http://today.reuters.com/business/newsarticle.aspx?type=ousiv&storyID=2006-06-21T183837Z_01_WBT005578_RTRIDST_0_BUSINESSPRO-ECONOMY-WAGE-DC.XML&pageNumber=1&imageid=&cap=&sz=13&WTModLoc=BizArt-C1-ArticlePage1
It is seldom indeed I can be stirred from my cynicism to actually campaign for or against any particular issue in a way that might affect other people. Here is an exception. Once again, certain geniuses are trying to hike the minimum wage yet again.
When I started working back in '89, minimum wage was 2.85. I remember as it climbed, two things would happen: 1, my check would get larger. 2, it would mean less. Because every time minimum wage was raised, guess what else raised: prices at Burgerville, milk, gas, soda prices...and what was the reasoning given every time? To cover the increase in wages. So the increases in minimum wage never helped my pocketbook.
Then a funny thing happened. I started working at a job where I made more than minimum wage. And here is where it gets so hilarious it moves me to campaigning. Every time minimum wage went up, prices went up...and my wage stayed the same...which means my buying power actually shrunk. In other words, minimum wage increases have never helped me, they have only hurt me. I am in that unfortunate economic area where I get stiffed every time.
A famous book, "What's Wrong with Kansas" argues that Kansas voters continue to vote for politicians who impoverish them and that they have been fooled by devious, intelligent politicians intent on holding them down. I would argue that many, not all, but certainly many of those who love the idea of the increased minimum wage are part of that same paradigm. Check out the economic realities; your cost will go up for food, fuel, movie tickets, et al more than your wage will increase, but the makers of minimum wage will go nuts for this pyrhhic proposal because it SOUNDS good.
The tactic of attaching smurf like this as riders to unrelated bills sickens me. That happens all the time in the Senate and I don't blame the individual who tried it for that. That is how Congress works. And here is something that would get me to campaign FOR someone: change THAT law so that cannot be done.
But fear the Dems would have success in raising minimum wage has gotten me off my duff and I will be working hard against every Demo up for election I see. Note, this will have minimal impact since I have not seen anyone to vote FOR yet, but hey...the "anything is better than Bush" campaign had a lot of success, so "anything is better than a party with this plank" is my mode of attack.
4 years ago
3 comments:
Consider this: it's not fair to people who make minimum wage that everything else goes up. And there are no studies that show prices increases based solely on minimum wage hikes, to my knowledge: prices go up mainly because people will pay them! You can't convince me that $5.15 is a living wage. I for one think the Republicans are sticking to their true colors - taking the side of the rich, and saying screw the poor. I'm happy the Dems support a raise. It shows that they realize they might actually have to care about poor people again.
MINIMUM WAGE! How do you come up with the idea that that is supposed to be a "living wage?" What in the world is a "living wage?"
MINIMUM WAGE! How do you come up with the idea that that is supposed to be a "living wage?" What in the world is a "living wage?"
Post a Comment