Obama proposes raising the minimum wage to $9/hour...

[Star_Cards]

Out of curiosity, what's min wage there now?

7.35

[Wickabee]

7.35

So a $1.65 increase. Pretty comparable to the $1.50 one we had here.

[tpeichel]

Milton Friedman on the minimum wage.

[boba]

Milton Friedman on the minimum wage.

Rise Against on minimum wage :)

[duwal]

also it depends where you live, the cost of living in California is way higher than the cost of living in Ohio. you would think minimum wage would be different in states where the cost of living is higher.

exactly, a 1 bedroom apartment in the Bay Area on average will run about $1500 a month

[Trueduckfan]

And of course Boehner and the rest of the GOP are against it and since this has to go through congress, the chances of it being actualized is quite depressing.

Meanwhile you have MILLIONS of Americans who work very hard and they still can't get by.

I often think about this and I really wonder how these people survive on a day to day basis.

I can't imagine it, and it makes me sad to know that the "richest" country in the world is also one of the cheapest.

I wonder myself as well. But what I see in my state everytime minimum wage is raised (its at about 9 or so now here in Oregon) is peoples jobs get cut, prices on goods go up and skilled workers like myself get stuck more in the middle paying the price but never see any increase in our wages! Ive gone to school, paid my dues as far as learning the trade Im in over the last 16 years and started out at only 6.00 an hour or less at the minimum wage back in '96 when I came into the trade. I now make pretty good money with no benies at the moment where Im at.

If everyone made the same amount of money or many made atleast a certain amount (mimimum wage) then prices on goods and services eventually catch up. I see it year after year here all the time. Its just pointless.

I feel that I have earned my way and now can afford a few nice things and feel good about all of the hard work, training, classes, payments and sacrifices Ive made to get here while watching new commers enter a career or low-paying job at more than what I started out at, creeping ever so close to what Im making now, keep getting mandated raises to keep up while I end up paying more out of pocket for the increase in goods and services in the state or area due to this. So Im being pulled down and struggling a little more while everyone else gets there cost of living increases. I just dont think its quite fair when this keeps happening every other year. The small starter jobs and entry level jobs are just that.

If you wanna make more money and have extra money for expenses you have to earn it or go get educated.

Bottom feeders always vote themselves more money, just as the bottom feeders vote more liberal/democrat for more entitlements/welfare till thers nothing left. AKA, bring in the illegals to flood the country with democratic voters that are looking for freebies and sanctuary that the libs and dems are promising them untill we just cant keep up with it or meet the demand. Eventually we will fail and run out of resources. Look at your local governments now claiming bankruptcy around the world. The feds depend on each city but each city is failing and there are more to come.

The sister city where I live is going to go under in the near future as well due to over payment and promises on state employees pers accounts. They keep passing tab on to the tax payers. The water and electric company in eugene known as EWEB keeps kicking up rate increases almost every quarter to pay these types of pensions to there employees and retired employess too. And they keep telling the service-users that the rate increases are to help pay for park fees and such. LOL its a joke.....Were all broke. Our country's finest have sold all the manufacturing jobs overseas to cheap labor and outsourced other intel and customer service jobs to many other parts of the world.

Ontop of that they want to keep flooding the country with illegals to compete with the workers that are already laid off and searching for something to do!!! Its madness. What they hell is our governments problem?

We have no work, we have no money, we keep borrowing from China, Obama keeps printing more dollars to only weaken the currency everyday pretending its all good.

[mrveggieman]

I wonder myself as well. But what I see in my state everytime minimum wage is raised (its at about 9 or so now here in Oregon) is peoples jobs get cut, prices on goods go up and skilled workers like myself get stuck more in the middle paying the price but never see any increase in our wages! Ive gone to school, paid my dues as far as learning the trade Im in over the last 16 years and started out at only 6.00 an hour or less at the minimum wage back in '96 when I came into the trade. I now make pretty good money with no benies at the moment where Im at.

If everyone made the same amount of money or many made atleast a certain amount (mimimum wage) then prices on goods and services eventually catch up. I see it year after year here all the time. Its just pointless.

I feel that I have earned my way and now can afford a few nice things and feel good about all of the hard work, training, classes, payments and sacrifices Ive made to get here while watching new commers enter a career or low-paying job at more than what I started out at, creeping ever so close to what Im making now, keep getting mandated raises to keep up while I end up paying more out of pocket for the increase in goods and services in the state or area due to this. So Im being pulled down and struggling a little more while everyone else gets there cost of living increases. I just dont think its quite fair when this keeps happening every other year. The small starter jobs and entry level jobs are just that.

If you wanna make more money and have extra money for expenses you have to earn it or go get educated.

Bottom feeders always vote themselves more money, just as the bottom feeders vote more liberal/democrat for more entitlements/welfare till thers nothing left. AKA, bring in the illegals to flood the country with democratic voters that are looking for freebies and sanctuary that the libs and dems are promising them untill we just cant keep up with it or meet the demand. Eventually we will fail and run out of resources. Look at your local governments now claiming bankruptcy around the world. The feds depend on each city but each city is failing and there are more to come.

The sister city where I live is going to go under in the near future as well due to over payment and promises on state employees pers accounts. They keep passing tab on to the tax payers. The water and electric company in eugene known as EWEB keeps kicking up rate increases almost every quarter to pay these types of pensions to there employees and retired employess too. And they keep telling the service-users that the rate increases are to help pay for park fees and such. LOL its a joke.....Were all broke. Our country's finest have sold all the manufacturing jobs overseas to cheap labor and outsourced other intel and customer service jobs to many other parts of the world.

Ontop of that they want to keep flooding the country with illegals to compete with the workers that are already laid off and searching for something to do!!! Its madness. What they hell is our governments problem?

We have no work, we have no money, we keep borrowing from China, Obama keeps printing more dollars to only weaken the currency everyday pretending its all good.

You were on to something when you said if you want more out of life you need more education, but you lost me on you anti-Obama, anti-democrat, anti-liberal venom.

[*censored*]

Minimum wage increases do nothing in the long-run unless prices remain static. Which they won't. Example...

Phil works a minimum wage job at a hardware store. Karl works a minimum wage job at Walmart. Minimum wage increases to $9 per hour. Phil and Karl now suddenly are making $1.50 more per hour than they did before. That's an extra $60 per week, and $240 per month. Yay for Phil.

Phil goes to Walmart to buy his groceries and clothes. At first, he can buy a few extra items and better items, thus making him better off. But Walmart now also has to pay out that $240 more per employee per month. To do that, you have two options: 1. Fire Karl and use his no-longer-paid wage to pay to help cover the $240 more per employee per month, or 2. Keep Karl and raise prices across the board to cover that.

If you fire Karl, Phil benefits but Karl does not.

If you raise prices, Karl benefits because he keeps his job but Phil does not since he's paying more.

Likewise, the hardware store Phil works at has to raise prices or cut Phil's job to pay that increase in wages. Sometimes, it's both: job cuts AND price increases. Phil and Karl could BOTH find themselves out on the street AND having to pay more for what they need.

Minimum wages, and minimum wage increases, do no help to anyone in the long run.

[tpeichel]

You were on to something when you said if you want more out of life you need more education, but you lost me on you anti-Obama, anti-democrat, anti-liberal venom.

What is incorrect about his statement?

Bottom feeders always vote themselves more money, just as the bottom feeders vote more liberal/democrat for more entitlements/welfare till thers nothing left. AKA, bring in the illegals to flood the country with democratic voters that are looking for freebies and sanctuary that the libs and dems are promising them untill we just cant keep up with it or meet the demand. Eventually we will fail and run out of resources. Look at your local governments now claiming bankruptcy around the world. The feds depend on each city but each city is failing and there are more to come.

The sister city where I live is going to go under in the near future as well due to over payment and promises on state employees pers accounts. They keep passing tab on to the tax payers. The water and electric company in eugene known as EWEB keeps kicking up rate increases almost every quarter to pay these types of pensions to there employees and retired employess too. And they keep telling the service-users that the rate increases are to help pay for park fees and such. LOL its a joke.....Were all broke. Our country's finest have sold all the manufacturing jobs overseas to cheap labor and outsourced other intel and customer service jobs to many other parts of the world.

Ontop of that they want to keep flooding the country with illegals to compete with the workers that are already laid off and searching for something to do!!! Its madness. What they hell is our governments problem?

We have no work, we have no money, we keep borrowing from China, Obama keeps printing more dollars to only weaken the currency everyday pretending its all good.

[Wickabee]

Well it implies that all liberals/democrats are bottom feeders.