Celebrate Christmas By Raising the Minimum Wage

[Chadman]

Celebrate Christmas By Raising Minimum Wage

[Our guest blogger, Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), is the House Minority Whip.]

As Congress focuses on leaving town to enjoy the holidays, I stood in the cold before the Capitol Christmas Tree with Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and Rep. George Miller (D-CA) today to call on Congress to act on the true meaning of Christmas ? hope, generosity and good will toward others ? and raise the minimum wage.

As a new report we released today with the Center for Economic and Policy Research details, families living on the minimum wage scrape and struggle each month to afford life?s most basic necessities. It is simply not possible for them to enjoy the holidays like the rest of us. No dozens of presents piled under the Christmas tree. No lavish meals on Christmas Eve and Day. It would take almost their entire December paycheck to afford the more than $700 that the average American spends celebrating Christmas.

Congress has the power to brighten the holiday for the almost 8 million Americans living on the minimum wage by increasing their paycheck.

Yet, this is the eighth year in a row that Congress has failed to enact even a small increase in the minimum wage. By freezing it at an inadequate $5.15 and ignoring the effects of inflation, Congress has essentially given a pay cut to these workers. In fact, if the minimum wage in 2005 was worth what it was worth in 1968 (its peak value), it would be $8.88 an hour.

How can the leadership in Congress leave Washington this week to enjoy a plentiful Christmas and a comfortable New Year knowing that their inaction has guaranteed another tough Christmas for millions of Americans?

This is just another stark example of how the Republican-controlled Congress does not have the right priorities for America. At the same time that they ignore the minimum wage and cut programs that invest in students and children, help our elderly and the poorest Americans, they vote for tens of billions of dollars in tax breaks that benefit the wealthy few. We can ? and must ? do better.

Representative Miller and Senator Kennedy have introduced a fair bill to increase the minimum wage to $7.25 over two years. Providing a livable wage to hardworking American families is not a Democratic or Republican issue. It is an issue of doing what is right and good.

Please contact your Members of Congress and urge them to pass the Kennedy/Miller bill before Congress adjourns this holiday season. This is a small gift that we can and should give to honest, hardworking Americans.

- Steny Hoyer

 

[Chadman]

A couple of personal thoughts on this. I keep hearing about democrats not having any ideas. I keep hearing about how the welfare system is a flawed idea and keeps people from wanting to work. Here is, in my view, a perfect example of flawed conservative ideals getting in the way of both.

Here is an idea democrats have been pushing for for a long time. The republicans keep shooting it down, for whatever reason. Do any of you conservatives really think the minimum wage at $5.15 (indefinitely, I guess) is fair? Do you think that the majority of people can "pick themselves up by their bootstraps" and work hard to be constructive members of society for that rate of pay? Do you think the minimum wage should stay the same while inflation and the cost of EVERYTHING continues to rise? What is the logic in continually voting against raising it? To even consider raising it every so often?

All this, while at the same time trying to dismantle and cut welfare, low-income "entitlement" programs? Child support enforcement? Student grant programs for low-income students? The list goes on and on.

All this, while voting for a pay increase for YOURSELVES? Making sure you get an extra few thousand dollars that you vote for yourself? And for what?

All this, while advocating tax cuts for the wealthiest of the wealthy? While advocating billions of dollars for an ongoing war under the guise of helping people in other countries have a better life? These are separate and arguable issues, granted, and don't even need to be a part of this discussion. But it is something that I think is really sad. And hard to understand.

I would like the conservatives on this board to explain this. A democratic idea that undeniably would help millions of Americans that could really use the help. People who work, instead of just taking entitlements. How can you criticize those who won't or can't work, while in reality lowering the rate of pay for those that will work? Nice job, conservatives. Please explain.

 

[bubbas1]

I highly doubt that there are many trying to raise a family on min. wage. You say it would help millions. SO..can anyone on this board honestly say they know someone trying to raise a family on min wage??? To me it just looks like a "feel good bill". It dosent help anyone but gives Dems some press so they can say they tried to help the poor this Christmas season.

Fast food reasturants pay more than the min wage. Im sorry but if someone is to stupid to flip a burger they dont deserve more that $5.15 an hour. You have to start somewhere and thats at the bottom.

The only exception to this should be waitresses. I think they should be bumped up to the min.

I also think the idiots in Wash. should not vote themselves a raise. If they want one than just add a short referendum question on the ballot during a presidential election. Seems simple enough.

 

[CHARLESMANSON]

Only a liberal would want the government to get involved with private capitalism. Typical.

 

[djv]

After raise congress just gave them self's. I guess since thats our tax money. It's Government getting involved with private? In any case they say there is only 5 million folks stuck on minimum wage. So it's just not worth helping them. Once the ilegals start bitching there under paid. Then this consevative bunch will raise it.

 

[Chadman]

Only a liberal would want the government to get involved with private capitalism. Typical.

They get involved with it every day with safety regulations, standards of protection, national labor laws, etc. All to protect workers. Not to mention taxes. Makes sense to make sure people who work are treated safely and fairly, I think. I see nothing wrong with having minimum standards of living being a standard, to prevent unscrupulous employers from taking advantage of people. Kind of what sets us apart from Taiwan, that kind of thing. Not that we care about that. Just the oppressed people in Iraq, I guess. We can spend hundreds of millions of dollars and thousands of lives to help them out. 5 million Americans or so? Who cares? They should just get better jobs, right? Or pay for college on a small budget.

Whatever.

 

[spibble spab]

Adults make up the largest share of workers who would benefit from a minimum wage increase: 72% of workers whose wages would be raised by a minimum wage increase to $7.25 by June 2007 are adults (age 20 or older). I was only on minimum wage from age 16 to 17. Then I realized I needed to be proactive (i never got any additional financial help from family of gov't) and continue education beyond high-school and stick to a career other than working in the mall. Thats the shocker ya see; I dont NEED the government to help me because i do not practice the policy of goverment solving my personal financial woes. I think we should be held more personally accountable.

 

[DOGS THAT BARK]

Chad you be the judge
instead of $5.15 and $7.25 lets use $5 & $7 for simple math.
You have small business with 10 employees
You pay them $5 an hour
That makes your payroll (not counting taxes fica workmans comp ect) $2000 a week or $200 an employee.
If you have to increase it to $7 your payroll is now $2,800 a week.
Since your just making a living as is on $2,000 budget what do you do--lay off 3 employees and increase work load--to stay with in your budget?
I understand your thinking especially in ligfht of corp executives make tons more than they are worth but it is not the big corps that this effects as all pay over minimum wage--it mostly effects small businesses.

Giving $2 mandatory raises leaves small business few alternatives to stay in budget-lay off workers--increase what they charge consumers to compensate. So you be the judge--you want $2 raise-unemployment and/or inflation?
Would be nice to start everyone at $30,000 a year but truth is inflation would in short order make that equivilant to minimum wage buying power.
I am not trying to be unsympathtic to miniimum wage earners but there are some that are worth little more. It depends on what they bring to the table--A person doesn't have to be the smartest-fastest-most ambitious to move up the ladder either.I think most employers would say reliabilty-honesty and doing the best he can as merit for worthiness. One of main things I here from employers I deal with as a defining attribute of good employee is generally the same--"see ole John there--hasn't missed a day in 15 years"

 

[dawgball]

to afford the more than $700 that the average American spends celebrating Christmas.

Can we address another problem as well? If someone is on minimum wage (or even remotely close) should they be spending $700 on Christmas. My wife and I don't, but then again I'm just a conservative who knows how to LIVE WITHIN MY MEANS.

To add to DTBs point, 'most' employers would gladly give $1-2 raise to a valued employee because it costs more with turnover. I think minimum wage's purpose is to serve as entry-level proving ground territory. Even in high school when I did get jobs that paid minimum wage, I remember always moving up from there within 6 months or so.

On another note, I pretty much have a negative attitude toward anything that Ted Kennedy endorses. That's just a character flaw that I have.

 

[dr. freeze]

why do you want the government telling someone how to run their own business????

if a wage is unfair, the worker will find another place to work

period, end of story

no need for this

the market works itself out

get the government out of our lives

 

[ferdville]

There are so many flaws with the idea that raising the minimum wage will make everything hunky-dory. These have been mentioned here clearly. Perhaps you would prefer a communist system or socialist system rather than capitalism.

Raising the minimum wage would cause layoffs. There is only so much money that a business owner can pay out. If you have 100 employees and have to give them all a $2.00 per hour pay raise, where are you going to get that extra $200 per hour you will pay, not to mention matching social security, etc. You will either lay people off or raise the price of your goods and services.

It may sound harsh, but my guess is that a large number of people who earn minimum wage do so in large part because of their failure to make an honest effort to better themselves. Maybe they would have done better if they paid more attention in school. Maybe they would do better if they went to a trade school. Maybe they would do better if they showed up to work on a regular basis and showed up on time. There is a reason why people make minimum wage and it isn't always the fault of the business owner.

There are many in here that bitch and moan on a regular basis about how "the man" uses tax breaks to increase their wealth; how corporations take advantage of the little man; etc. Then get off your ass and start your own business. Work the 16 hour, 7 day a week hours needed to get your business off the ground. Put up your own money. It isn't that easy.

The simple act of throwing more money at a problem to fix it just doesn't work. It hasn't helped the school systems appreciably and many would say that welfare has more negatives than benefits. If it was only that simple..................

 

[CHARLESMANSON]

Pay attention to that shit up there^^^ :clap:

No way to dispute that at all. You rule Fred. It's so simple. Why have the government getting involved with private capitalism? What is this Canada?

 

[Chadman]

Charles, again with the need to have a winner and loser. Why can't we just talk about an issue without you chiming in with your BS side-taking? Usually both sides of these discussions have some merit...you continually harp on winning and losing. If we could have less confrontation and name calling, maybe we could start coming up with some things that could make sense for both sides.

You guys make some very good points, however nearly all of them mention some kind of immediate $2 pay increase. It is a scaled plan, for a dollar now, dollar next year. Small business owners deal with raising costs every day, and a plan like this would allow them to plan for it. DTB, I like the way you approach this, and you make some good points. Dawgball, you are dead on the money with your thought, too, although having come from working in low paying jobs in the past it sure is tough at Christmas when you want to give your kids a little joy, to not overspend a little. You guys are right, it would be a hardship for many small business owners, but they deal with them every day. Good points you make, though. Except for Freeze, and his all-or-nothing-paintbrush-stay-out-of-my-yard mentality, that is.

 

[djv]

Better go back to why a minimum was needed in first place. Seems many compaines just took advantage of there work force.
And last raise did not lose small business jobs. We still have them. The real jobs in MFG where folks may get over paid are ones that are hurting. And they are paid way over 7 bucks.
I said long time ago. Just pay 5 bucks to everyone However pay for all there health and life insurance and 401k plans. Never happen so why not give tham alittle jump in pay.

 

[larryowen]

The only ones that work for minium wage are 16 year olds, people with no ambition or uneducated adults. I have had no promblem being paid well above minium wage.

 

[kosar]

I have had no promblem being paid well above minium wage.

Well, that *does* prove that anything's possible in America.

 

[smurphy]

Raising the minimum will actually save the middle class some tax money. People working full-time at minumum wage get Earned Income tax credits (paid by the rest of us). It supplements what is acknowledged to be an unliveable wage. If that pay were up to the $7 range then EIC would no longer be necessary - thus the rest of us wouldn't have to supplement the parts of the wage that are insufficient.

If a company cannot exist in America without paying people more than $5.15 then ...well ...there's something wrong with that company. There are plenty of ways for them to do fine without having to resort to depression level wages.

Minimum wage is 42% less than at it's peak value in 1968. How much lower should it to go? I'm as much of a free-enterprising capitalist as anyone. We learned a long time ago, however, that capitalism needs some boundaries and standards. Certainly this would have to be one of those situations.

There are many in here that bitch and moan on a regular basis about how "the man" uses tax breaks to increase their wealth; how corporations take advantage of the little man; etc. Then get off your ass and start your own business. Work the 16 hour, 7 day a week hours needed to get your business off the ground. Put up your own money. It isn't that easy.

Yeah, I did that already. But I don't have a chip on my shoulder about the hard work required to get my business successful. And I'm sure not gonna whine about having to do something humane like pay people more than $5.15 an hour. ...Do you realize just how little that is? It's nothing. A day's pay at that rate probably isn't even juice on most people's bets around here. At $5.15 you have to work 16/7 just to feed and house your family.

42% less than in 1968. That's inexcusable. Well - the ultra conservatives have certainly won this battle for the last decade.

 

[larryowen]

Yes that if do something with your life like get an education instead of makeing excuses like democrats do you don't have to go through life with a losers limp like deomcrats do.

 

[Chadman]

Hey, larry, I suggest you follow your own advice about getting an education prior to posting another punctuation-mangled, incorrectly-spelled post of ignorance. Evidently, you make enough money, and can choose to better yourself mentally.

 

[DOGS THAT BARK]

Chad Its tough area and lots of pros and cons--I can see where your coming from with good intentions just tough to do with other sacrifices.

-- on being tough to do
"
"If a company cannot exist in America without paying people more than $5.15 then ...well ...there's something wrong with that company. There are plenty of ways for them to do fine without having to resort to depression level wages."

With all due respect Smurph if you can find way for companies to improve bottom line that easily--start a marketing corp and I'll gladly go partners with you and we'll retire in a year.
Again I would go along with idea on large corps--but lots of small business's are very fragile--especially just starting out--and agian pay/hour is just a portion of employee cost.