definately not out of the bitch house yet, but...

[shadesapart]

at least she's trying?

A new bill proposed by good ol' Hilary that would increase the minimum wage to over $7 and then link it directly to percentage increases of the House's own pay raises.....

It's far from perfect, but it is maybe just provacative enough to get some attention and not drastic enough to fail?
I just hope this isn't just "lets put on

Comments

[andibee]

I'm not that knowledgeable on the topic, but wouldn't a big increase in minimum wage just increase unemployment or lead to inflation? Conversely, benefits would be cut as more money went into paychecks and less went into perks. I think I also read somewhere that it would make it much more difficult for teenagers to be hired, but I can't remember why.

But I do like the idea of linking it to congressional raises. It's witty.

[shadesapart]

the fact of the matter is that raises in minimum wage haven't been proven to drive up prices or otherwise...
and in regards to the paychecks, the vast majority of people who are on an hourly wage are paying for their own insurance, etc. anyways
Cutting down on teenage jobs is less of my issue than the people who are not surviving on their 6.00/hr jobs with families.

[andibee]

In purely practical terms, either jobs must be cut or prices must go up. If the former happens, we'll hardly be lowering poverty by forcing companies to outsource or fire, and if it's the latter, people working at minimum wage still won't be able to afford the things they need. Maybe research hasn't shown these trends before, but minimum wage raises in the past have generally been small and incremental, and more a response to inflation than a sanction against poverty. I'm not saying I'm against raising the minimum wage (or the link to congressional salaries), I'm just not sure that, for example, Wisconsin (and Wisconsin taxpayers!) are ready for a relatively swift $2 increase...