12 Comments so far

1. Gail February 12th, 2007 9:06 pm

   Minimum wage critics are nothing but self-centered parasites who have no compassion and unmistakable contempt for the working class in this country; human beings who also have families to feed, clothe and shelter.

   Anyone in Congress who refuses to vote for this increase on its own ethical and economical merit, deserves to have their ass kicked out of Congress in the next go-around.

   I hope the people in this country are paying attention to political representatives who continue to push their “feed the wealthy” agenda.

2. rimchamp77 February 12th, 2007 9:28 pm

   I’ve lived in high wage/price locales and low wage/price locales and higher wages trump higher rents every day of the year. With higher earnings sales increase driving up prices and profits. The lower classes will get their money somehow. It’s better that they get it in wages than in theft or welfare.

3. stickboy February 12th, 2007 11:16 pm

   Teens in Arizona are losing their jobs as the state’s new min wage kicks in according to news reports from that state. The lowest rung of the employment ladder has been removed for many making it harder to learn important job skills. It was predicted by many prominent economists.
   Business is all about recovering costs. If (labor) costs increase, either prices increase, or other costs have to be reduced ie. layoffs and/or reduced hours.

4. Miles Q February 13th, 2007 12:23 am

   Boy, am I glad my mum & dad left the states!

   It is pretty pitiful when “the greatest country in the world”, and undisputably the wealthiest, has someone who is well into middle age making less than a 15 year old high school leaver working as a cleaner in Australia.

   The current minimum wage here is $12.75/hour, regardless of age after 16 y.o. This equates to $9.85/hour in US dollars. Or in yearly, $25,488 for a 40 hour week, including 4 weeks paid leave and 10 sick days etc.

   I left school at 16, (I’m now 23) without a graduation or any further education or training. I have been working in my field of Purchasing & Logistics for an engineering company for 5 years now (3 different companies) and at present take in as a gross yearly salary $51,000 AUD (which equates to $39,433 USD) PLUS the standard 4 weeks paid leave and 10 paid sick days per year.

   If John Howard and his bastard Republican-esque Liberal party (please don’t, we all realise the smacking irony of the name has their way, that will decrease $3,000 a year to $22,000, as well as taking 1 week of our holidays, which was a hard fight in the first place, with years and years of industrial action and striking.

   The fact that people still put up the argument that it hurts business is astonishing. How can it? How in the world will giving employees more money, leading to more job satisfaction and the rest, hurt the economy?

   You guys have the power to change things there and only you guys. If all the cleaners stopped cleaning and all the transport drivers stopped driving etc, they are forced to. Yes, it sounds too simple. THAT IS BECAUSE IT IS TOO SIMPLE!!! It would not take long after picketing and massive industrial action and everything that people see as normal everyday services (which are taken WAY too-for-granted!)to stop for something to happen.

   Rise up! Be heard! Demand decent living wages to provide decent living conditions. You deserve it and so does every man woman and child.

   Only WE the people can change our lives and the way it is run by the megacorporations and corrupt politcal parties. THEY work for US! Remember that America, it can be done.

   Peace.

5. Robert Settgast February 13th, 2007 2:01 am

   Concerning th Minimum Wage

   The best arguments for raising the minimum wage are the arguments of those against raising it.
   The emptyness of such inverse logic beyond comprehension.

   Robert Settgast
   rhsettgast@hotmail.com

6. Ken Mitchell February 13th, 2007 8:05 am

   What the raise probably will do is cause more compaines to “off shore” more jobs to the third world. Of course the CEOs will give themselves an undesserved bonus for cutting costs. In many companies in India, the cheap labor quit and started their own competing business, or they went to another company for more money.

7. evelyna February 13th, 2007 11:07 pm

   I think it is a shame that the companies nickel and dime the average worker.
   Companies should encourage work and earnings. Too many are cutting back. No sick time, vacation or holiday. No overtime.
   Yet they spare no expense for the executive class.
   Credit is easily obtainable at high interest rates-not to mention the charges and fees.
   If people made more money they would spend more and also have a better attitude.

8. Madam Hatter February 14th, 2007 3:03 am

   To Ken and stickboy -

   I live in Oregon - with the second highest min wage in the country at $7.80 per hr. - and your arguments just don’t pan out in real life. Our service industry - most of the min wage jobs - is BOOMING. The min. wage has only hurt - as the article states - the ones with a poor business model. There’s still plenty of jobs for teens - they just make more too.

   As for outsourcing - it’s pretty hard to outsource the bar and restaurant industry, retail sales, gardeners, and almost all other min wage (i.e., service) jobs.

9. Lee Lears February 17th, 2007 1:32 pm

   One alternative seldom if ever mentioned in the debate over a raise in the minimum wage is the earned income tax credit.
   Given that some employers can’t or won’t pay a living wage–enough for an individual or family to live in dignity with enough for food, clothing, medical care, sufficient compensation to purchase a modest home, and a little left over for recreation–an adequate earned income tax credit should kick in as income sinks below a certain level.
   Ronald Reagan touted this as a way to “make work pay”.
   With CEO’s taking home 7 and 8 figure salaries, and billions squandered on the Occupation of Iraq, surely workers should make enough to be, if not wealthy, financially secure in the richest nation on earth.
   It’s only fair.

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12. bnvocewawipu January 1st, 2008 12:00 pm

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