GOP-Led Congress Votes Down Minimum Wage Increase

[Roman]

From Yahoo News:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060621/ap_on_go_co/minimum_wage

[Alan]

Good. Economists show that increasing the minimum wage raises unemployment. Low wages create a strong economy, which benefits everyone.

A wage is never forced on a person. It is an agreement between an employer and an employee. If the wage is too low, it is the responsibility of the job seeker to find a higher paying job.

[Kwing42]

Very good news. They raised it in my state...and we have the HIGHEST unemployment in the nation...thanks Jennifer Granholm!

[Drew]

oh that is such [!@#$%^&*]!

It benefits the republican business men, that's all. Cheap, exploitive labour. And what happens when you can't afford college and your only choice is one of those minimum wage jobs? Too bad?

I could not handle living in the USA! Thank god for an $8/hr minimum wage, leaders that aren't oil hungry war mongers, and a government funded heath plan!

[Kwing42]

Well if you do not live here..don't comment.

I think a minimum wage, although needed, is at best, a good excuse for people NOT to better themselves. But I do know that SOME do not have an option.

The minimum wage issue is not a "current administration" policy, its something EVERY President deals with, so good try blaming it on people related to oil. Those jobs do not have a minimum wage available anyway, I would assume.

And Government funded healthcare would be a good system...but why would I want to have to wait 6 months for an operation I need today? thats not healthcare, thats medical suicide.

[Drew]

Not that simple. See, you bring trouble for your neighbours. You endanger this whole continent

with all the enemies you've made.

And thankfully I don't have some HMO vetoing the operation my doctor deems necessary.

[Ms. Walsh]

The minimum wage in MA is $6.75, but when I started working, I got $7.25, which is standard for cashiering in dept. stores. We also have a 5% sales tax, which I guess it low. But in NH, there isn't any. I don't know how that helps the economy in the state.

So not every state has the same min. wage. In some places, the wage has to be higher or lower, depending on the region. And raising the min. wage isn't always good for workers anyway, b/c employers start cutting jobs.

[Kwing42]

We may endanger as you say, but we sure help out any damn country that needs it regardless of how they treat us. So I do not even want to hear it.

Doctors do not veto anything here. I work in the insurance industry...so try your games elsewhere!

Exactly Ms. Walsh. My town wanted to install a "Living Wage" on top of a Minimum wage. You start telling a business what they HAVE to pay, they will not open up shop in your city.

I am not opposed to a minimum wage at all, but you have to be smart about it. Before you know it, McDonalds workers will be making more than people who actaully get a degree...and in some cases...that happens now.

[Drew]

And then your beloved troops torture prisoners and murder civilians.

And that would be terrible for you, wouldn't it. Then you couldn't have an underclass to make you feel superior.

[Kwing42]

you know Drew, I do not know what your big deal with me is or why you are so against me.

First of all, DO NOT make comments that are so negative about our troops that have not only defended us but many many millions all over the world. I am not denying that some did things that they should not have, but this is not the place for you to attack them.

Secondally, if I worked my ass off to get to a certain place in life you better believe I would expect to reap the rewards of that.

I am not all for sitting on my ass collecting checks for not trying to suceed.

[Drew]

Well according to you, nowhere here is the place to have this discussion. You jump into every single thread, towing the company line, and have a fit when it's brought up. So, where do you want to have this discussion!?

wow. So keep those people earning crap pay at McDonalds and Starbucks, because it's all about your rewards. As long as they're beat down, livin in the ghetto, I'm safe.

[Chris]

I work at McDonald's and get 12 bucks an hour. What does that make me? I am in college working on a degree, though.

[Ms. Walsh]

Well, it's the same w/ me. When I worked at Target, I was making $11 an hour b/c I was a specialist for the jewelry section.

But it's still not a job that I'd ever do after college. After a few years, I just had to quit.

[Alan]

Most minimum wage earners are young people and part-timers who don't have families to take care of. Most do not stay at the minimum wage for the rest of their lives: recommended reading. But why bother with silly details like research and facts when we can bash America?

Re college: In America there is a huge supply of both public and private grants for college if you are willing to look for them. The poorest students, including even illegal immigrants, can get a lot of help if they apply themselves.

Maybe it is a cultural difference, but I don't want or need a government to hold my hand in every facet of life. Look at how France's suffocating labor laws have "helped" the young and the poor. Why would anyone want to open up a business in that kind of environment?

And what does the war have to do with the minimum wage? Your post seems like a thinly veiled excuse to bash the US's foreign policy, which has nothing to due with the minimum wage discussion.

I agree. This sort of decision yet another that is best left to the states. The US is a large nation with diverse economies and property values. Whatever happened to the founders' idea of state autonomy? Nobody needs the federal government writing blanket labor laws without considering the effects. The only reason why the Dems are pushing for a higher minimum wage is to grab votes since most voters don't have a grasp on economics. The Dems knew this had no chance of passing. Just like the Republicans' gay marraige bans and flag burning amendments, this is a wedge issue contrived for 30-second ads.

The reason why my home state, Nevada, is such an attractive place to live right now is because of low taxes and business-friendly regulations. Our unemployment level is lower than the national rate of 4.6%. Once again its probably a cultural difference, Southwestern Americans tend to be more independent and libertarian than others.

This statement comes off as elitist. People can be successful without a degree. Not everyone needs a formal education to get a good job or be successful and I don't slate anyone who works hard. If someone can make a decent living in the service industry good for them.

[Chris]

Oh yea, this job is nothing I would do after college, and I think that is how it is with most people in customer service positions. I make pretty good money for what I do, but I've worked my way up.