Dems looking to up minimum wage.

[etothepii]

This looks like one of the first acts of legislation of the new, Dem controlled Congress. I say, Up minimum wage to $100 per hour. Tax about 50% of that. The country should be a utopia at that point.

[bawanajim]

Anyone that is working in the same job for more than six months and is still earning minimum wage is being over payed.


If you find yourself in this situation, here are some ideas for you.

# 1 Buy your self an alarm clock.

#2 Learn how to set it.

#3 Stop spending your spare change at the House of Piercings.

#4 Look in the mirror , what would your high school math teacher think?

#5 Pull your pants up.

#6 If you can't read or write ,please learn how to.

This short list of easily made selfimprovements will quickly move you away from the embarrassment of a minimum wage jobforever.

[aunsaber]

I'll second that.
There are some people that are not worth minimum wage and it will always be that way.

Minimum wage goes up and so does everything else, so what is gained?
SP Liberals don't get it.

[ipscshooter]

What is the point of raising minimum wage? The raise will directly result in a raise in prices for everyone (including the minimum wage earners), and will result in layoffs (primarily of low income earners), and more work to take up the slackj (again, primarily by low income earners). The idiots are shooting themselves in the feet...

[shepdogwv]

While I will agree that there are some people who are not worth minimum wage, if you look at the industries that actually pay minimum wages, it's mainly the service industries. These are the businesses that arn't going anywhere and I just recently saw a study that an increase in the minimum wage (to 7.50) will have little effect on employment despite what everyone hears. The fact of the matter is that people have been saying that this country doesn't need unions because the government adequatly protects the blue collar workers, but businesses can't accept it when they actually want to work for them. Society still ends up paying for people who make minimum wage, because noone that makes that much doesn't get government support.

[HogHuntingChik]

I guess the Dems are going to save the world.

[Whitehorse]

It is funny - but understandable given perception - how many people think raising the minimum wage will help people or even boost the economy. Very, very few actually make the minimum wage & market forces dictate that the vast majority of even unskilled jobs are significantly above the minimun wage.

[shepdogwv]

I highly doubt that the dems are gonna save the world (and as I see their view of the world, I hope they never do) but if we can get "southern democrats" into the government then I'll be plenty happy.

[vc1111]

It will go up.

The thing that always surprises me is the idea that everyone, regardless of their work ethic or qualifications is worth some "minimum" amount of hourly wage. That just isn't true and mandating that idea produces market distortions and expense to everyone. The beauty of it, from the perspective of lawmakers is that it creates a form of welfare which is not a direct tax...to anyone but the businessowners.

[BenGarrett]

ORIGINAL: vc1111

The thing that always surprises me is the idea that everyone, regardless of their work ethic or qualifications is worth some "minimum" amount of hourly wage.

If their work ethic is so poor, why in the heck would you employ them? That doesn't even make sense.

A minimum wage is hardly without merit. There are some communities and towns where every non-skilled laborer is working for minimum wage, or for a slightly higher wage that is directly derived from the minimum wage (Wal-Mart, for example [when I worked there during college, at least] paid a wage that was 50 cents higher than the minimum wage, and when the minimum wage was raised, their hourly wage was raised a comparable amount). I know because I used to live in one of those communities, before the area's largest factory began paying their workers substantially more than the minimum wage, forcing other employers in the area to raise their wages in turn in order to keep their best workers from being lured away. If a minimum wage didn't exist in those areas, the wages paid by those employers would probably be more laughable than what the rate of $5.15 is. Sure, we can blame the unskilled laborers themselves for failing to obtain a post-high school education or a technical certification that could enable them to obtain better jobs. That attitude is selfish, IMO. So go ahead and label me a welfare-loving socialist.