actually before 4 years ago, all incomes of all tax brackets were rising.

and its really quite a simple concept to grasp, when you have more of something, in this case money, its easier to grow faster than when you have less of something.

like for example i have 20 cows, you have 10 cows, by the end of 5 years i now have 100 cows, you have only have 30. look the cow gap has widened!!!

and still none of that negates the fact that putting you money anywhere (other than your mattress) benefits everyone..

Im not saying you should have it worse, or that is good cause other countrys are in a worse situation.im just saying that if you really want things to get better, you preapare yourself to do it. Not expect to happen out of nowhere. Go to school, study, prepare yourself, finish a career and go look for a good job. Dont stand there flipping burguers expecting to make more money than you deserve. Cause yes, you read it right, people working at Mcdonalds flipping burguers dont deserve more money than they are currently making. And thats a cold hard truth

This is the worst argument.  How does rich people having money help everyone?  Wouldn't that same money, in the hands of MORE people, do MORE good?  The answer is, of course, YES!  It would better for businesses by creating more opportunites for expansion, for individuals who can support themselves and their families and work harder(as they feel more rewarded for their efforts!), for entrepreneurs and inventors and creators!

Income inequality benefits nobody but those at very top.  And even that is limited, because sooner or later the economic foundation that they have been systematically weakening is going to fail and it's all going to come crashing down.  Those at the top only have the furthest to fall.

And who are you to decide how much somebody else is worth?

If corporations had it their way, they'd still be paying them $2 an hour and people like you would still be saying they don't deserve more!  The problem is they will pay people as little as they can get away with and people will line up to defend them!

Wtf are you tlaking about? I never put a price on a person. Im talking about a job that requieres no skills, no high education, less to none requierements to apply for, Designed for students or people who wantto make extra money, is not a job intended to support a family of 4 or make a living off. Theres no way people expect high incomes in these type of jobs. ~8 dlls is more than enough for these type of jobs. 

And that's where you are wrong.

That's what the majority of people working those jobs are doing!  Because that's what jobs are available.  These jobs are not "designed" for anyone.  We do not have a state-run planned economy. They are simply jobs that people take because they have to.  Capitalism at it's worst.  And there are far too many minimum wage (or close) jobs in our economy.  Far more than there are students and "people who want extra income".  There are not enough good jobs even for college graduates!  Wal-Mart is our country's #1 employer and they treat their employees like garbage.

lets see how being rich benefits everyone.

they put into into a bank. that bank now has more money that, they can use to expand their business, hire more people, they now have money to lend (this is how lending works). that money that rich person put in the bank is now loaned to you, so you can buy a house, car, start a business, etc.

the evil rich person puts his money in the stock market. The company he just invested in now has more capital, they can now do more research and development, expanding their business, which requires more employees.

that rich person uses his money to buy a cheeseburger, a flatscreen, a car or whatever. that money now goes to the campany that made the product, the company that sold the product, the company that distributed the product. those companies now stay in business and thrive because they have a product that is demanded, inorder to keep up wit demand, they hire people, they inovate, they sell more goods, putting more money in the economy.

the evil rich guys buys a McMansion. the builder has to hire construction workers, plumbers, floorers, drywall guys, painters, landscapers, etc

this is like economics 101 stuff. really basic. like I said in virtually every scenario other than stashing money hidden away in your home benefits everyone.

I guess we just dont think alike, that's it. If people were more prepared, they wouldnt have to take that job. That's what I did. I didnt do anything out of this world, so I believe everyone can do it. You just have to work for it. I know plenty of people that have done it also, it really isnt that hard. 

Quite appalled by most of the comments here.
It's as if everyone assumes that when you have a minimum wage job you got there because you made bad choices in life. Not everyone has the same opportunities as everyone else. Some people can't afford to go to college, and never will because the shitty pay at their minimum wage job will never be enough to save up. Some people aren't capable of accomplishing anything else in their life, even though it is not their fault.
Saying you shouldn't be able to make a living off of a minimum wage job is absolutely ridiculous, that's exactly what you should be able to do. Did I miss the memo where everyone suddenly sides with big corporations and the government?
I'm not saying it should be $15, even though if adjusted with inflation over time that is what it should be at, compared to 60 years ago, but it is absurdly low in the US.
I'm really curious how many of the people here against a minimum wage increase have actually fallen before, have tried crawling out a ditch dug by people around them, nothing to fall back on.

I understand that.  I understand all of that.  In the past I have made every conservative economic argument in the book!  I fully grasp these basic concepts.  And I've grown to see that it's not the best way of doing things.

I'm not saying rich people are bad.  I'm not saying their spending doesn't create economic activity.

What I'm saying is that wide income gaps are a detriment to society, and to the economy.

Exhibit A:  Corporations are making record profits but they are not expanding and hiring like all the conservatives said they would.  The problem: Companies expand and hire NOT because of the money they make, but because of the money the CAN make.  They will not expand or hire if the opportunity for growth is not there.  This is where income inequality comes into play.  As a portion of Americans see their expendable income shrinking from rising costs and flat wages, they don't have money to spend on non-necessities. Thus, economic growth opportunities are limited as a business's customer base spends less money.  A company doesn't open a store because they CAN, but because it's profitable.  And when the money is only the hands of a small portion of people, those opportunities simply aren't there.