30 Days

Was wondering if anyone else watched the premier of 30 Days with Morgan Spurloc (Super Size Me). In this series he does a bunch of different 30 Days scenarios and tonight it started with living on minimum wage for 30 days. Was pretty interesting. Anyone else watch this?

- Arkans

[Fengus]

Naa, was it any good? I read an article he wrote about this series and some of the self imposed trials and their results, but don't follow TV enough to catch it.

It was actually really good. Unfortunately 1 hour is hard to fit in 30 days of a life. It really does have an honest feel to it and it does a great job of giving you the experience in the time it could. I don't follow TV either, but this is a series I would.

- Arkans

[DeV]

I caught the last 15 minutes of the show and they were definitely living the American working-class lifestyle and it wasn't looking too great. It also goes to show that poverty does not discriminate especially when you earn your living by way of minimum wage.

[Back]

TV? Oh, you mean cable! Uh, didn’t see it. Sounds interesting though.

I agree. They even pointed out that they were white and articulate (unlike others) which was also very interesting.

- Arkans

[Doughboy]

I caught the last like 10 minutes of the first showing..then watched the whole thing when they replayed it after. Damn good show. I know that feeling of check to check from when I was in the army. But we had free health care. I couldnt imagine having to cover those hospital bills while on minimum wage. I'm definatley going to watch next weeks episode about the body builder's and where they juice up for 30 days to see the results and all. Really is a good show. :)

It was good, but the problem I had is that not all the resources were used.

1. He never applied for welfare

2. He never applied for foodstamps

3. Hospital bills to the ER don't need to pay off in full if you cannot afford them. They can write it off as long as they have your signature that you can't pay.

4. The appartments don't get disgusting like that by themselves, previous tenants make them like that.

5. Previous tenants skipped out on the electricity bill, thus the deposit, so its not like there is no justification

6. I have zero sympathy for people who have kids in these conditions. No one forces them to breed (expecially that guy with four kids!)

7. There are higher paying jobs out there that they could have gotten. That tempt agency was disgusting and if they had to put rules like "No hiding in porta johns" and "No sleeping on the job" on the rules sheet, then I really need to ask myself, "What type of people are they hiring?"

- Arkans
6.

[Keller]

I watched it.

I thought it was good.

As far as the hospital goes I don't see them going for his wrist injury unless they know it's just a 30-day poverty test. Knowing that he would be able to write a check for the $700 visit made that decision easier.

Also you have you have to remember that they were living in the cheapest place ($350/month) they visited. They also spent very little money, and still ended up $1200 in the hole at the end of the month.

While I can see the logic in a couple of your points Arkans, I think you're missing the point. This couple worked 120 hrs/week between the two of them and still couldn't sustain the bare minimums. They took advantage of a lot of things I'd never even considered (free furniture/dishes/clothes). Morgan was just trying to raise awareness that our minimum wage act, a bill passed to ensure those people who worked a full week would have enough to sustain life in this country, is not functioning as it should. I'm kinda sad no one has mentioned that yet.

It's kinda interesting for me because I live/work in the Santa Monica area. The city legislature is currently investigating the economic impact that raising the minimum wage to a living wage would have. Currently the CA minimum wage is $6.75 while the cheapest one-bedroom apartment is $1000/month. So they're talking about raising the wages well past $10.00/hour. It'll be very interesting to see how Arby's, McDonald's, and Express Men react. A lot of people think they will have to shut their doors and quit operating. Personally I believe they have the revenue to take an increased labor budget and will continue to thrive in our little tourist trap of a town.

[Nakiro]

Originally posted by Keller
I watched it.

I thought it was good.

As far as the hospital goes I don't see them going for his wrist injury unless they know it's just a 30-day poverty test. Knowing that he would be able to write a check for the $700 visit made that decision easier.

Also you have you have to remember that they were living in the cheapest place ($350/month) they visited. They also spent very little money, and still ended up $1200 in the hole at the end of the month.

While I can see the logic in a couple of your points Arkans, I think you're missing the point. This couple worked 120 hrs/week between the two of them and still couldn't sustain the bare minimums. They took advantage of a lot of things I'd never even considered (free furniture/dishes/clothes). Morgan was just trying to raise awareness that our minimum wage act, a bill passed to ensure those people who worked a full week would have enough to sustain life in this country, is not functioning as it should. I'm kinda sad no one has mentioned that yet.

It's kinda interesting for me because I live/work in the Santa Monica area. The city legislature is currently investigating the economic impact that raising the minimum wage to a living wage would have. Currently the CA minimum wage is $6.75 while the cheapest one-bedroom apartment is $1000/month. So they're talking about raising the wages well past $10.00/hour. It'll be very interesting to see how Arby's, McDonald's, and Express Men react. A lot of people think they will have to shut their doors and quit operating. Personally I believe they have the revenue to take an increased labor budget and will continue to thrive in our little tourist trap of a town.

Inevitably raising the minimum wage does nothing, as the economy will eventually reach a new equilibrium as the true value of the dollar stabilizes.

Renters especially design their prices to try to come as full as maximum compacity as possible without reaching it or creating too high of a demand, thus creating the most money in the process. If you start giving people more money you'll inevitibly raise the available amount of money the lower class has to spend on housing. But even then, there won't be enough housing for all the lower class, so to compensate renters will raise rents while maintaining higher occupancy.

What changes? Not much. The adjustments on other goods and services are slower of couse, depending on how much of the cost is split into overhead and variable costs. But the end result is almost always the same.

But the real down side is that raising the minimum wage decreases the value of trained labor. If you are suddenly forced to pay the 16 year olds doing fries 10 an hour than you are going to have to start paying more for managers and more professional jobs. This is part of what pushes prices to eventually rise - companies will begin to charge more if they have to pay more too.

But like someone else already mentioned. If you're living on minimum wage and its an unsustainable income, you either need to 1) find another job 2) gain a skilled labor trait 3) be ambitious enough to earn more money 4) reconsider your lifestyle (ie 4 kids), 5) move.

Minimum wage shouldn't be designed for adults. Its for kids. If you're an adult earning minimum wage you've probably done something to get yourself in the shitter and its no one elses fault or responsibility to see to your welfare than your own.

Just my opinion, who makes signifigantly more than minimum wage and has for the last 4 years.

[Wezas]

I watched it and thought it was excellent. Hospital bills were rediculous.

The hospital bills are obscene, but they do not have to be payed. I was against raising the minimum wage before, but this did get me to think.

- Arkans

[Warriorbird]

"There are higher paying jobs out there that they could have gotten."

Ha ha.

As far as hospital bills go, hospitals are actually allowed to send them to collection agencies these days if you don't meet the Medicare/Medicaid cutoff.

They can and will collect violently.

[Warriorbird]

"4) reconsider your lifestyle (ie 4 kids),"

I love conservative theories on this. Not making enough money, shoot your kids! But, then again, in Congress we'll vote for things like banning birth control and try to stop abortions.

"1) find another job 2) gain a skilled labor trait 3) be ambitious enough to earn more money 4) reconsider your lifestyle (ie 4 kids), 5) move"

Your theories are so simple, Nakiro! You've ended poverty! Why didn't people think of them before?

[Edited on 6-16-2005 by Warriorbird]

Shoot your kids? Jesus, that's psychopathic thought. Not having the kids is a much better approach to the situation. Banning birth control and abortion? That might apply to me if I supported those stances. Might try another approach though.

- Arkans

[Wezas]

Originally posted by Arkans
Banning birth control and abortion? That might apply to me if I supported those stances.
- Arkans

Bad Conservative!

[Sean]

The show actually turned out to be really amusing in my opinion. Does anyone else find themselves watching it now that it's been on for awhile?