Cost of Gas is up, Housing prices are up, everything is more expensive, why cant we raise minimum wage?

Question

Is there really a call to create a "working poor"? Who is to blame? is it your fault?

Answer 1

The federal minimum wage was last raised to the current $5.15-an-hour in 1997. However, 20 states plus the District of Columbia have passed legislation requiring employers to pay wages higher than the federal minimum. Already this year four states (Arkansas, Maryland, Michigan and Rhode Island) have committed to minimum wage increases.

Ten states have now enacted laws that set the minimum wage at $7.15 or higher. This includes changes set to take effect by January 1, 2007 in New York, New Jersey and Hawaii, along with the recent bills passed in Michigan and Rhode Island. In the other 11 jurisdictions with above-federal minimums, the floor for hourly wages currently ranges from $6.15 in Delaware, Maryland and Minnesota, to $7.00 in the District of Columbia.1

Answer 2

Realistically the federal minimum wage was not created to help someone trying to support a family. This is supposed to be what you pay part time help and kids in school. Raising it to 7.15 is not really going to help those who are trying to support a family on this (the living wage - what is required to support yourself - is estimated at $10 an hour). Getting the working poor at or above this limit seems to require more than just raising the minimum wage. You need to get workers to realize what they are worth, and employers to be more model citizens - paying what people deserve.

The counter argument is either supply and demand determines workers salary, or people are paid what they deserve because of a free economy. I will not disagree there, but more effort has to be put on teaching people that they are not limited to working at McDonald's or places like that. This job, and the current minimum wage work out very well for the high school student who is trying to earn a few extra bucks, or the retiree who is just trying to keep from being bored. The hard part is trying to teach everyone else to find what they are good at, and use it to their advantage.

Answer 3

You must have watched CNN tonight as well. I saw a report on there talking about the same thing. There was a woman on there who made $8.45 an hour and was voluntarily helping out the elderly in her community by running errand for them since it was so hot. She was taking stuff to recycle just to make her rent. Imagine what it would be like making $5.15 an hour??? Congress seems to think they can have a raise and we the working class don't get a shred! It's crazy! It's no wonder there are so many people filing for bankruptcy. We are being forced into debt. The price of everything raises, but wages don't increase to cover the increasing prices! Not hard to do the math here.

Answer 4

With all of the prices of everything going up, businesses are crying broke as well. If minimum wage was raised, most businesses would in turn raise their prices. It's a no win cycle to the average American worker. You'd be getting paid more but you'd suffer at the pump, the grocery store, hotels, department stores, everywhere.

The US needs to focus on education to offset the number of people working at such a low rate. Give some sort of assistance for college tuition to young people who graduate from high school. Give people options and opportunity. This is the only way to fix these debilitating social issues.

Answer 5

I can tell you from experience that one of the main causes for everything being more expensive can be tracked to diesel fuel. A truck averages 6 to 7 miles per gallon. We use to have to fill up every other day with 190 gallon fuel tanks. At diesel at about $3.00 a gallon freight rates have to go up to cover the cost. Well the shippers and receivers are not going to eat that cost. They add it onto their products price. If the cost of fuel goes down they do not lower the price of the product even though they no longer pay a fuel surcharge. So when fuel prices go up again the price of the product goes up even more.

Answer 6

Here's my opinion on minium wage: minium wage is for teens and people new to the work force, not for the lazy, if you want to make respectable wages to feed a family then work to improve your self, get educated, be willing to actually earn your pay check. Students work for minium wage, no skill jobs to earn spending money, no skills= low pay, high skills= higher pay, I don't know about you but I don't think anyone deserves $7.00, or more on hour to flip burgers, how much are you willing to pay for lunch at Mc Donalds $10.00 $15.00 for a hamburger , fries and drink . If you want to provide for yourself and /or your family then get an education so you can EARN YOUR PAYCHECK!!!! RAISING MINIUM WAGE= RAISES PRICES Here's an idea, impress your boss, do a good job, go above and beyond show your boss you are worth a pay raise and promotion. If that doesn't work start looking for a job elsewhere.

Answer 7

It's very simple to understand.

Once there were about ten thousand Banks in America.

Now there are close to half as much.

The difference is that the banks do what a lot of other corporations do.

They keep buying each other out so they can eliminate working staff.

Meanwile, C.E.O.'s keep getting fatter and fatter pay packages.

So, why be a lowly worker when you can be a C.E.O.?

Answer 8

Why do you think of John McCain has any means over gasoline expenses? He tried to get the Federal gasoline Tax briefly bumped off yet absolutely everyone raised hell approximately that. The minimum salary is only that: the minimum. the only those that would desire to be working for that salary are extreme college young ones. human beings would desire to attempt to greater helpful themselves.

Answer 9

I feel the same way but see some good answers up here regarding the matter

Answer 10

yeah sure why not