The minimum wage definitely needs to be raised. Not everyone making minimum wage didn't graduate high school or have a lot of kids. A single person making $7.25 an hour can't afford to pay rent, lights, and buy food. Prices of everything have done nothing but go up, while most of the U.S. wages have remained the same. These companies can afford to pay people more, they just don't want to. They know the less money they pay their workers, the more money they keep in their pockets. These CEOS and presidents are riding around in jets and spending thousands of dollars here and there, while they are paying their workers for doing the job of half a person. When they're actually doing the work of 2 or 3. Of course the people who do absolutely nothing but get paid the big bucks don't wan't anyone under them making more money. I've gradutated high school and am in college. I have diplomas in 2 different health care sectors and still don't get paid that much more than minimum wage. So why did I waste my time going to school to get trained in these fields when these companies still don't want to pay you for the hard work you are doing? Everyone that works hard deserves to be able to live a decent life whether they go to school or not. Minimum wage should definitely be raised. PERIOD!
Raul - 12 years ago
Wait...let me get this straight. The guy that graduated from high school (or maybe not), who has no marketable skills and now works at the local burger joint....he can't make it on 7.25.hr in a 40 hour week and get married and have kids. OK...I get that. But at what point does his decision to have a family that he can't afford to raise become a SOCIAL OBLIGATION that the rest of us should pay? If you can't make it on 40 hrs per week, then get two jobs. If you can't make it on $7.25 then get trained at something that makes a higher wage. The "minimum wage" was established to keep people from starving to death. Not to make it so that every Tom, Richard, and Harry could have a private apartment, a car, and money to burn for entertainment.
Before we talk about having everyone else (from the end-consumer to the small businesses that will suffer if a bill like this passes) we really need to ask "Who are the people who are making the minimum wage and what are the life-choices they have made that have led them to be where they are?"
Frankly, if it's someone who dropped out of high school, had 4 kids, and can't make it on minimum wage, I'm really for a bit of tough love that says...."You got yourself into this....you figure it out."
Ron - 12 years ago
The U.S, if not the world is moving toward a corporation only business. While the 10/hr for an unskilled, entry level worker is very affordable for corporations, it would kill small business. Min wage standards should be scaled from say the 7.25/hr to 10/hr based on the size of the business/corporation. A small business with two employees versus a corporation with > 20K employees should have different requirements. Otherwise, only corporations can afford to give healthcare/pay higher entry wages. The death of entrepreneurship and american dream is becoming a reality.
Keith - 12 years ago
Minimum wage is not meant to support familys of 5 !! Minimum wage is that persons decision to work for that amount of money raising minimum wage will absolutely increase price of goods no more Dollar menu and what happens to people like me that have worked so diligently to make my $17.00 an hour I would not get an increase so in fact my wage would decrease. Want to make more money???? GET AN EDUCATION!!!!! Dont try to support babies you cant afford on minimum wage either!!!!!!!!
Dorotheen Strass - 12 years ago
Ten dollars an hour represents a LIVING WAGE for the work people do. It allows people to live a life that keeps up with inflation. Food, gas, utilities have all gone up around 20% -30% in the last 5 years so raising the minimum wage in line with inflation makes the best sense. Employers will just have to pay their workers more money and have less profits for themselves and their shareholders.
Trish - 12 years ago
I don't see a problem with raising minimum wage...as long as they pass an inflation law to go with it. Maybe they should pass a 1968 rent, utility and food cost law as well, forcing businesses to cut back on pricing so we can afford to live on $10 an hour or less!
John - 12 years ago
If we increase the minimum wage to $10 it would only increase the price for goods....
So it would not help. Look uo how the price's on goods have gone up on every minimum wage increase...
Linda Bledsoe - 12 years ago
I agree with Mark. Raising the minimum wage in nothing more than a job killer. It appears Jesse Jackson Jr. is no smarter than his racist father.
Mark - 12 years ago
Raising the minimum wage will hurt the economy because many struggling small businesses can't afford to pay their employees more and will have to lay off some employees to pay the others, putting just that many more in the unemployment lines.
A better solution would be to cut government spending and taxes so people would have more to live on. the reason low income people in the past could provide for their families is they weren't paying the taxes we do now, not to mention the high prices caused from high taxes.
one of the ignored causes of high prices is the high taxes that must be covered in the cost of services and products.
No one figures taxes into their budget, If everyone would figure their budget by starting out with their Gross income then subtract their withheld taxes as part of their budget they would see that the thieves in Washington are the real cause of poverty.
The minimum wage definitely needs to be raised. Not everyone making minimum wage didn't graduate high school or have a lot of kids. A single person making $7.25 an hour can't afford to pay rent, lights, and buy food. Prices of everything have done nothing but go up, while most of the U.S. wages have remained the same. These companies can afford to pay people more, they just don't want to. They know the less money they pay their workers, the more money they keep in their pockets. These CEOS and presidents are riding around in jets and spending thousands of dollars here and there, while they are paying their workers for doing the job of half a person. When they're actually doing the work of 2 or 3. Of course the people who do absolutely nothing but get paid the big bucks don't wan't anyone under them making more money. I've gradutated high school and am in college. I have diplomas in 2 different health care sectors and still don't get paid that much more than minimum wage. So why did I waste my time going to school to get trained in these fields when these companies still don't want to pay you for the hard work you are doing? Everyone that works hard deserves to be able to live a decent life whether they go to school or not. Minimum wage should definitely be raised. PERIOD!
Wait...let me get this straight. The guy that graduated from high school (or maybe not), who has no marketable skills and now works at the local burger joint....he can't make it on 7.25.hr in a 40 hour week and get married and have kids. OK...I get that. But at what point does his decision to have a family that he can't afford to raise become a SOCIAL OBLIGATION that the rest of us should pay? If you can't make it on 40 hrs per week, then get two jobs. If you can't make it on $7.25 then get trained at something that makes a higher wage. The "minimum wage" was established to keep people from starving to death. Not to make it so that every Tom, Richard, and Harry could have a private apartment, a car, and money to burn for entertainment.
Before we talk about having everyone else (from the end-consumer to the small businesses that will suffer if a bill like this passes) we really need to ask "Who are the people who are making the minimum wage and what are the life-choices they have made that have led them to be where they are?"
Frankly, if it's someone who dropped out of high school, had 4 kids, and can't make it on minimum wage, I'm really for a bit of tough love that says...."You got yourself into this....you figure it out."
The U.S, if not the world is moving toward a corporation only business. While the 10/hr for an unskilled, entry level worker is very affordable for corporations, it would kill small business. Min wage standards should be scaled from say the 7.25/hr to 10/hr based on the size of the business/corporation. A small business with two employees versus a corporation with > 20K employees should have different requirements. Otherwise, only corporations can afford to give healthcare/pay higher entry wages. The death of entrepreneurship and american dream is becoming a reality.
Minimum wage is not meant to support familys of 5 !! Minimum wage is that persons decision to work for that amount of money raising minimum wage will absolutely increase price of goods no more Dollar menu and what happens to people like me that have worked so diligently to make my $17.00 an hour I would not get an increase so in fact my wage would decrease. Want to make more money???? GET AN EDUCATION!!!!! Dont try to support babies you cant afford on minimum wage either!!!!!!!!
Ten dollars an hour represents a LIVING WAGE for the work people do. It allows people to live a life that keeps up with inflation. Food, gas, utilities have all gone up around 20% -30% in the last 5 years so raising the minimum wage in line with inflation makes the best sense. Employers will just have to pay their workers more money and have less profits for themselves and their shareholders.
I don't see a problem with raising minimum wage...as long as they pass an inflation law to go with it. Maybe they should pass a 1968 rent, utility and food cost law as well, forcing businesses to cut back on pricing so we can afford to live on $10 an hour or less!
If we increase the minimum wage to $10 it would only increase the price for goods....
So it would not help. Look uo how the price's on goods have gone up on every minimum wage increase...
I agree with Mark. Raising the minimum wage in nothing more than a job killer. It appears Jesse Jackson Jr. is no smarter than his racist father.
Raising the minimum wage will hurt the economy because many struggling small businesses can't afford to pay their employees more and will have to lay off some employees to pay the others, putting just that many more in the unemployment lines.
A better solution would be to cut government spending and taxes so people would have more to live on. the reason low income people in the past could provide for their families is they weren't paying the taxes we do now, not to mention the high prices caused from high taxes.
one of the ignored causes of high prices is the high taxes that must be covered in the cost of services and products.
No one figures taxes into their budget, If everyone would figure their budget by starting out with their Gross income then subtract their withheld taxes as part of their budget they would see that the thieves in Washington are the real cause of poverty.