Lou Dobbs wrote a great column re: minimum wage

[w8liftinglady]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/06/20/dobbs.june21/index.html

-snip-
Corporate America, the Bush administration and the national economic orthodoxy with which they're in league have consistently argued against helping working men and women at the lowest end of the wage scale by raising the minimum wage. Big business groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce say it will harm the economy and eliminate jobs. As is so frequent with the faith-based economics that grips both political parties in Washington, such concerns have absolutely nothing to do with reality.

For example, it's impossible to deny the national minimum wage of $5.15 is not enough for a family to live above the poverty line. The annual salary for workers earning the national minimum wage still leaves a family of three about $6,000 short of the poverty threshold.

-snip

[Selatius]

1. Lou Dobbs is a Republican of the old school

He's a Paleocon, not a religious nutjob and not a corporatist, but the numbers don't lie, and he sees the numbers.

Here's some more of what he says:

Also, since the last time Congress increased the minimum wage for our lowest-paid workers, buying power has fallen by 25 percent. Yet over that time our elected representatives have given themselves eight pay raises totaling more than 23 percent.

Raising the minimum wage isn't simply about the price of labor. It's also about our respect for labor. One of this country's greatest business innovators, Henry Ford, made history almost a century ago by raising the salaries of his production-line workers far beyond the prevailing wage. Ford not only paid his employees well enough to buy the products they built, but he kept his employees loyal and productive. That's also very good business.

The myth that raising the minimum wage will lead to job cuts is just that: a myth. In fact, research suggests just the opposite. According to the Fiscal Policy Institute, since 1998, states with higher minimum wages experienced better job growth than states paying only the federal minimum wage. Among small retail businesses in those higher minimum-wage states, job growth was double the rest of the country.

The House Appropriations Committee has passed a $2.10 increase as part of a spending bill, but the business lobby pressured the House leadership to hold up the measure.

[elehhhhna]

2. 5.15 isn't enough for one person to live on

Cripes, time and a half is still less than 8 bucks.

[MoonRiver]

3. I knew he would address this issue.

I don't care if people call him a conservative, he's the ONLY MSM pundit who is attacking the * regime on a daily basis. I love him for this, even if he is a little over the top on immigration.

[Bretttido]

4. I'm with you 100% n/t

[bullimiami]

5. democratic members of congress should propose a bill returning the

salaries of congresspeople to the level they were in when the last minimum wage increase was enacted.
Min wage was increased in 97 congress 98.

They should call for congressional salaries to be reduced immediately to 136,700, further, any automatic increases should be eliminated AND any future increases should be tied to similar increases to the minimum wage.

Fair is Fair.




2002 $150,000
2001 $145,100
2000 $141,300
1999 No Pay Raise
1998 $136,700
1997 No Pay Raise
1996 No Pay Raise
1995 No Pay Raise
1994 No Pay Raise
1993 $133,600
1992 $129,500

[GrumpyGreg]

6. A minimum wage should be geared to the cost of living in

the area IMHO.

Here in the Boston area (and many others) even a doubling of the minimum wage would leave you poor.

A decent 2 bedroom apartment would be about $1500.00 in my area.

[thepurpose]

7. They are still using the old it will put small employers out of business

If that's the case maybe the small employer shouldn't be in business in the first place.

[Jeanette in FL]

8. I am a small business owner in construction

We start everyone who works with us at $10.00/hour. That is someone who has zero experience, a basic laborer. We also pay half of their health insurance and offer to pay for classes for them to take to upgrade their position. We are still in business 10 years later and still do fine for ourselves. I couldn't sleep at night paying someone $5.15/hour.

Yet when times were tough, I waitressed and bartended for $2.12/hour plus tips and that wasn't even that long ago. What is the rate for waitresses and bartenders nowadays.

[thepurpose]

9. I don't think it much more. I don't mind tipping but I also don't agree

that an owner of a business should get away with not paying his employees the minimun wage because they get tips.