If so many Republicans are against raising min wage, why did the people voted for it?

Question

They talk about how "they shouldn't have voted for it", etc.

Well guess what? the American people have spoken.

Answer 1

It's the usual political tom-foolery.

The Dems were pushing the minimum wage, and the polls showed that it resonated with the average American (I'm not making any claims about the pros or cons of it).

The Republicans either didn't want to do it, or didn't want to do it because it was a Democratic issue, so they created what is called a "poison pill" bill. They put it up for a vote, but linked it with issues that were not acceptable to the people who originally were for it (in this case, linked to more tax cuts for the very richest Americans).

This way, they could tout their vote "for" the issue, and could claim their opponents "opposed", even though, upon closer inspection, that's not true.

Addendum: It's interesting that people here talk about the foolishness and lack of understanding for those who support the minimum wage.

The standard assumption is that prices go up, people lose their jobs, and the business is hurt. At a gut level, that would seem logical. Studies and the facts do not support that contention. Specifically, studies have NOT found a link between hiking minimum wage and job losses, or price increases.

Those are the facts, regardless of what our guts tell us. I've found listening to my gut should be limited to when it tells me I'm hungry.

Answer 2

I mean the minimum wage here is $7.50. But from what one of my teachers said the Republicans are against the Middle Wage is because of location. The Republicans are from the South predominately. Where a lot of things are cheaper then usual in some areas. Like housing. That would inflate prices. I think they should just let the state come up with there own minimum wage prices. An it can't go below $6.00.

Answer 3

Raising the minimum wage is dumb. Here's why:

Raising the minimum wage increases inflation which puts them right back where they started. In real terms, they have no benefits. Also, only 2.5% of the country makes minimum wage. A large portion, but not all, of this is teenagers from middle-class families that will simply be forced out of a job. Basic economic principles teaches that a rise in the cost of labor means you purchase less labor. Therefore, increased wages equals decreased employment.

In the short run, I guess it's a choice between having fewer people employed at higher nominal wages or having more people employed at lower nominal wages.

In the long run, everything will return to equilibrium and there will be no gain for the lowest wage earners, as they will still only be able to purchase the same amount of goods and services.

It's simply a rally topic similar to Republicans wanting to ban gay marriage. It doesn't really matter.

Answer 4

I am not against raising the minimum wage. If someone is trying to live and raise a family off minimum wage, they are going to have a hell of a lot of problems doing it. These jobs are geared for high school and college kids, not to be a career.

Ohio just passed a constitutional amendment to raise minimum wage, here is an article that explains the impact of raising the mimimum wage better than I could ever do.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061108/NEWS/61108001/-1/all

Answer 5

No one voted for an increase in the minimum wage. The question was not on every ballot in every state.

Those in favor of raising the minimum wage are delusional. The last report I saw estimated that there are 150 million people working in the US. About 500,000 work for minimum wage. Do the math. Of that 500, 000 about 80% live in households where there is more than one income.

The minimum wage issue is one of liberal Democrats blowing smoke up the noses of many Americans who do not understand economics.

Answer 6

Because most of the idiots that vote in this country have no idea of how business or economics work in the real world. It sounds good on paper. By the way, if you only make min. wage, then you have a lot more to worry about than raising it a little.

Answer 7

From a Republican perspective, people are more than welcome to vote on higher minimum wage laws (plural). It is appropriate that States and Counties set the standard as they see fit. From the Economic perspective, minimum wages based on living wage requirements are different community to community. In urban communities higher wages are necessary because of costs. There is no "one size fits all". Unions have bargained for skilled labor, leveraging as a collective, yet haven't reached out to support unskilled labor fields. The same perspective is the case for health care, where a State, like Hawaii, has opted for a social health care system. More power to them! On many issues Republicans do not disagree with social programs, just the who and how. Now that the Federal Government has grown to manage so much of Peoples lives, it makes it more difficult for New Ideas to be seen in practice within any one of the 50 States. Today we now simply quibble over whose "one size fits all" solution we should gamble on. I'm glad these States decided for themselves what their values are and didn't wait for someone else to do it for them.

Answer 8

Well what happens when we "rich" republicans lose tax breaks we don't invest or expand our businesses. Then we get rid of dead weight and hire temps or export jobs to foreign lands for cheaper wages. Which means people like you lose their jobs and stand in an unemployment line. Second when they raise the minimum wage, the people who were already making above minimum wage don't get a raise. Now their dollar is worth less because I had to raise my prices to pay for your wage increase.

Answer 9

Minimum wage increases are the biggest lip-service issue in America. The proponents of such initiatives paint a picture of a single mother working a minimum wage job who needs more money to make ends meet. The fact is, those that work minimum wage jobs are almost never the primary breadwinner of the family. In fact, you couldn't find a minimum wage job in this country unless you're a teenager.

Answer 10

The cruel irony of minimum wage increases is that they actually hurt the very people they are intended to help. In reality it jeopardizes the jobs of low-skilled adults, So many people do not understand this. Another prime example of the importance of an education.