Are you for or against a higher federal minimum wage?

Raising the Federal Minimum Wage Is a Bad, Bad Idea

by Jenny Erikson

In last night’s State of the Union address, President Obama proposed raising the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. He even made some quippy comment about it being easy to remember because it’s 10-10. I’m hyucking at you, speechwriters.

Anyway, that’s a terrible, horrible, rotten, no good, very bad idea. The current federal minimum wage is $7.25; so raising it to $10.10 is quite the substantial increase. I know, $7.25 isn’t really a living wage, yada yada, it’s not fair that people have to make that little amount of money, and so on and so forth.

But you know what’s worse than making $7.25 an hour? Making nothing. What exactly do you think will happen when employers can’t afford to keep around their low-level workers? They’ll let them go, that’s what.

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My parents are small business owners. I remember one time getting a lesson in real life from my dad, because I had heard in the news that the minimum wage was going up, and being a child and therefore naĂŻve, I thought it was swell. My father, being much older and wiser, told me that because of that mandated raise, he had to let someone go.

He’d had an entry-level employee that he paid minimum wage to keep the factory floor tidied up. He swept and cleaned spills, ran errands, you know, just basic go-fer stuff. It was worth it for the cost of his wages. The guy was happy he had a job, coworkers were happy for the help, everybody was happy with the situation.

Small businesses generally run on a very tight budget. So when the government stepped in and decided that my dad wasn’t paying that guy enough, he didn’t have the financial wiggle room to pay him more. The employee said he didn’t care, he’d keep working for the lower wage, but being an upstanding citizen, my dad wouldn’t employ him illegally.

This happens a lot. And then these entry-level workers can’t find work, because the jobs aren’t there. So they go on welfare. Now business owners have even less money to hire new employees, because in addition to paying the people that do work for them, they’re now paying higher taxes to pay the people that don’t work for them.

Work is worth what someone is willing to pay for it. Most everybody starts at the bottom. If you don’t want to make $7.25 for the rest of your life, then figure out how to get promoted. Take classes, acquire new skills, do the best darn job you can at what you do and ask for more responsibility.

That’s how you climb out of poverty. Not by raising the federal minimum wage.

Are you for or against a higher federal minimum wage?

[-Teeter-Totter-]

I would like to see a change in the location based difference regarding what minimum wage affords people.

For instance, where we live people CAN raise a family with minimum wage jobs. But I know places where people have to make three times as much just to scrape by.

I think focusing on that disparity might make more of an impact.

[Ms.KitKat]

So you support China owning the USA then 

Quoting LaughCryLive: This is why I don't support small businesses. I'd love to, but when it costs 3X as much to get a product from my locally owned grocery store (where I know they buy their product from Walmart) then I'm not going to shop there.

Quoting pamelax3:

What do you mean protection for the staus quo? I have a small business and higher high school kids to help, in now way do they have the experiance or the skills to be paid 10.10 per hour, so I will have to let them go.

Quoting Raintree:

And then other's will seize on the opportunity. And many will be totally fine.

What you're really calling for is this: protection for the status quo.

More people with more money- more business overall.

Quoting pamelax3:

 You realize when they lose business they will end up closing their doors, that will put people out of work

Quoting Raintree:

For. If employers can't figure it out, I guess they'll lose business in the long run- because people without work are people who won't buy things. 

god.

[pamelax3]

 I do not buy my stuff from walmart and do not charge 3x's higher. But you will support big corporations that most of their items come from overseas

Quoting LaughCryLive: This is why I don't support small businesses. I'd love to, but when it costs 3X as much to get a product from my locally owned grocery store (where I know they buy their product from Walmart) then I'm not going to shop there.

Quoting pamelax3:

What do you mean protection for the staus quo? I have a small business and higher high school kids to help, in now way do they have the experiance or the skills to be paid 10.10 per hour, so I will have to let them go.

Quoting Raintree:

And then other's will seize on the opportunity. And many will be totally fine.

What you're really calling for is this: protection for the status quo.

More people with more money- more business overall.

Quoting pamelax3:

 You realize when they lose business they will end up closing their doors, that will put people out of work

Quoting Raintree:

For. If employers can't figure it out, I guess they'll lose business in the long run- because people without work are people who won't buy things. 

god.

 

 

 

[Ms.KitKat]

Having 2 teens at home, this is very sad to me. But I see it where I live. My teens can not find a job because all the "teen jobs" are now being filled by recent college grads or adults. When I was a teen I worked retail. Go to any store today and it's rare you see a teen at the checkout (unless perhaps for the holiday rush). I go to the store and see moms and dads, people in their 20's. These were 1st jobs for teens. Now they are supposed to be jobs for adults supporting a family?

Quoting pamelax3:

What do you mean protection for the staus quo? I have a small business and higher high school kids to help, in now way do they have the experiance or the skills to be paid 10.10 per hour, so I will have to let them go.

Quoting Raintree:

And then other's will seize on the opportunity. And many will be totally fine.

What you're really calling for is this: protection for the status quo.

More people with more money- more business overall.

Quoting pamelax3:

 You realize when they lose business they will end up closing their doors, that will put people out of work

Quoting Raintree:

For. If employers can't figure it out, I guess they'll lose business in the long run- because people without work are people who won't buy things. 

god.

[smalltowngal]

I don't think the minimum wage matters much if we don't get some sort of dollar stability first. 

[pamelax3]

 That is why I try to keep my positions for the teenagers, but at this rate I will not be able to hire or keep anyone

Quoting Ms.KitKat:

Having 2 teens at home, this is very sad to me. But I see it where I live. My teens can not find a job because all the "teen jobs" are now being filled by recent college grads or adults. When I was a teen I worked retail. Go to any store today and it's rare you see a teen at the checkout (unless perhaps for the holiday rush). I go to the store and see moms and dads, people in their 20's. These were 1st jobs for teens. Now they are supposed to be jobs for adults supporting a family?

Quoting pamelax3:

What do you mean protection for the staus quo? I have a small business and higher high school kids to help, in now way do they have the experiance or the skills to be paid 10.10 per hour, so I will have to let them go.

Quoting Raintree:

And then other's will seize on the opportunity. And many will be totally fine.

What you're really calling for is this: protection for the status quo.

More people with more money- more business overall.

Quoting pamelax3:

 You realize when they lose business they will end up closing their doors, that will put people out of work

Quoting Raintree:

For. If employers can't figure it out, I guess they'll lose business in the long run- because people without work are people who won't buy things. 

god.

 

 

 

[Fushithedruid]

i am for, but as long as cost of living plus everything else going up (cost wise) is tied to how much minimum wage is, i can't say I'm for. its honestly a toss up.

[smalltowngal]

I think part of the problem is large corporations get so many advantages over small businesses. They get a lot of tax breaks along with the advantages of being a large business like buying in bulk and often getting the same fines as small businesses. Small businesses would be able to afford to pay employees more if they didn't have to worry about property taxes for the first 5 years at a new location.

Quoting pamelax3:

 That is why I try to keep my positions for the teenagers, but at this rate I will not be able to hire or keep anyone

Quoting Ms.KitKat:

Having 2 teens at home, this is very sad to me. But I see it where I live. My teens can not find a job because all the "teen jobs" are now being filled by recent college grads or adults. When I was a teen I worked retail. Go to any store today and it's rare you see a teen at the checkout (unless perhaps for the holiday rush). I go to the store and see moms and dads, people in their 20's. These were 1st jobs for teens. Now they are supposed to be jobs for adults supporting a family?

Quoting pamelax3:

What do you mean protection for the staus quo? I have a small business and higher high school kids to help, in now way do they have the experiance or the skills to be paid 10.10 per hour, so I will have to let them go.

Quoting Raintree:

And then other's will seize on the opportunity. And many will be totally fine.

What you're really calling for is this: protection for the status quo.

More people with more money- more business overall.

[lga1965]

 Higher wages means more purchasing power. If people have more money,they buy more. That helps companies, retail, manufacturers, all of the sellers in the country. Plus, people are more likely to take a chance on buying a home. That helps real estate and sellers and builders. I can't see why it would be a bad thing.

But, the author, Ms Jenny Erickson is a Republican, probably conservative. I remember her blogs in 2012 and she was clearly pro Romney and anti Obama.So far it appears that Republicans are against raising the minimum wage. Some want to eliminate it. Yikes.

Now I am going to read all of the replies here in this thread. :)

[waldorfmom]

THIS !!

Quoting kailu1835:

I am dead set against it.  ...

... And there are a LOT of low income areas there that would suffer immeasurably by dramatically increasing the minimum wage.

The only people who are FOR a dramatic increase in minimum wage are people who are COMPLETELY and UTTERLY ignorant of economics.