How do we the people lower the wages of the people that reject raising minimum wages?

Answer 1

You can't. Since the federal minimum wage is set and voted on by congress you can't lower their wages. Congress and state legislators vote on what their own salary is. You could however try to introduce a bill at the state level that can cap or lower the wages of your state legislators. You can also try to introduce a bill that will raise your states minimum wage rate. I know that here in California the state minimum wage is set at $6.75.

It is a proven fact that raising the minimum wage helps improve literacy, the standard of living and the general economy. In the U.S. the living wage has been forced down dramatically. The U.S. has the second lowest living wage out of all of the industrialized nations. If you work full time at 40 hours a week at the federal minimum wage you will only earn about 11K per year. How can a person live off of that and own a car or buy a house. This is just above the poverty level of 2004.

In a country where the distribution of wealth is completely imbalanced it is important to have a minimum wage. People argue that it lowers the wage earnings of the average american and that is true, but this distribution of wealth is from the top down. Trickle down economics does not work, never has, never will.

You can call minimum wage communist all you want but it is not. Minimum wage might be socialistic, but then again so is american society, people tend to confuse the two.

Answer 2

The people who discuss and dispute the minimum wage generally haven't seen that wage in decades. The main opponents are generally politicians, free-market theorists, and especially employers of unskilled workers. They argue that raising the minimum wage will cause massive layoffs and/or price hikes for the goods those minimum-wage employees provide.

Despite what other respondents have said, the minimum wage is itself a socialist concept. It provides an artificial support for jobs that otherwise might employ more people at lower pay rates. One of the most vocal proponents of minimum wage hikes is organized labor. That probably doesn't make sense at first glance, but consider a task as Widget Maker that can be done by an unskilled worker for $5 per hour, or by a union Widget Maker for $15 per hour. At that rate, you could hire three unskilled workers for each union person. If the minimum wage were raised to $7.50 per hour, the ratio drops to 2:1, which makes union labor that much more attractive.

Congress ultimately decides what the minimum wage would be, and they also decide their own pay rates. The 27th Amendment, passed in 1992, says that Congress can vote itself a pay raise, but it doesn't take effect until the next round of elections. However, they've given themselves "cost of living adjustments" almost every year, which the Supreme Court has upheld as being somehow different. So I'm not sure there is a way to stop them.

Answer 3

Raising minimum wages would only hurt those it set out to help (the poorer). By raising the minimum wage, businesses would have to raise the prices to offset the great increase in labor pay. (Keep in mind that labor is 70% of a business's expenditures) And with the greater increase in prices, greater monetary pressure will be placed on those the raise in minimum wage set out to help.

Answer 4

MDJohnsonUSC is correct except that everyone makes less as a whole, except for high school students. Even high school dropouts can make more than minimum wage. By raising it, the cost of living goes up and negatively affects anyone who doesn't make minimum wage. I apologize if you are a high school student, but you don't want your parents to suffer, do you?

Answer 5

Repeal the minimum wage! Lower Workman's compensation!

Those who seek a minimum wage hike are trying to buy votes, to avoid getting the minimum wage for your time and labor, you need to be technically proficient, have skills, talent, and be consistent.

Repeal the minimum wage!

Answer 6

Minimum wage CAUSES under employment, so essentially by insistining on minimum wage you are holding the entire economy down and casuing everyone to be paid less....good job

Answer 7

I would surely like to know! My favorite day-dream is that for just one day, every blue-collar, minimum wage worker would go on strike. I want to send a message to Washington that shows them just who is really running this country!! Think about it. We could shut down the whole country!!

Answer 8

Have a communist revolution. Its the only way to reverse the capitalist tyranny commited by the bourgeoisie.

Answer 9

Vote them out of office!

Answer 10

We couldn't. Those people would claim we were communists. Ignorance is bliss.