republicans vote down minimum wage again

[Crankyshank]

I'm admittedly on the fence about this issue. I can see both sides and depending on the day or hour my mind changes on whether or not I think it should be increased. Bottom line though I do think states should be deciding minimum wage and not the federal gov't.

For those who think that the minimum wage should be raised because COL has increased, do you realize how few people in a lot of areas actually get a real COL income increase? Why should people who work minimum wage jobs get a raise to meet the cost of living increases when the average Joe struggling to get by in his middle class income without any sort of assistance doesn't get a COL increase and if he does it's a paltry 1%?

 

[Mskanga]

All salaries should go up consistent with the COL regardless of being minimum or living wages.

 

[Bob Slydell]

All salaries should go up consistent with the COL regardless of being minimum or living wages.

So now you want to regulate what all business should pay their employees? Talk about the very definition of socialism.

 

[Mskanga]

What is so bad with socialism? Just wondering.....
And are they not regulating now how much companies should pay employees? They are already telling them they should pay them minimum $5.15 , that to me is regulating.

 

[Bob Slydell]

What is so bad with socialism? Just wondering.....

Nothing, if you like that. I just prefer capitalism myself.

 

[LoraJ]

Honestly, raising the minimum wage doesn nothing to help out families. Honestly, about the only people who make minimum wage are students and deadbeats. I'm a fiscal conservative/social liberal. This is just one of those dumb things that the left likes to bring up because it seems like such a "great" idea. All it does is increase prices..that you all will start whining about next week.

So you think minimum wage should be where it is at now forever? Let's be realistic here. It hasn't been raised in ten years. Don't you think it is about time. Minimum in NJ is over $7. It really doesn't cost that much more for the #1 here than in Ohio. So I just don't see what the big deal is. It's $160 more for 10 employess for 8 hour shifts. I don't think raising the price of a hamburger 10 cents to support that would hurt me.

 

[AllyandJack]

Wow....if everyone in the world relied on all of these excuses not to succeed, there would be no businesses and we'd all be living in the trees (nobody to build buildings) and eating grass and dirt (who wants to farm?).

There is ALWAYS a way. You go to school at night and work during the day. Maybe you can't go to college right away, so you learn a trade. Join a union and work while you learn. Find a non-union company like DH's where you work and go to school (for free) on the weekends. Go to hairdresser school. Go to medical assisting school. Go to real estate school. I've done that. It's $399. and is at night. The summer I graduated from college, I worked as a temporary floater secretary at a law firm. All you have to know is how to type and not drool on yourself. I made $17./hour. Go to a secretarial school. There are tons of options, but - and here is the trick - you actually have to stop feeling sorry for yourself that you weren't born into the Trump family and find your options. Call the school. Attend the classes. Most of them have job placement offices. Maybe you do have to take out a loan for a few thousand dollars. No risk. No reward.

If I had known that these excuses would fly in 2006, I never would have worked so hard. I could be the one writing all of these excuses. For some reason, back in 1994, nobody thought they were reasons for not succeeding. Times have changed.

 

[eclectics]

An employer doesn't care if they lose good employees? That's a new one!

Laugh all you want, I've seen it first hand and many times.

 

[Laurajean1014]

Most republicans don't make $5.15 an hour. (I know, I'm one of them).

Also, to the posters above, "Companies do get rid of good people. A lot of companies make their cuts based on information that is tainted, inaccurate or misrepresented." Many hard working people lose their jobs, everyday.

 

[LuvDuke]

I truly have to laugh at all these "$75000 a year millionaires" who think because they've got a few bucks and few things going for them, the system is hunky-dory. Newsflash: the system isn't being run for your benefit. The problems haven't hit you yet. They will. Sooner or later, you'll be one of "them".

I also have to laugh over government employees who can't stand the minimum wage but are covered by government benefits, government health insurance, regular raises, etc. Oh, what's that I hear: "I pay for those benefits". So do the rest of us and we aren't being subsidized by the taxpayers. Give it time ........... you'll be nothing more than another expense to be cut too.

Remember this ........... karma bites everyone in the *** eventually. All you hot shots enjoy when it happens to you because I, and a potful of others, will.

And anyone who cares to join me at the bar in Purgatory, let me know. I'll save you a seat.

 

[Aidensmom]

Wow....if everyone in the world relied on all of these excuses not to succeed, there would be no businesses and we'd all be living in the trees (nobody to build buildings) and eating grass and dirt (who wants to farm?).

Actually, if everyone in the world "succeeded" by having a job they needed to further their education for, THEN we would be living in trees and eating grass and dirt. Many unskilled construction workers make minimum wage, at least in this part of the country.

Maybe some of this issue is tainted a little but what average salaries are in various parts of the country. Here, you would have a VERY hard time finding a secretarial job at $17/hour, many are closer to $7/hr.

 

[jgmklmhem]

I just read a few articles that point out that maybe this raise is really not to benefit the working poor at all. Many unions have their contracts set up to have their members paid a multiplier of the minimum wage (like 6 x (or more) the min wage). So now when we raise the wage of the bottom say by a dollar an hour. We raise the wage of said union members by 6 dollars. This probably effects the price of goods and services more than the people at the bottom of the ladder getting paid more and why the buying power of those at the bottom doesn't really increase with the increased wage.

 

[JoeEpcotRocks]

The minimum wage should be eliminated. I mean what purpose does it really serve? Now some are pushing for a "living wage."

It's just political nonsense.

 

[eclectics]

The minimum wage should be eliminated. I mean what purpose does it really serve? Now some are pushing for a "living wage."

It's just political nonsense.

Let's bring back debtor's prison and the work houses too! And throw away those stupid child labor laws. Workman's comp? Ridiculous! Safety and Enviornmental Workplace laws? Ha! This is all political nonsense and should be abolished!!!! Whats good for GM (or Enron) is good for the country!

 

[JoeEpcotRocks]

Let's bring back debtor's prison and the work houses too! And throw away those stupid child labor laws. Workman's comp? Ridiculous! Safety and Enviornmental Workplace laws? Ha! This is all political nonsense and should be abolished!!!! Whats good for GM (or Enron) is good for the country!

I said nothing about those things.

 

[eclectics]

I said nothing about those things.

Lighten up Joe, you never let anyone have any fun.

 

[katerkat]

Hmmm....we're doing pretty well in WA state and our minimum wage is $7.63.

Actually, because of minimum wage being so high in WA, my company eliminated all raises. When I worked for the same company in OK for six weeks, I got two 20-cent raises. I moved to Washington, same company, and did not get a six-month raise. I did not get a merit-based raise. Because my company doesn't offer that to people in WA because of the minimum wage. So....while I was making more money, I had no incentive to stay at the job (as being there longer didn't cause a raise) and no incentive to do a good job (as just being an average employee paid the same.) It didn't affect, but you could tell that most of my other co-workers were coasting - and that affects YOUR shopping when you visit the store.

 

[Mskanga]

My job has a union for all full time employees ( I am a substitute ) and their starting salary in the union is only .25 more an hour than I make , and you know what those .25 an hour pay for? the union dues!
As I said I do it because it's good for me , I can be home when the kids are and that by far are the best benefits , but there's no way that anyone can live on that. I live in an area where the majority of people work in either NJ or NYC because they can make 2-3 times more there doing the same jobs , it's not a matter of what they are qualified for , it's a matter of how much employers pay.

 

[MarksMom2006]

Originally Posted by tiki23
Hmmm....we're doing pretty well in WA state and our minimum wage is $7.63.



Yes, even tipped employees get that wage and yet restuarants are still in business aren't they?

Really? Servers in restaurants get this much per hour? That is just unbelievalbe! Here in MA do you know what they get? 2.49 per hour before tips. That would be very nice to hear that they who work a heck of a lot harder than I do being on their feet all day and dealing with customers who can be real pains, finally get the money that they DESERVE.

As for whoever said that some people can go to classes at night or on the weekends...what about those people who have kids? Who would then pay for them to be taken care of? Obviously if they are making at or below minimum wage they are not going to put out money they do not have so they can take classes. Don't come back and say that I am making excuses for them. I am not.

I do know that here in MA (in fact the Northeast in general) has a huge standard of living. After finally going through 2 years of college (10 years AFTER graduating from HS, getting married and having a child) and getting my Associates, I do have a job that pays. Does it pay well? Not at all but that was what was available at the time. I am currently looking at other locations but there is just not anything out there. The minimum wage does need to go up just for the main fact that there has not been a raise in 10 years! Who honestly can live like this?

 

[Mskanga]

Wow....if everyone in the world relied on all of these excuses not to succeed, there would be no businesses and we'd all be living in the trees (nobody to build buildings) and eating grass and dirt (who wants to farm?).

There is ALWAYS a way. You go to school at night and work during the day. Maybe you can't go to college right away, so you learn a trade. Join a union and work while you learn. Find a non-union company like DH's where you work and go to school (for free) on the weekends. Go to hairdresser school. Go to medical assisting school. Go to real estate school. I've done that. It's $399. and is at night. The summer I graduated from college, I worked as a temporary floater secretary at a law firm. All you have to know is how to type and not drool on yourself. I made $17./hour. Go to a secretarial school. There are tons of options, but - and here is the trick - you actually have to stop feeling sorry for yourself that you weren't born into the Trump family and find your options. Call the school. Attend the classes. Most of them have job placement offices. Maybe you do have to take out a loan for a few thousand dollars. No risk. No reward.

If I had known that these excuses would fly in 2006, I never would have worked so hard. I could be the one writing all of these excuses. For some reason, back in 1994, nobody thought they were reasons for not succeeding. Times have changed.

Tell that to a single parent with kids and nobody to watch their kids while they go to school , and don't say that people should not have kids , it's easy to say that when you don't walk a mile in their shoes.