capability would resort to welfare rather than work putting a strain on the government. The wage gap is currently larger than ever before between executives and employees (executives make around 550 times more money than their employees on average for doing generally less work). We need a minimum wage to protect the average person so that they may participate in the economy.
Jeff, you are severely mistaken. If there were no minimum wage, 'Tad', whom you most likely invented anyways, would never had or tried to get the job because the department store would be trying to employ kids for slave wages.Please don't play conservative talk points to get people to think as you do.
I assure you that I didn't make up this story. It didn't make it into the video but Tad died two years later -- and it always made me sad that he couldn't have worked in his last two years because of government wage regulation. Wages are determined by the worker's contribution to production within the firm. They are also determined by competition between firms. Workers should be free to come and go to get the highest possible wage. Adin, it is not really about just dividing wealth. Economics is always about producing wealth. That's what sustains civilization. The minimum wage does nothing at all to produce and only shuts people out of the market. Regardless of politics, no one should support keeping pepole from holding jobs.
I had previously thought that the minimum wage could be nothing but good, that having a liveable wage ensured would only be positive. However, hearing Jeff's story made me realize that although in theory raising the minimum wage is a good thing it can hurt those who are already employed and can no longer be employed because of the raise or those struggling to find a job. I still beleive that having a minimum wage is a good thing, our packet said very rarely are people under paid for the amount of work they are doing but I think without a minimum wage employers could and most likely would take advantage of workers very easily. Emily Murray Period 5
I learned that minimum wage isn't always good because some employers can't afford to pay everyone a certain amount if there labor isn't worth as much. I always thought that minimum wage was always a good thing so but i guess there are bad things about it Ben Warschauer p.3
While I do understand that raising the minimum wage can increase costs for store owners, it is important that the minimum wage is a livable wage. Although Jeff might have been a teenager looking for money to spend on the weekends, there are people who are not skilled, yet still need to make enough money to support themselves. CEOs and heads of corporations have shown that they feel no guilt hiring people in 3rd world countries pennies a day to stitch soccer balls or complete the mundane but necessary tasks in the production of goods. If the US citizens do not have a minimum wage acting as the floor, we will not have financial security and we will be in a constant state of uncertainty.
With the changes of minimum wage rates, especially with their increase, although the change may be minimal on paper, it has bigger effects on companies and store owners as far as their costs and expenses. When this happens, some employers are forced to make decisions about who is "worth letting go" in these situations. Their decisions are based on whose labor they feel is the most valuable and who is worthy of staying, but in a case like Tad's, his work and effort is just as valuable as anyone else's and Jeff is trying to express that the minimum wage makes it more difficult then for people like his friend to be employed with a secure job stability. Ada Harrison Period 7
I learned that minimum wage is not a white and black issue, and the idea of minimum wage may have many pros, but also many cons. While there should be a reasonable and livable minimum wage, too high of a minimum wage can be detrimental. On the 'con' side, minimum wage costs the economy thousands of jobs. Jobs that could boost production, boost employment rates, and provide work for more people, are lost when the minimum wage is increased. While thinking about this, I also considered another con of minimum wage that was not mentioned in the video. Increasing the minimum wage, you are also increasing the chance that the owner of the business might outsource because labor is potentially much cheaper abroad. This raises a plethora of moral and economical issues, some obvious and others not so much, that I will not divulge into. However, there are also many pros to minimum wage. For one, it is easier for a business not limited by minimum wage to abuse it's labour force, as seen in 'sweatshops'. Secondly, businesses should have a moral obligation to providing their employers with a wage that is livable. As it is in America today, the minimum wage does not near being enough for people to survive off of. Lastly, without minimum wage businesses would be allowed to pay people like Tad much less than what would be considered livable, and much less than the common employee, and most likely would do so.
Wow, this really changed my thoughts on the minimum wage law. Usually, when you hear that the minimum wage has been increased, it has a positive effect on people because they think that they are going to earn more money and be better off. Little do they often know, that a higher minimum wage means that some of them will loose their jobs. However, a minimum wage also helps people in a way because then their employer can't take advantage of them. This is basically the reason why we installed a minimum wage law in the first place, to keep people from being taken advantage of. In conclusion, the minimum wage law helps people and hurts people at the same time. It just depends on how you look at it. (Period 7)
I learned how economic policy with such good intention as the minimum wage can have such bad repercussions on the people it affects. I would like to learn how the government and economists could prevent Jeff's story and help people exploited for their labor (ex. immigrants).
Minimum wage does hurt people. It's not high enough, and a lot of big companies have left because they feel it is too high. There is no black and white answer. If we abolished it, big companies would pay $1 an hour, and when no one would want those jobs, they would move all their jobs overseas, creating an economic disaster in the USA. America's people would become impoverished. If we raised it, little mom and pop shops would go out of business because of labor expenses, and a few people who kept their jobs would benefit, but most wouldn't. Many companies would take all their jobs away. If we keep it the same, then many people would not have enough money, and we would be slowly spiraling down as we are now. There is no easy decision. No matter what happens to minimum wage, people will be hurt. I feel sorry for Tad and the other million Tad's out there who go through this struggle on a daily basis.
I've learned that sometimes when a price floor, such as minimum wage, is created, it can create unwanted causes and effects. In this case, the higher minimum wage meant that the company couldn't afford to hire as many employees. So, is it better for more employees to be hired, or less, but with a higher pay check?
You may think that minimum wage is not enough money to support a family. But in reality most people survive off of minimum wage. Minimum wage is enough money for you to be able to survive and to be able to afford every meal. When minimum wage rose, Tadd was put out of a job and he now has to survive on his own. Most people think that minimum wage is useless and you could never survive off of it. But in reality minimum wage is a necessity. Period 7
Before we began to discuss minimum wage laws in this class I thought that they were good and that they helped people from losing their jobs. After I read the passage for our seminar it changed my mind. Minimum wage laws actually prevent people from getting jobs if you are not worth the amount of money. This causes a lot of people that do not have the neccasary education to lose their jobs. This was the case in this video.
Before we started to learn about the minimum wage I assumed an increase would be beneficial. But after hearing this story it is clear I didn't think of all the variables. I didn't think that it would lead to more money being needed to run the business. This would lead to cuts in some form or another and sometimes those cuts would manifest themselves as fewer jobs. I am glad I learned this as it could help me make better choices about the minimum wage in the future instead of blindingly following what looks good on paper.
This story about Tad makes me realize that laws made by the government are made to try to benefit the people as a whole, and some individuals can be hurt instead of helped by these laws. Before seeing this video and learning about minimum wage, I always assumed that making it higher would only benefit the poor, but I see now that that is not the case for everyone.
First, I would like to say I appreciate you sharing your story.Your story helps people and students like us to better understand minimum wage laws. One can tell from the video this experience was very emotional for you, even to this day, but you saw your experience as an opportunity to spread a message. After watching the video, many of us understand how raising the minimum wage can be harmful to individuals. However, it isn't just individuals that it hurts. The companies, like the department store, have to adjust too, whether it's raising prices in order to pay the employees, or in this case laying people off. It must have been hard on the store manager, especially since he knew Tad. I can't help but think about the many people something as innocent sounding as raising the minimum wage can harm and how it can complicate things. This story illustrates something that continues to come up throughout our study of economics. Henry Hazlitt has taught us that good economists look beyond the immediate changes. They see the bigger picture. A good economist would see how raising the minimum wage would hurt people like Tad, and then once they see that, they continue to notice how other groups will struggle. They would notice that not all the groups benefit and that something that sounds promising can hurt people. This goes deeper, revealing human nature's quick jump to conclusions. People need to think through their actions and know the consequences. If people do that, then we can come together and benefit as a whole society.
Mr.Tucker, I also would like to say thank you for sharing your story. I never thought that the minimum wage could do more harm than good- I guess that shows what the majority thinks. If there are risks to both raising the minimum wage and abolishing it, then what should we do? I mean we could stay where we are at right now, but it wouldn't resolve anything. If we raise the minimum wage again, there will be more Tads out there. I can see how abolishing it could help, (employers would be more flexible)but employers can abuse this power and make the wage crumble. Should we even bother to take a risk? From what I see ,the people who were meant to be protected will lose no matter what you do. Jasmine Gonzalez Period 7
Jeff, In your video, I think I agree with what you say about minimum wage being harmful to unskilled laborers. However, the video doesn't do much to explain the concept of what you are saying. I could easily make a similar video which promotes raising the minimum wage, and has the same credibility, without any knowledge on the subject. I would be interested to hear you talk about the actual economics of the issue.
Minimum wage laws can hurt the people that they were originally designed to help. By raising the minimum wage you are actually causing unemployment. A company can only afford to have so many employees at any given wage. When you increase the wage the company can not afford to pay as many employees. This forces them to lay of employees causing more unemploment.
I am with you all of the way Jeff. While our minimum wage laws are supposed to protect workers, all they really do is harm. Instead of allowing the government to set a price floor for labor, we should leave it up to what always has and always will decide prices the best. If supply and demand control the prices, we will have equilibrium in the job market rather than a shortage of employers
Jeff, The min wage should be abolished, it was made to help, but in turn made the unemployment go up. By abolishing it we will be able to have jobs for people who are new to working and need experience, or have difficulties working due to disabilities. This over all has more of an advantage than the current min wage laws. If the wage is raised, more people like Tad would be out of luck with finding a job.
Jeff, It was interesting that you pointed out a side of an issue that is usually ignored and attempted to show how minimum wage laws can potentially be harmful to unskilled laborers. However I feel your example of Tad isn't the best one and ultimately not very convincing. I feel that the idea of completely abolishing the minimum wage can also be harmful and you should perhaps explain the negative effects of both sides of the issue. Nikhil RajBhandary Period 5
It was interesting to see how much wages can impact not only the person receiving them, but the people they are surrounded by. The changes impacted Jeff greatly and they impacted the store, because there were loyal customers that appreciated the boys help and his employment. What I took away from this was that wages don't just affect one singular person they can make a difference in others as well.
Minimum wage affects a lot of people. When minimum wage is increased, it results in a raise of unemployment. The people that others are trying to help when raising the minimum wage usually end up losing their job, while people that already make more money profit.
I thought it was refreshing to see the other side of this law. I've never heard people talk about minimum wage being bad. The minimum wage law, why it can help isn't purely a solution. The result of wage increases can also increase unemployment. The law can end up hurting the low wage labor workers it was meant to help in the first place.
I agree with Jeff in many ways. I believe that there is no solution to fixing the minimum wage because people will always be affected. Abolishing minimum wage would create an insecurity of pay, forcing businesses and workers to come to an agreement on salaries. When the minimum wage is increased unemployment will rise, but the workers who continue to work will get paid more. Lowering the minimum wage would allow more people to work at lower wages, making it more difficult for a family trying to survive on this wage even harder. There is no solution to solving the minimum wage that will benefit all.
During this video I learned that minimum wage is a pro just as much as it is a con as it can greatly help people just like Jeff to make ends meet, but can hurt the millions of people just like Tad as businesses can't afford to keep them. When minimum wage goes up the business is forced to pay more for its employees and when businesses are in tough economic times they must become more selective with their workforce. I believe that the minimum wage should not be abolished, but not raised significantly more as it would create plenty more situations just like the one Jeff was in. Tim Edmonds Period 7
Lia Kashuba period 7 I think it is interesting that Jeff wasn't against minimum wage until Tadd was laid off. If minimum wage, what Jeff was working for at the time didn't exist, he wouldn't have been satisfied with his pay. Minimum wage was helping him. It wasn't until his friend was laid off that Jeff changed his view on the matter. In this example I believe that minimum wage is a form of encouragement for employees to do their best work. By this I mean that if minimum wage can raise at any time and possibly cause them to lose their job, workers must be high contributing members of the business to ensure that, if minimum wage were to be raised, they would keep their job. I am sure many similar situations to that of Tadd and Jeff's has occurred. Tadd's disability aside, if an employer had to lay someone off, they would evaluate every employee's performance and get rid of the weakest link. In my eyes minimum wage and its unpredictability of change acts as encouragement for employees to do their best work to ensure their job.
I thought this was interesting on how many things we see today in our daily lives have many different sides to them. Here, Tadd is the forgotten man. I wonder if the concept of him and many others in his similar position were considered when the minimum wage was being raised. What makes this interesting is the choice and position the officials in charge of making this decision. The two simplest choices were to raise the minimum wage, know that most people that are paid at minimum wage would be better off at the expense of the less valued. The other option was to keep the current minimum wage with everyone not at a place of satisfaction. The importance behind this decision is the thought process of the officials. We can now see that they were will to pay the expense of a minority in order for the majority of the people at minimum wage to benefit.
I thought it was interesting that when the minimum wage was raised they just fired Ted instead of just reducing his hours. It doesn't seem fair that he would fire him because he had a disability. Everyone should get a fair chance to work even if minimum wage is raised. Kerewyn D, Period 8
After watching this video, I have a new perspective on minimum wage law. Before, I thought the law would benefit the workers and increase the pay they receive in their checks, but I had failed to realize the negatives on minimum wage. Even though some workers receive an increase in pay, workers like Tad are fired due to this law. But maybe in the long run this law would encourage these workers to work harder to keep their job. The government may gave good intensions, but fail to realize the consequences that may affect workers like Tad.
Jay Gamboa p.8 I had no idea of the affects of having a minimum wages were, before I simply thought that it was only helping everyone and there were no negative affects what so ever. Now that I have seen this video I understand how it can actually hurt people. Also I agree with what he is saying. People are like resources in a way people have demands for labor and we supply it. People know what they will work for and people know what to pay, so eventually it will even out just like any other price, and this is why I agree to have no minimum wage.
Alie Williams Period 5 From this video, I learned how the minimum wage law was a law that was designed to protect people however, in this situation Tadd, was hurt by the law. He was the "forgotten man". This outcome has been one for many people, not just Tadd, therefore, I think the minimum wage law should be abolished. By abolishing it there will be more job opportunities for new workers, also people will get paid what they deserve. Also if it was raised, then it would be much harder for people to find jobs and people would be getting paid more than they probably worked for.
I have learned that minimum wage decreases employment, when it is meant to help employees make more money. Minimum wage is a tough concept. If it is too low, no one will want to work for you. However, if it is too high, you won't be able to afford as many employees. After watching this video, it helped me realize how unfair and non beneficial minimum wage actually is. I believe it should be changed. It was unfair to fire Tadd, although it also wasn't fair to keep him if he wasn't doing the same work as everyone else. Minimum wage is an unfair concept that should be abolished. Everyone should be paid depending on their quality of work.
Even though this video is touching, there is so much agenda behind it it seems flawed. I agree with the sentiment, but the man only lost some hang time with his friend. His friend didnt die, and from what it said, he wasnt even poor. He was probably well supported by his family. This would have been better illustrated by by making the victim a hard working but slow family man whose children were starving due to poverty. That seems more accurate.
I understand what Jeff is saying but I'm not convinced. I feel he has a personal grudge with minimum wage that he can't get past which leads him to oppose it for emotional reasons rather than justifying his position with evidence. This video felt very scripted.
Although the idea could have been represented in a better fashion, I thought this 'story' made an interesting point in the fact that everything has two sides to it. Most of the time, we praise economic decisions without taking into consideration the effect it could have on us, blinded only by what is in front of us and what we want to see. While I don't personally think an opinion should greatly depend on if your friend loses their job, or that a policy be changed because of one example, I think it is a subject that should be carefully examined.
I understand where Jeff is coming from and can see how he was upset, but i don't think this one reason is a justifiable reason to be completely against the minimum wage. I also feel that Jeff didn't attempt to at least try and find any good in the minimum wage. I Also felt this video was scripted.
I completely agree with Jeff. The point of minimum wage is to make sure people don't get taken advantage of and are provided with enough money that they they they can live on it. I did not even think about what the repercussions of increasing that amount might be. The minimum wage laws should be abolished all together and demand for labor will keep the minimum wage at a reasonable amount. The laws are just not needed and cause more damage than good.
Gabriel Barnatan per 8 I agree with what basically everyone has said, the higher the minimum wage, the less money employers have to pay their employees, this causes them to be un able to pay as many employees as they could with lower minimum wage, so less people will be hired and have jobs
Minimum wage can cause people to lose money because their employers cannot afford as many employees so they lose their jobs.
ReplyDeleteSerena Zafiris
Period 3
Mekinsie Callahan - Period 3
ReplyDeleteI just learned that "sometimes laws hurt people they were meant to protect". I think that the government should try to refrain from interfering with prices because their good intentions may backfire.
Megan Godsby P3
ReplyDeleteThe minimum wage laws cause people to lose their jobs because employers cannot afford to pay as many people. On the flip side the minimum wage makes it so employers cannot pay people $1 or $2 an hour which is not enough to live off of.
Minimum wage was designed to protect people and make sure that they have enough to live off of. But because if minimum wage more people end up without jobs because owners cannot afford to pay the minimum wage. So laws that are meant to protect people just end up hurting them.
ReplyDeleteI looked up the purpose of minimum wage and cornell.edu wrote "The purpose of the minimum wage was to stabilize the post-depression economy and protect the workers in the labor force."
ReplyDeleteI think in the case of stabilizing economy, that might have been a good idea, especially after the Depression, in terms of protecting the workers, are we really protecting workers if they get cut from their jobs, especially placed in the context of now and not right after the Depression?
Thus I am in favor of not increasing minimum wage.
Yiling
per. 7
Caroline Fenty Per. 3
ReplyDeleteWatching this video, I saw how good intentions and something that looks good on paper can in reality have negative side affects that were not considered. While minimum wage and the laws that surround it are meant with the best intent of protecting those in the workforce, it can in truth generate unemployment since an increased minimum wage can decrease the jobs available and though employers may want to create more jobs, they are unable to due to what an increased minimum wage would cost them, which in turn costs people a chance at employment. Therefore, it should be taken into consideration that even if wages seem unfair to some, the people taking the jobs are choosing to do so and they are choosing them over all of the other options that they have.
negative side effects*
DeleteTim Graham P.3
ReplyDeleteWatching this video, I saw that raising the minimum wage can help people like Jeff but at the same time can ruin people like Tad. I think that its still good to raise the minimum wage but only for companies that can afford to pay their employees.
Zac Coleman P.5
ReplyDeleteThe minimum wage law is good because it keeps employers from paying their employees very low wages. It is also bad because it causes employers to fire their employees because the can't afford to pay them all.
But remember there is competition between wages. If my work had contributed far more than I was being paid, I can sell my labor to another firm who valued me more.
DeleteMinimum wage laws, designed to protect workers from exploitation by unscrupulous employers, often put them out of work. While these laws do prevent industrial revolution style exploitation, it's more common in America these days for employers not to be able to afford employing as many people at the minimum wage. While, if we were to entirely abolish the minimum wage, exploitation might occur, its consequences are unlikely, whereas the negative consequences of having a minimum wage have already occurred.
ReplyDelete(period 5)
DeleteThis video demonstrated how increasing the minimum wage could have some negative effects on the company and its workers. Initially, if the wages are increased, then the business is forced to pay more money for its labor. This causes the business to lose profit. Because of this, some of the workers who the business doesn't believe deserves these wages are laid off. This means that the some people are left behind when the wages increase. This video was interesting because I never saw a down side to increasing the minimum wage.
ReplyDeleteOlin Vetterlein
Period 3
This video exposed the hidden, but significant truth of increasing the minimum wage. True - when the minimum wage is increased, it is done so as it is believed it will help society overall. However Jeff's story has shown the side that not many people think of, or frankly even agree with. It showed that there is a negative effect of something that is believed to have a positive outcome. For the majority, in this instance, it may. But there are always people it will hurt more than benefit.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate that Jeff shared his story, regardles of the fact that it seemed to emotionally take an effect on him, even all these years later. It provided a new insight for me that has shown both sides of increasing the minimum wage.
Shayan Chishti, Period 7
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteKira McNeil - Period 5
ReplyDeleteI never really thought of minimum wage as a destructive thing until hearing Jeff's story. However, I do think that minimum wage is important, and by abolishing it we would suffer from being paid extremely low wages that are impossible to live off of. Everyone should strive to work at a job where they are being paid more than the minimum wage, and that is why college is important. There is no perfect solution to this scenario because either way there will be people struggling to make ends meet.
Courtney Fishbaugh Period 5
ReplyDeleteAfter watching this video, I have a different perspective of the minimum wage law. I always saw the law as a good thing, because it made employer's not pay their employee's low wages. I never thought about how some businesses would have to cut one of their workers because of the law. I still believe that the minimum wage law is important, because employer's pay their workers decent wages that they can live off of. It would be hard to survive if you were getting paid under the minimum wage.
I think that this story is an excellent example of how government interference in the market can cause more bad than good. This is similar to how price floors and ceilings are designed to help business, but often can run them into the ground by making impossible for them to make a profit.
ReplyDeleteBen Hardy, Period 8
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea that raising the minimum wage. I always thought probably the same thing Tad did, 'Yay, a raise for everyone!' I forgot about all of the small businesses that just barely make enough money as is to pay their workers, let alone after a raised minimum wage. I only thought about huge companies, like large fast food chains, that pay most of their workers minimum wage while raking in a huge profit. Now I have the whole picture; there will always be people barely scraping by, no matter what the minimum wage is, and raising it won't help.
ReplyDeleteDan Forsland, Period 7
In the past, I always believed that minimum wage was a good thing and that it should always be a thing everywhere because of all the people paid vastly below the minimum wage. This video shed some new light on my perspective of minimum wage. I definitely think that it's still very important and it should continue to exist, just with some sort of protection for all the Tad's. I'm not sure what form that could come in, and it might just be a bigger question of rights for the disabled, but I definitely think that minimum wage should continue to be enforced just with some sort of protection for Tad's.
ReplyDeleteBefore watching this video I had thought that raising the minimum wage was good for everyone. However, now I realize that raising the price ceilings and floors also hurts people as well. You forget about the businesses that have barely enough money to keep their workers as it is and when the minimum wage increases, that means the loss of some workers. This video proved to me that there is never all good in any situation.
ReplyDeleteAthena Trames, Period 7
before learning about minimum wage and price floors/ceilings, i always thought that rasing the minimum wage was a good thing because people would get paid more. howerever, after learning about this i understood that the more you raise minimum wage, the higher quality work an employer is expecting which often leads to people who cant reach that quality work to get fired.
ReplyDeleteperiod 3
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteBefore I watched the video I assumed that raising the minimum wage would be a good thing because people who are working those jobs get paid more, but after I watched the video and read the packet I understand The negative consequences to raising the minimum wage, such as unemployment.
ReplyDeleteWill Holmes Period 5
When thinking about minimum wage, I instantly think how great that would be. I seemed to have overlooked the entire scenario greatly. One can not simply pay everyone on their workforce if the salary of everyone doubles. People have to be laid off, and the ones who are lucky enough to stay will have to increase productivity greatly. Minimum wage in general can be good, and befit everyone, but It's something that you have to find the perfect balance for.
ReplyDeleteJMH Period 5
I'm not sure how I feel about the minimum wage now. Before this class I completely supported it. After we watched this video and read the chapter in the book I realized that it increases unemployment, so I thought it should be abolished. The people that support the minimum wages mean well, but it ends up doing more harm than good, because even though some people get paid more, other people end up not getting paid at all. The most important thing is to make sure everything is being paid something, and then we can look at increasing it. But when I started thinking about unemployment compensation I got even more confused. I don't agree with the argument that unemployment compensation is a bad thing because you're only asking people to work for the difference between minimum wage and unemployment compensation. People that are unemployed need to be getting paid something. Also, some people can't get a job. I volunteer with refugees a lot, and once I was helping a man from Burma in an English class. He was filling out a questionnaire, and I learned that he had seven kids, no job, had never been to any school at all, and had been a farmer when he lived in Burma. There is no way he could get a job here. Who would hire someone who basically speaks no English, has never been to school, and has no skills other than farming in a Burmese climate? He wouldn't even know how to look for a job. He probably worked hard as a farmer in Burma, and he is making an effort to increase his skills by taking English classes, but there is no way he could support his seven kids without government assistance. There are many people that really can't get a job, and they need to be paid something. I understand that you're asking people that are getting paid minimum wage to work for only slightly more than you would get for doing nothing, but people on unemployment still get very little money. They'll want to work to get experience so they can get a better-paying job. It's definitely not a reason to give people that don't have a job and can't get a job nothing.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to say my name. The last comment was by Madeline Cannon from period 3.
ReplyDeleteJeff's video was important in that it was from the perspective of someone who has actually worked for minimum wage. I believe that we need certain forms of labor laws in place, as to protect individual's rights, especially for minors and the disabled. However, no good is done when someone loses their job entirely, instead of previously working for a decreased amount. The issue with abolishing the minimum wage is that we would have to rely on an individual's integrity and kindness to ensure fair wages are set. In some cases this would be fine, but in others, much injustice would arise. At this point, I am not entirely sure what the answer is. I know I wouldn't want to feel that in order to earn a decent wage, someone else would have to lose theirs (including me), but without restrictions, a person could very easily feel forced into working for next to nothing.
ReplyDeleteLauren Kinnucan
Period 8
It should be taken into consideration that it is true that minimum wage has some downfalls. However, it had a purpose which was to protect workers from having to face the terrible fate of exploitation. Unfortunately, there will always be unemployment due to the principles of Morganism. However, one simply cannot deny the necessity of a minimum wage.
ReplyDeleteEugene Lee-Period 5
ReplyDeleteBefore watching this video, I used to think the minimum wage was good and humane for people who couldn't get stable income jobs. However, after watching this video, I'm not to sure if I like minimum wage anymore. I used to think minimum wage was good because I had a job mowing my neighbors lawn during the summer and he would pay me below minimum wage (5$) and I would be psyched. I know that in Jeff's case Tad had it rough, but there are many other people who undergo the same consequences of minimum wage cuts. There has to be them in order for businesses to thrive and not go under. Aside from what I said above, overall learned that minimum wage can cause people to lose money because their employers cannot afford as many employees. Therefore they lose their jobs.
I had always assumed that minimum wage increases were a positive change, and would benifit everyone just as tad had though. I find it surprising that the case can be exactly the opposite. Before this video, I had never thought that lowering minimum wage could actually decrease unemployment in some cases, making it possible for those with absolutely no opportunity to work, to find a job and be able to help sustain themselves.
ReplyDelete-Christian Hill
Period-8
Before watching this video, I saw minimum wage as a good thing. And when it raises I thought it was even better. But after watching the video, I see that there are negative effects to minimum wage as it hurt Tadd. Also hurting Jeff emotionally.
ReplyDelete-Brian Ha
Period 7
I am in complete disagreement with the views expressed in this video. As it is, the minimum wage is not enough for the average person to survive and if it did not exist, a larger number of people would be exploited. One must remember that the vast majority of companies that pay the minimum wage are large corporations that have no trouble paying their workers and in fact, should be compensating them more for long, grueling, work weeks. Therefore, I believe the minimum wage should increase, not be abolished. Those who would be most affected are the illegal immigrants who would not be allowed on welfare and the young and uneducated who, rather than working full time for poverty wages, would choose to exploit the more lucrative underground economy selling drugs or engaging in other criminal activity. Finally, those with the capability would resort to welfare rather than work putting a strain on the government. The wage gap is currently larger than ever before between executives and employees (executives make around 550 times more money than their employees on average for doing generally less work). We need a minimum wage to protect the average person so that they may participate in the economy.
ReplyDeleteJeff, you are severely mistaken. If there were no minimum wage, 'Tad', whom you most likely invented anyways, would never had or tried to get the job because the department store would be trying to employ kids for slave wages.Please don't play conservative talk points to get people to think as you do.
Adin Becker
Period 5
I assure you that I didn't make up this story. It didn't make it into the video but Tad died two years later -- and it always made me sad that he couldn't have worked in his last two years because of government wage regulation. Wages are determined by the worker's contribution to production within the firm. They are also determined by competition between firms. Workers should be free to come and go to get the highest possible wage. Adin, it is not really about just dividing wealth. Economics is always about producing wealth. That's what sustains civilization. The minimum wage does nothing at all to produce and only shuts people out of the market. Regardless of politics, no one should support keeping pepole from holding jobs.
DeleteI had previously thought that the minimum wage could be nothing but good, that having a liveable wage ensured would only be positive. However, hearing Jeff's story made me realize that although in theory raising the minimum wage is a good thing it can hurt those who are already employed and can no longer be employed because of the raise or those struggling to find a job. I still beleive that having a minimum wage is a good thing, our packet said very rarely are people under paid for the amount of work they are doing but I think without a minimum wage employers could and most likely would take advantage of workers very easily.
ReplyDeleteEmily Murray
Period 5
I learned that minimum wage isn't always good because some employers can't afford to pay everyone a certain amount if there labor isn't worth as much. I always thought that minimum wage was always a good thing so but i guess there are bad things about it
ReplyDeleteBen Warschauer
p.3
While I do understand that raising the minimum wage can increase costs for store owners, it is important that the minimum wage is a livable wage. Although Jeff might have been a teenager looking for money to spend on the weekends, there are people who are not skilled, yet still need to make enough money to support themselves. CEOs and heads of corporations have shown that they feel no guilt hiring people in 3rd world countries pennies a day to stitch soccer balls or complete the mundane but necessary tasks in the production of goods. If the US citizens do not have a minimum wage acting as the floor, we will not have financial security and we will be in a constant state of uncertainty.
ReplyDeleteP. 5
With the changes of minimum wage rates, especially with their increase, although the change may be minimal on paper, it has bigger effects on companies and store owners as far as their costs and expenses. When this happens, some employers are forced to make decisions about who is "worth letting go" in these situations. Their decisions are based on whose labor they feel is the most valuable and who is worthy of staying, but in a case like Tad's, his work and effort is just as valuable as anyone else's and Jeff is trying to express that the minimum wage makes it more difficult then for people like his friend to be employed with a secure job stability.
ReplyDeleteAda Harrison
Period 7
I learned that minimum wage is not a white and black issue, and the idea of minimum wage may have many pros, but also many cons. While there should be a reasonable and livable minimum wage, too high of a minimum wage can be detrimental.
ReplyDeleteOn the 'con' side, minimum wage costs the economy thousands of jobs. Jobs that could boost production, boost employment rates, and provide work for more people, are lost when the minimum wage is increased. While thinking about this, I also considered another con of minimum wage that was not mentioned in the video. Increasing the minimum wage, you are also increasing the chance that the owner of the business might outsource because labor is potentially much cheaper abroad. This raises a plethora of moral and economical issues, some obvious and others not so much, that I will not divulge into.
However, there are also many pros to minimum wage. For one, it is easier for a business not limited by minimum wage to abuse it's labour force, as seen in 'sweatshops'. Secondly, businesses should have a moral obligation to providing their employers with a wage that is livable. As it is in America today, the minimum wage does not near being enough for people to survive off of. Lastly, without minimum wage businesses would be allowed to pay people like Tad much less than what would be considered livable, and much less than the common employee, and most likely would do so.
Period 7
Wow, this really changed my thoughts on the minimum wage law. Usually, when you hear that the minimum wage has been increased, it has a positive effect on people because they think that they are going to earn more money and be better off. Little do they often know, that a higher minimum wage means that some of them will loose their jobs.
ReplyDeleteHowever, a minimum wage also helps people in a way because then their employer can't take advantage of them. This is basically the reason why we installed a minimum wage law in the first place, to keep people from being taken advantage of.
In conclusion, the minimum wage law helps people and hurts people at the same time. It just depends on how you look at it.
(Period 7)
I learned how economic policy with such good intention as the minimum wage can have such bad repercussions on the people it affects. I would like to learn how the government and economists could prevent Jeff's story and help people exploited for their labor (ex. immigrants).
ReplyDeleteMinimum wage does hurt people. It's not high enough, and a lot of big companies have left because they feel it is too high. There is no black and white answer. If we abolished it, big companies would pay $1 an hour, and when no one would want those jobs, they would move all their jobs overseas, creating an economic disaster in the USA. America's people would become impoverished. If we raised it, little mom and pop shops would go out of business because of labor expenses, and a few people who kept their jobs would benefit, but most wouldn't. Many companies would take all their jobs away. If we keep it the same, then many people would not have enough money, and we would be slowly spiraling down as we are now. There is no easy decision. No matter what happens to minimum wage, people will be hurt. I feel sorry for Tad and the other million Tad's out there who go through this struggle on a daily basis.
ReplyDeleteI've learned that sometimes when a price floor, such as minimum wage, is created, it can create unwanted causes and effects. In this case, the higher minimum wage meant that the company couldn't afford to hire as many employees. So, is it better for more employees to be hired, or less, but with a higher pay check?
ReplyDeleteYou may think that minimum wage is not enough money to support a family. But in reality most people survive off of minimum wage. Minimum wage is enough money for you to be able to survive and to be able to afford every meal. When minimum wage rose, Tadd was put out of a job and he now has to survive on his own. Most people think that minimum wage is useless and you could never survive off of it. But in reality minimum wage is a necessity.
ReplyDeletePeriod 7
That logic
DeleteBefore we began to discuss minimum wage laws in this class I thought that they were good and that they helped people from losing their jobs. After I read the passage for our seminar it changed my mind. Minimum wage laws actually prevent people from getting jobs if you are not worth the amount of money. This causes a lot of people that do not have the neccasary education to lose their jobs. This was the case in this video.
ReplyDeleteMinimum wages can be good and bad, an increase would cause people to lose their job and a decrease would anger people.
ReplyDeleteBefore we started to learn about the minimum wage I assumed an increase would be beneficial. But after hearing this story it is clear I didn't think of all the variables. I didn't think that it would lead to more money being needed to run the business. This would lead to cuts in some form or another and sometimes those cuts would manifest themselves as fewer jobs. I am glad I learned this as it could help me make better choices about the minimum wage in the future instead of blindingly following what looks good on paper.
ReplyDeletePeriod 3
This story about Tad makes me realize that laws made by the government are made to try to benefit the people as a whole, and some individuals can be hurt instead of helped by these laws. Before seeing this video and learning about minimum wage, I always assumed that making it higher would only benefit the poor, but I see now that that is not the case for everyone.
ReplyDeleteAsha Abrams
per 7
Jeff,
ReplyDeleteFirst, I would like to say I appreciate you sharing your story.Your story helps people and students like us to better understand minimum wage laws. One can tell from the video this experience was very emotional for you, even to this day, but you saw your experience as an opportunity to spread a message. After watching the video, many of us understand how raising the minimum wage can be harmful to individuals. However, it isn't just individuals that it hurts. The companies, like the department store, have to adjust too, whether it's raising prices in order to pay the employees, or in this case laying people off. It must have been hard on the store manager, especially since he knew Tad. I can't help but think about the many people something as innocent sounding as raising the minimum wage can harm and how it can complicate things.
This story illustrates something that continues to come up throughout our study of economics. Henry Hazlitt has taught us that good economists look beyond the immediate changes. They see the bigger picture. A good economist would see how raising the minimum wage would hurt people like Tad, and then once they see that, they continue to notice how other groups will struggle. They would notice that not all the groups benefit and that something that sounds promising can hurt people. This goes deeper, revealing human nature's quick jump to conclusions. People need to think through their actions and know the consequences. If people do that, then we can come together and benefit as a whole society.
Sarah Van Emmerik
Period 7
Mr.Tucker,
ReplyDeleteI also would like to say thank you for sharing your story. I never thought that the minimum wage could do more harm than good- I guess that shows what the majority thinks. If there are risks to both raising the minimum wage and abolishing it, then what should we do? I mean we could stay where we are at right now, but it wouldn't resolve anything. If we raise the minimum wage again, there will be more Tads out there. I can see how abolishing it could help, (employers would be more flexible)but employers can abuse this power and make the wage crumble. Should we even bother to take a risk? From what I see ,the people who were meant to be protected will lose no matter what you do.
Jasmine Gonzalez
Period 7
Jeff,
ReplyDeleteIn your video, I think I agree with what you say about minimum wage being harmful to unskilled laborers. However, the video doesn't do much to explain the concept of what you are saying. I could easily make a similar video which promotes raising the minimum wage, and has the same credibility, without any knowledge on the subject. I would be interested to hear you talk about the actual economics of the issue.
-Nes Cohen
Minimum wage laws can hurt the people that they were originally designed to help. By raising the minimum wage you are actually causing unemployment. A company can only afford to have so many employees at any given wage. When you increase the wage the company can not afford to pay as many employees. This forces them to lay of employees causing more unemploment.
ReplyDeleteAbigail Meskimen
Period 3
I am with you all of the way Jeff. While our minimum wage laws are supposed to protect workers, all they really do is harm. Instead of allowing the government to set a price floor for labor, we should leave it up to what always has and always will decide prices the best. If supply and demand control the prices, we will have equilibrium in the job market rather than a shortage of employers
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteJeff,
ReplyDeleteThe min wage should be abolished, it was made to help, but in turn made the unemployment go up. By abolishing it we will be able to have jobs for people who are new to working and need experience, or have difficulties working due to disabilities. This over all has more of an advantage than the current min wage laws. If the wage is raised, more people like Tad would be out of luck with finding a job.
Period: 5, Ben Michalisko
Jeff,
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting that you pointed out a side of an issue that is usually ignored and attempted to show how minimum wage laws can potentially be harmful to unskilled laborers. However I feel your example of Tad isn't the best one and ultimately not very convincing. I feel that the idea of completely abolishing the minimum wage can also be harmful and you should perhaps explain the negative effects of both sides of the issue.
Nikhil RajBhandary
Period 5
It was interesting to see how much wages can impact not only the person receiving them, but the people they are surrounded by. The changes impacted Jeff greatly and they impacted the store, because there were loyal customers that appreciated the boys help and his employment. What I took away from this was that wages don't just affect one singular person they can make a difference in others as well.
ReplyDeleteMinimum wage affects a lot of people. When minimum wage is increased, it results in a raise of unemployment. The people that others are trying to help when raising the minimum wage usually end up losing their job, while people that already make more money profit.
ReplyDeleteMckenzie Hutchinson p.3
I thought it was refreshing to see the other side of this law. I've never heard people talk about minimum wage being bad. The minimum wage law, why it can help isn't purely a solution. The result of wage increases can also increase unemployment. The law can end up hurting the low wage labor workers it was meant to help in the first place.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jeff in many ways. I believe that there is no solution to fixing the minimum wage because people will always be affected. Abolishing minimum wage would create an insecurity of pay, forcing businesses and workers to come to an agreement on salaries. When the minimum wage is increased unemployment will rise, but the workers who continue to work will get paid more. Lowering the minimum wage would allow more people to work at lower wages, making it more difficult for a family trying to survive on this wage even harder. There is no solution to solving the minimum wage that will benefit all.
ReplyDeleteDuring this video I learned that minimum wage is a pro just as much as it is a con as it can greatly help people just like Jeff to make ends meet, but can hurt the millions of people just like Tad as businesses can't afford to keep them. When minimum wage goes up the business is forced to pay more for its employees and when businesses are in tough economic times they must become more selective with their workforce. I believe that the minimum wage should not be abolished, but not raised significantly more as it would create plenty more situations just like the one Jeff was in.
ReplyDeleteTim Edmonds
Period 7
Lia Kashuba period 7
ReplyDeleteI think it is interesting that Jeff wasn't against minimum wage until Tadd was laid off. If minimum wage, what Jeff was working for at the time didn't exist, he wouldn't have been satisfied with his pay. Minimum wage was helping him. It wasn't until his friend was laid off that Jeff changed his view on the matter. In this example I believe that minimum wage is a form of encouragement for employees to do their best work. By this I mean that if minimum wage can raise at any time and possibly cause them to lose their job, workers must be high contributing members of the business to ensure that, if minimum wage were to be raised, they would keep their job. I am sure many similar situations to that of Tadd and Jeff's has occurred. Tadd's disability aside, if an employer had to lay someone off, they would evaluate every employee's performance and get rid of the weakest link. In my eyes minimum wage and its unpredictability of change acts as encouragement for employees to do their best work to ensure their job.
I thought this was interesting on how many things we see today in our daily lives have many different sides to them. Here, Tadd is the forgotten man. I wonder if the concept of him and many others in his similar position were considered when the minimum wage was being raised. What makes this interesting is the choice and position the officials in charge of making this decision. The two simplest choices were to raise the minimum wage, know that most people that are paid at minimum wage would be better off at the expense of the less valued. The other option was to keep the current minimum wage with everyone not at a place of satisfaction. The importance behind this decision is the thought process of the officials. We can now see that they were will to pay the expense of a minority in order for the majority of the people at minimum wage to benefit.
ReplyDeleteGabrielle Ma period 8
I thought it was interesting that when the minimum wage was raised they just fired Ted instead of just reducing his hours. It doesn't seem fair that he would fire him because he had a disability. Everyone should get a fair chance to work even if minimum wage is raised.
ReplyDeleteKerewyn D, Period 8
After watching this video, I have a new perspective on minimum wage law. Before, I thought the law would benefit the workers and increase the pay they receive in their checks, but I had failed to realize the negatives on minimum wage. Even though some workers receive an increase in pay, workers like Tad are fired due to this law. But maybe in the long run this law would encourage these workers to work harder to keep their job. The government may gave good intensions, but fail to realize the consequences that may affect workers like Tad.
ReplyDeleteCarley Stultz, 8th per.
Jay Gamboa p.8
ReplyDeleteI had no idea of the affects of having a minimum wages were, before I simply thought that it was only helping everyone and there were no negative affects what so ever. Now that I have seen this video I understand how it can actually hurt people. Also I agree with what he is saying. People are like resources in a way people have demands for labor and we supply it. People know what they will work for and people know what to pay, so eventually it will even out just like any other price, and this is why I agree to have no minimum wage.
Alie Williams
ReplyDeletePeriod 5
From this video, I learned how the minimum wage law was a law that was designed to protect people however, in this situation Tadd, was hurt by the law. He was the "forgotten man". This outcome has been one for many people, not just Tadd, therefore, I think the minimum wage law should be abolished. By abolishing it there will be more job opportunities for new workers, also people will get paid what they deserve. Also if it was raised, then it would be much harder for people to find jobs and people would be getting paid more than they probably worked for.
I have learned that minimum wage decreases employment, when it is meant to help employees make more money. Minimum wage is a tough concept. If it is too low, no one will want to work for you. However, if it is too high, you won't be able to afford as many employees. After watching this video, it helped me realize how unfair and non beneficial minimum wage actually is. I believe it should be changed. It was unfair to fire Tadd, although it also wasn't fair to keep him if he wasn't doing the same work as everyone else. Minimum wage is an unfair concept that should be abolished. Everyone should be paid depending on their quality of work.
ReplyDeletePage Kioschos p5
Caleb Sohigian, period 3
ReplyDeleteEven though this video is touching, there is so much agenda behind it it seems flawed. I agree with the sentiment, but the man only lost some hang time with his friend. His friend didnt die, and from what it said, he wasnt even poor. He was probably well supported by his family. This would have been better illustrated by by making the victim a hard working but slow family man whose children were starving due to poverty. That seems more accurate.
He did die two years later. I can't imagine that Tad's spirits were too high after he was let go.
DeleteKario Galash
ReplyDeletePeriod 3
I understand what Jeff is saying but I'm not convinced. I feel he has a personal grudge with minimum wage that he can't get past which leads him to oppose it for emotional reasons rather than justifying his position with evidence. This video felt very scripted.
Sarah Sprecher
ReplyDeleteperiod 3
Although the idea could have been represented in a better fashion, I thought this 'story' made an interesting point in the fact that everything has two sides to it. Most of the time, we praise economic decisions without taking into consideration the effect it could have on us, blinded only by what is in front of us and what we want to see. While I don't personally think an opinion should greatly depend on if your friend loses their job, or that a policy be changed because of one example, I think it is a subject that should be carefully examined.
Tristan Poole
ReplyDeleteperiod 3
I understand where Jeff is coming from and can see how he was upset, but i don't think this one reason is a justifiable reason to be completely against the minimum wage. I also feel that Jeff didn't attempt to at least try and find any good in the minimum wage. I Also felt this video was scripted.
I assure you that it was not scripted. But i did have to tell the story three times because the first two I broke down crying.
DeleteLauren Knox
ReplyDeletePeriod 8
I completely agree with Jeff. The point of minimum wage is to make sure people don't get taken advantage of and are provided with enough money that they they they can live on it. I did not even think about what the repercussions of increasing that amount might be. The minimum wage laws should be abolished all together and demand for labor will keep the minimum wage at a reasonable amount. The laws are just not needed and cause more damage than good.
i agree with tristan
ReplyDeleteMatthew hval per 7
ReplyDeleteI agree with almost everyone that the higher the minimum wage the less people that will be hired.
Gabriel Barnatan per 8
ReplyDeleteI agree with what basically everyone has said, the higher the minimum wage, the less money employers have to pay their employees, this causes them to be un able to pay as many employees as they could with lower minimum wage, so less people will be hired and have jobs