Demos Pass Minimum Wage Increase

[Nbadan]

First increase since Clinton...

Source: NY Times
House Approves First Increase in Minimum Wage in a Decade
By STEPHEN LABATON
Published: May 24, 2007


WASHINGTON, May 24 — With a lopsided House vote, Congress moved this evening toward handing a major victory to low-income workers by approving the first increase in the federal minimum wage in a decade.

By 348 to 73, the House approved the measure as part of the Iraq spending bill and sent it immediately to the Senate, where lawmakers said they would swiftly complete action on the legislation.

The measure would raise the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour from $5.15 in three stages over two years. The bill also includes $4.84 billion in tax breaks for small businesses. Those businesses have made a case, supported by Republicans and the White House, that the wage increase would be a burden to them.

President Bush said he would sign the measure as part of the bigger spending package that had been negotiated in recent days between Democratic lawmakers and the administration.

NY times (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/24/washington/24cnd-wage.html?ex=1180670400&en=6d0d091addf7638b&ei=5043&partner=EXCITE)

Finally some wage relief for the poorest Americans who have to live on $28 in food aid from the wealthest nation in the world.

[ducks]

like anyone would be able to live off of min wage without any other income

[01Snake]

So what are you gonna do with that fat raise Dan?

[Oh, Gee!!]

like anyone would be able to live off of min wage without any other income

drugs?

[Nbadan]

like anyone would be able to live off of min wage without any other income

Minimum wage increases raise the base for all lower-wage workers. for instance, if your making $7.50 already your wage is likely to go to $8.5-$9.0 with the base increases.

[leemajors]

Minimum wage increases raise the base for all lower-wage workers. for instance, if your making $7.50 already your wage is likely to go to $8.5-$9.0 with the base increases.

unless they get laid off so lower wage workers can be hired.

[td4mvp21]

The prices of things are just going to go up now. The benefits might only be short lived, IMO. But I like the idea.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Minimum wage increases raise the base for all lower-wage workers. for instance, if your making $7.50 already your wage is likely to go to $8.5-$9.0 with the base increases.

What about all the ones who get laid off so that companies can hire at the lower rate?

[Nbadan]

What about all the ones who get laid off so that companies can hire at the lower rate?

At a 4.6% unemployment rate, you get what you pay for.

[Nbadan]

The prices of things are just going to go up now. The benefits might only be short lived, IMO. But I like the idea.

we've talked about this before. Price inflation is going to occur anyway. The price of homes, cars and energy are all going to increase. Meanwhile, the costs of some non-durables will also rise, but not as much as you might think. Producers can either repackage their product or if their product is price sensitive , they won't be so eager to pass the cost on to consumers.

[Viva Las Espuelas]

unemployment is down. minimum wage goes up. small businesses raise prices. business drops. cut bottom line. quality goes down. lay off people. hire people that'll work for less. hmmm, illegal immigrants fill this voided rather nice. good job democrats. now get your "speaker" back from her "global warming" trip and do something about homeland security even though we're probably already in trouble. tick tock tick tock.

[Nbadan]

...unemployment is down. minimum wage goes up...

...Real wages stagnant.

Think of it this way, more Americans will have more bills in their collective pockets to spend, spurring more economic activity and generating more taxx revenue.

[Nbadan]

small businesses raise prices. business drops. cut bottom line. quality goes down. lay off people. hire people that'll work for less

You get what you pay for. Wanna hire a illegal or recent immigrant for less? Deal with the issues that this brings up then.

[George Gervin's Afro]

...Real wages stagnant.

Think of it this way, more Americans will have more bills in their collective pockets to spend, spurring more economic activity and generating more taxx revenue.


Come on Dan you know the poor are lazy and all drug addicts. They will use their extra pennies to pay their bills? They will only buy 100.00 tennis shoes now..

Sincerely,

John republican

[Nbadan]

Come on Dan you know the poor are lazy and all drug addicts. They will use their extra pennies to pay their bills? They will only buy 100.00 tennis shoes now..

Sincerely,

John republican

The attitudes about the poor from some here are ridiculous. They need to work in a soup kitchen or a homeless shelter and witness personally that being poor sucks.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

The attitudes about the poor from some here are ridiculous. They need to work in a soup kitchen or a homeless shelter and witness personally that being poor sucks.

Uh yeah, I volunteered here in Dallas dealing with Katrina refugees, and also volunteer yearly around the holidays at homeless shelters here providing meals.

I don't have a problem with helping out those who need help and truly need it.

Where it pisses me off is seeing people on food stamps, welfare, etc., or worse the women who keep popping out more babies because that means a bigger stipend, not having to get a job, etc.

Fuck, when I was college there were people coming through with food stamps that had nicer clothes, cell phones, etc. than I had, yet part of my salary was going to support them while paying my own way through school because I was white.

Yeah, all that's fair.

[xrayzebra]

The attitudes about the poor from some here are ridiculous. They need to work in a soup kitchen or a homeless shelter and witness personally that being poor sucks.

No kidding dan, being poor does suck. I know, I have
been poor. That is why I worked my butt off not to be
poor.

But you are right, being poor does suck.

[Nbadan]

Where it pisses me off is seeing people on food stamps, welfare, etc., or worse the women who keep popping out more babies because that means a bigger stipend, not having to get a job, etc.

Conversely, a lot of people who really need help don't seek it out because of pride. There is no 100% effective way of filtering out welfare cheats, but your right about the cycle of poverty, unfortunately, there is no easy answer for this.

It does have to start with some type of child-care aid assistance for mothers who want to work though which, with the right incentives, would be the large majority of welfare mothers.

[Mr. Peabody]

yet part of my salary was going to support them while paying my own way through school because I was white.



What are you now?

[johnsmith]

16 year old kids throughout America are toasting this legislation.

[possessed]

Minimum wage is supposed to be a starting wage for people entering the work force, it wasn't intended for people to support a family on it. It's expected you do something with your life by the time you're in your 20's and 30's so you don't reley on a paltry wage to support a family. Of course, if you don't, somehow it's the Governments fault and they owe it to you to increase your wage. Funny stuff. What would we do without big government Democrats? We'd almost certainly have to take of ourselves somehow. It's hard to believe generations of American before us did just that. They'd collectively kick our asses if they could.

[SA210]

yet part of my salary was going to support them while paying my own way through school because I was white.

What are you now?
:lmao

[Nbadan]

Minimum wage is supposed to be a starting wage for people entering the work force, it wasn't intended for people to support a family on it. It's expected you do something with your life by the time you're in your 20's and 30's so you don't reley on a paltry wage to support a family. Of course, if you don't, somehow it's the Governments fault and they owe it to you to increase your wage. Funny stuff. What would we do without big government Democrats? We'd almost certainly have to take of ourselves somehow. It's hard to believe generations of American before us did just that. They'd collectively kick our asses if they could.

Even a minimum wage worker who works 35-40 hours per week should be able to afford rent, car, insurance, and food, otherwise, why work?

[Nbadan]

It's hard to believe generations of American before us did just that.

Are you talking hoover-villes and soup-kitchens? Is that the legacy of conservatism?

[xrayzebra]

Are you talking hoover-villes and soup-kitchens? Is that the legacy of conservatism?

Is it dan? You tell us, you are the resident expert, so
you claim.

Now I suppose you are going to use Roosevelt at the
wonderful save America President. Actually WWII saved
Roosevelt and got America back on it's feet.

Although, you are too young to know, but even during
the so called depths of the depression there was work
for most that wanted it. The big cities suffered the most.
Times were hard, but not impossible.

[Yonivore]

Is it dan? You tell us, you are the resident expert, so
you claim.

Now I suppose you are going to use Roosevelt at the
wonderful save America President. Actually WWII saved
Roosevelt and got America back on it's feet.

Although, you are too young to know, but even during
the so called depths of the depression there was work
for most that wanted it. The big cities suffered the most.
Times were hard, but not impossible.
There's a recent school of thought that suggests Roosevelt's economic policies actually stifled recovery from the Depression.

[Yonivore]

Here, I went and found the article.

FDR's Policies Prolonged Depression by 7 Years, UCLA Economists Calculate (http://www.newsroom.ucla.edu/page.asp?RelNum=5409)

[Marcus Bryant]

Fuck, when I was college there were people coming through with food stamps that had nicer clothes, cell phones, etc. than I had, yet part of my salary was going to support them while paying my own way through school because I was white.

Yeah, all that's fair.



http://www.overduemedia.com/images/store/Tee-WhatHappens-blue-large.gif

[PixelPusher]

Here, I went and found the article.

FDR's Policies Prolonged Depression by 7 Years, UCLA Economists Calculate (http://www.newsroom.ucla.edu/page.asp?RelNum=5409)
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