$9 an hour is not enough
Soon, Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., and I will introduce legislation that would gradually increase the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour, and raise the minimum wage for tipped workers for the first time in more than 20 years. Our proposal, like President Obama’s, would also provide for automatic increases linked to changes in the cost of living.
Raising the minimum wage is one of the simplest and most effective ways to help working families succeed. It also helps our economy by putting additional money in the hands of consumers who will spend it right away in their local communities.
Contrary to publicized myths, research proves that increasing the minimum wage will not cost us jobs; in fact, our proposal would create at least 100,000 jobs through increased consumer spending.
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well Tom then you are being negligent in not raising it to 3,000,000,000,000 an hour…
I mean prices won’t rise to meet the artificial gain will they Tom?
You did that the time to abolish the laws of supply and demand and money supply right Tom?
harlekwin15 on February 25, 2013 at 10:13 PM
No thanks. I don’t want my hours cut to justify your white guilt.
nobar on February 25, 2013 at 10:15 PM
The naivete.
CW on February 25, 2013 at 10:15 PM
Nah not naivete, malignancy…
the good news your wage is 10.10 the bad news…your bread is 7.40
I pray for the reckoning.
harlekwin15 on February 25, 2013 at 10:17 PM
I make $8.25 an hour-and I’m perfectly fine with it.
annoyinglittletwerp on February 25, 2013 at 10:17 PM
Well, raise it to $20.20/hr and create 200,000 jobs then genius.
ButterflyDragon on February 25, 2013 at 10:18 PM
Heh, heh, heh.
They’re using stats from when the economy was good.
CW on February 25, 2013 at 10:18 PM
Only for the voters.
For guys like Harkin, it’s the cynicism.
HitNRun on February 25, 2013 at 10:18 PM
That’s the wrong Tom to be listening to. The right one is Sowell.
backwoods conservative on February 25, 2013 at 10:18 PM
Like how you flew combat in VN ya fuk?
What really galls me is rather than try and persuade these so bright leaders have to be condescending in their writings and dealing with constituents. Yet the great people of IA keep reelecting him—like I should talk, CA.
arnold ziffel on February 25, 2013 at 10:19 PM
It’s never enough, is it?
$5 an hour wasn’t enough. $7 wasn’t enough. $9 isn’t enough.
But $10.10 is just right.
It’ll never be enough.
catmman on February 25, 2013 at 10:19 PM
You certainly can’t mean that every time the minimum wage has shot up nationally the CPI skyrockets to eat up ‘gain?”
Here’s an idea GOP if Barry Choom and Tom “lying A hole ” harkin both want 10.10 well by God oiffer barry Choom 14.85 if he abolishes EPA and signs Keystone XL
harlekwin15 on February 25, 2013 at 10:21 PM
Tom Harkin, you’re a joke. Good riddance in 2014.
22044 on February 25, 2013 at 10:27 PM
I still think the House should pass my President Obama is an Economic Illiterate Act and raise the minimum wage to $49/hr. Let Obama sign it and own the results or veto it and explain how $9 is a great idea but $49 is a bad idea.
crrr6 on February 25, 2013 at 10:28 PM
Consumer(s). That is really all we are isn’t it – like cattle and sheep. The elite consider us good little people when all we do is consume. Don’t question them, don’t question their elite schools, don’t question their banks, or bailouts, don’t question their desire to take your ability to defend yourselves and don’t question their endless foreign interventions.
Wake up “consumers” – you are their sheep.
MoreLiberty on February 25, 2013 at 10:28 PM
Let’s just end poverty immediately and make it a good $50/hr
Free Constitution on February 25, 2013 at 10:30 PM
Its just another tax.
CW on February 25, 2013 at 10:34 PM
The real question is how you can pick a price level for labor such that it maximizes aggregate take-home pay. That’s what minimum wage advocates basically support, but for some reason can never say.
Stoic Patriot on February 25, 2013 at 10:36 PM
Then develop some marketable skills.
emz35 on February 25, 2013 at 10:37 PM
Damned lie.
Otherwise known as economic law.
theperfecteconomist on February 25, 2013 at 10:39 PM
Just think the economic growth we could have if government mandated that everyone get a 5 dollar an hour raise.
Heck even some small business guys would like that on their paycheck. Think about it for those weeks when they work 70 or more hours.
/
CW on February 25, 2013 at 10:44 PM
Dems really need to stop being so anti-science.
theperfecteconomist on February 25, 2013 at 10:45 PM
Minimum wage only effect those 25 and younger as a practical matter. You increase it and it lowers incentives to take on less experienced workers and gives incentives toward replacing them with fewer yet more experienced workers as they cost more anyway. Eventually, inflation allows for less experienced teens to get into the market but then the cynical vote buyers repeat the process by upping the minimum wage again.
MechanicalBill on February 25, 2013 at 10:45 PM
Because making things more expensive always sells more. When Macy’s or
Kroger’s wants to sell more items they raise prices. I see it all the time.
/
CW on February 25, 2013 at 10:52 PM
Where does this miraculous extra money come from? People who are happy to pay more for same?
I don’t think so!
OldEnglish on February 25, 2013 at 11:00 PM
Q: How many socialists does it take to change a light bulb?
A: None. They all think it’s still going to work some day.
Stu Gotts on February 25, 2013 at 11:02 PM
Harkin sounds like he graduated from the school of bayamnomics.
BallisticBob on February 25, 2013 at 11:02 PM
Anyone think that part of this is also a ploy to raise the amount of taxes paid by families that have minimum wage-earning members? Or am I giving them way too much credit?
drewwerd on February 25, 2013 at 11:38 PM
Why don’t you make it $50/hour, so that high-school drop-outs can make as much as college graduates? Better yet, make it $500/hour so they can make what the top 5% make. Free ponies for everyone!
Socratease on February 25, 2013 at 11:50 PM
Meanwhile, we salaried employees get no cost of living increases because Obama is busy destroying the economy.
The Rogue Tomato on February 25, 2013 at 11:50 PM
Oh, and increased demand always makes prices go down, huh. I think Congress needs a minimum IQ law.
Ronnie on February 25, 2013 at 11:56 PM
Here’s a challenge. Everyone pull out a calculator and do this:
Add up these things:
-Rent/Mortgage
-Car Lease
-Car Insurance
-Phone
-Electric (+ Gas, if applicable)
…then add these things:
-weekly Groceries
-weekly gas
… and multiply them by four. Add them to the monthly expenses you calculated above. We’ll call that y.
Now work out what you’d have to make per hour to meet those expenses:
((40*x)*.79)*4)-y
Follow the graph to where y > 0 and there’s your answer. Two things to note about this exersize:
1) don’t get sick. don’t get a flat tire. don’t perform any preventative maintenance. don’t accept any invitations to enjoy a matinee and a happy meal. don’t watch any tv that you can’t catch with a pair of rabbit ears and save all your internet business for the hour you get at the library.
2) the .79 is there to calculate your net after taxes (fed, state, fica, medicare, sosoc). yes: poor people pay taxes just like you.
eh on February 25, 2013 at 11:56 PM
Or they could live with their parents until they’re qualified to do something that pays more than minimum wage.
y = 0
Ronnie on February 26, 2013 at 12:00 AM
If you are from Iowa, and if you ever voted for Tom Harkin…you are almost certainly retarded.
Jaibones on February 26, 2013 at 12:10 AM
No they don’t…libtard.
Jaibones on February 26, 2013 at 12:13 AM
Car? Phone? TV? Internet?
Son, that ain’t poor!
OldEnglish on February 26, 2013 at 12:16 AM
Why not $50 or $100 an hour? Why not $1000/hr so everyone has plenty of money?
nazo311 on February 26, 2013 at 12:20 AM
Well, I’ll tell you if you hold on a second.
The idea is, if you’re working 40+ hours a week, you should get paid at the very least enough to survive and cover basic needs.
How do we determine this number? Gee, I dunno, probably cost of living data, inflation rates, and average worker pay.
Why does the minimum wage keep rising? Why is it never enough? You’ve obviously never heard of inflation.
triple on February 26, 2013 at 12:27 AM
-Car Lease
-Car Insurance
-Phone
….all things you can live and work without.
next….
nazo311 on February 26, 2013 at 12:27 AM
The minimum wage should just be eliminated. Singapore has no minimum wage and their unemployment rate is <5%.
Let the free market decide and get the government out of the way.
nazo311 on February 26, 2013 at 12:29 AM
You can get work without a car? Must be nice to live somewhere with efficient public transit. Oh wait conservatives are against that too..
triple on February 26, 2013 at 12:30 AM
You should get paid what the work is worth. If you can’t live on that, try to be less worthless.
Ronnie on February 26, 2013 at 12:30 AM
Define ‘basic needs’
nazo311 on February 26, 2013 at 12:30 AM
Roof, food, medical care, heat. Car, if you need to drive to work. That adds gas, insurance. I could probably get by on that.
triple on February 26, 2013 at 12:32 AM
I used to live in Chicago and didn’t own a car or a cell phone, cable, tv, and got along just fine.
It is called living within your means. More people should try it instead of feeling entitled to everything.
nazo311 on February 26, 2013 at 12:32 AM
I’m against subsidizing transportation for people who are too stupid to think of ways to get work without a car. (no offense)
Ronnie on February 26, 2013 at 12:33 AM
Maybe we should just have sweatshops and make pennies an hour. That would be awesome.
triple on February 26, 2013 at 12:33 AM
If you’re only making pennies, I doubt you’re sweating much.
Ronnie on February 26, 2013 at 12:35 AM
My first job after I graduated college, I had no cell phone, no car, no tv, and I lived with roommates to split living expenses. I made SACRIFICES and lived within my means.
nazo311 on February 26, 2013 at 12:35 AM
This is the definition of a strawman argument.
nazo311 on February 26, 2013 at 12:37 AM
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