eahaddix
01-11-2007, 07:04 AM
http://a.abcnews.com/images/Business/f7b5ff3b-af86-47cd-a19a-72633d6de31b_sp.jpeg (http://www.abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=2784504) http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2007/POLITICS/01/10/minimum.wage.ap/story.mckeon.ap.jpg (http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/10/minimum.wage.ap/)
WASHINGTON — The House overwhelmingly approved the first increase in the federal minimum wage in nearly a decade Wednesday, passing a bill that would boost the wages of the lowest-paid American workers from $5.15 an hour to $7.25 an hour over the next two years.
The 315-116 vote could end Congress' longest stretch without a minimum-wage increase since the mandatory minimum was created in 1938. In that time, inflation has depleted the value of the minimum wage to the lowest level in more than 50 years.
Republican Rep. Dave Reichert joined the Democratic members of the Washington state delegation in voting for the bill. Republicans Doc Hastings and Cathy McMorris Rodgers voted against it.
Senate Democratic leaders promise to press for a vote on minimum-wage legislation of their own before the end of the month. Unlike the House-passed bill, the Senate's will include small-business tax cuts that Democrats believe are necessary to placate Republicans and the business community and win the 60 votes necessary to break a possible filibuster.
Source: "House OKs Increase in Minimum Wage," by Jonathan Weisman, by January 11, 2007 @ SeattleTimes.com (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003519326_minwage11.html)
See also: CNN Article (http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/10/minimum.wage.ap/), ABC News Article (http://www.abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=2784504), MSNBC Article (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16558329), Fox News Article (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,242742,00.html)
This minimum wage increase scares me. Specifically, this minimum wage increase is a "quick fix." However, the real problem is the ethics of individual "bigger" businesses, which always reduce their expenses by underpaying employees, cutting jobs, increasing the burden of individual employees, and outsourcing nationally and internationally whenever possible. And, of course, these "bigger" businesses raise the prices of the products and services whenever possible as well.
However, to my dismay, the viewpoint that this minimum wage increase does not create any problems is currently the most vocal publicly. In fact, even Lou Dobbs has endorsed this viewpoint.
SYLVESTER: And as for this argument that small businesses are hurt by an increase in the minimum wage, a study by the Fiscal Policy Institute found states that raised its minimum wage above the federal level actually saw an increase in the number of small businesses, not a decrease -- Lou.DOBBS: And, of course, that is a reality that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business lobbying groups just simply want to ignore, but it is an awfully good sign that this Congress, in its second major piece of legislation, has chosen to ignore the absurd, moronic posturings of business lobbies, in my opinion.Source: "Transcripts; Lou Dobbs Tonight," by CNN, January 10, 2007 @ CNN.com (http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0701/10/ldt.01.html)Mr. Dobbs, what are you thinking? You are employing a wishful "double think." You preach about the absurd lengths that "big businesses" use to cut costs, yet you believe that this minimum wage increase somehow circumvents these tactics. So, I guess that you will have to learn the hard way, as in seeing the consequences of this act in your daily reports.
Supporters of this increase in the federal minimum wage claim that most states have raised their minimum wage already. However, contrary to this paintbrush generalization, unchanging low skill "minimum wage jobs" in the Valdosta area are plentiful. For instance, most maintenance workers, storeworker jobs, student jobs on the VSU campus, and server jobs in "cafes" and fast food joints rely on a "minimum wage workforce," or a workforce whose pay rates are clustered around the minimum wage.
Moreover, supporters of this increase in the federal minimum wage ignore the financial struggle between "bigger business" and "smaller business." For instance, the presence of two Super Wal-Mart stores in Valdosta has put at least two local Harveys Supermarkets and a Food Lion out of business. And, in the remaining three Harveys Supermarkets, the only local Publix, and the only local Winn-Dixie, the prices of many products are very high.
Common sense dictates that this increase of the federal minimum wage will encourage businesses to cut their expenses more aggressively. Nobody can deny that most businesses view profit as their bottom line, not the welfare of employees. And, in light of this, we will be seeing many more prayer requests from our brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus regarding personal job losses.
Comments?
:): I know Core will share this soapbox with me.
WASHINGTON — The House overwhelmingly approved the first increase in the federal minimum wage in nearly a decade Wednesday, passing a bill that would boost the wages of the lowest-paid American workers from $5.15 an hour to $7.25 an hour over the next two years.
The 315-116 vote could end Congress' longest stretch without a minimum-wage increase since the mandatory minimum was created in 1938. In that time, inflation has depleted the value of the minimum wage to the lowest level in more than 50 years.
Republican Rep. Dave Reichert joined the Democratic members of the Washington state delegation in voting for the bill. Republicans Doc Hastings and Cathy McMorris Rodgers voted against it.
Senate Democratic leaders promise to press for a vote on minimum-wage legislation of their own before the end of the month. Unlike the House-passed bill, the Senate's will include small-business tax cuts that Democrats believe are necessary to placate Republicans and the business community and win the 60 votes necessary to break a possible filibuster.
Source: "House OKs Increase in Minimum Wage," by Jonathan Weisman, by January 11, 2007 @ SeattleTimes.com (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003519326_minwage11.html)
See also: CNN Article (http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/10/minimum.wage.ap/), ABC News Article (http://www.abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=2784504), MSNBC Article (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16558329), Fox News Article (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,242742,00.html)
This minimum wage increase scares me. Specifically, this minimum wage increase is a "quick fix." However, the real problem is the ethics of individual "bigger" businesses, which always reduce their expenses by underpaying employees, cutting jobs, increasing the burden of individual employees, and outsourcing nationally and internationally whenever possible. And, of course, these "bigger" businesses raise the prices of the products and services whenever possible as well.
However, to my dismay, the viewpoint that this minimum wage increase does not create any problems is currently the most vocal publicly. In fact, even Lou Dobbs has endorsed this viewpoint.
SYLVESTER: And as for this argument that small businesses are hurt by an increase in the minimum wage, a study by the Fiscal Policy Institute found states that raised its minimum wage above the federal level actually saw an increase in the number of small businesses, not a decrease -- Lou.DOBBS: And, of course, that is a reality that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business lobbying groups just simply want to ignore, but it is an awfully good sign that this Congress, in its second major piece of legislation, has chosen to ignore the absurd, moronic posturings of business lobbies, in my opinion.Source: "Transcripts; Lou Dobbs Tonight," by CNN, January 10, 2007 @ CNN.com (http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0701/10/ldt.01.html)Mr. Dobbs, what are you thinking? You are employing a wishful "double think." You preach about the absurd lengths that "big businesses" use to cut costs, yet you believe that this minimum wage increase somehow circumvents these tactics. So, I guess that you will have to learn the hard way, as in seeing the consequences of this act in your daily reports.
Supporters of this increase in the federal minimum wage claim that most states have raised their minimum wage already. However, contrary to this paintbrush generalization, unchanging low skill "minimum wage jobs" in the Valdosta area are plentiful. For instance, most maintenance workers, storeworker jobs, student jobs on the VSU campus, and server jobs in "cafes" and fast food joints rely on a "minimum wage workforce," or a workforce whose pay rates are clustered around the minimum wage.
Moreover, supporters of this increase in the federal minimum wage ignore the financial struggle between "bigger business" and "smaller business." For instance, the presence of two Super Wal-Mart stores in Valdosta has put at least two local Harveys Supermarkets and a Food Lion out of business. And, in the remaining three Harveys Supermarkets, the only local Publix, and the only local Winn-Dixie, the prices of many products are very high.
Common sense dictates that this increase of the federal minimum wage will encourage businesses to cut their expenses more aggressively. Nobody can deny that most businesses view profit as their bottom line, not the welfare of employees. And, in light of this, we will be seeing many more prayer requests from our brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus regarding personal job losses.
Comments?
:): I know Core will share this soapbox with me.