I've been saying this for a while!

http://robertreich.org/post/82134788482

And, after it's raised, it should be indexed to inflation (and productivity?)

i feel if they raise minimum wage up to that.. the difference from then to now should be added to everyone else.. minimum wage would get by for alot of people (who dont spend money frivilously) if cost of living was lowered.

i make $15.41 an hr, full time. i cant afford my own place PLUS all the utilities with what current bills i have

Well, I'm sure if minimum wage was raised to that point it would put positive pressure on other occupations; otherwise, you could argue that you could go get a way easier job for similar pay.

sure raise the min wage
then watch the costs of goods rise to compensate.
We'll be like a lot of other countries that needed to carry $100s just to buy a gallon of milk

great plan

The only cost in running a business isn't just paying people. The price of goods doesn't double just because you double someones wage. Doubling the price of someone working at McDonalds doesn't mean the price of the raw food,rent or utilities rise either. Unfortunately business look at wages as a running cost and use that as an excuse to pay as little as possible.

how are they going to pay those workers the extra money when they double the minimum wage? by charging more for their goods. from top to bottom. so yes, it would effect the price of goods.

Most of the goods you buy aren't made in north america anyway. So no, they wouldn't rise much. Services might rise a bit, but labour is not the majority of cost involved in most things these days.




If there's actual competition -- which there is, in most cases -- the costs will likely come out of the profits. And corporate america has been having record profits.

so you dont think the price of a cheeseburger at a fast food joint would go up if they have to double the starting wage? you think McDonalds will just cut profits?

and what about small businesses that dont have the massive corporate profits to lean back on?

ah, i was responding to qzjul, didnt even see your post when i started writing

This is terribly sad. Just a giant fluff you to small business.

Small businesses make up:
99.7 percent of U.S. employer firms,
64 percent of net new private-sector
jobs,
49.2 percent of private-sector
employment,
42.9 percent of private-sector payroll,
46 percent of private-sector output,
43 percent of high-tech employment,
98 percent of firms exporting goods,
and
33 percent of exporting value.


thats straight from sba.gov

A burger might go up, sure; but not necessarily a ton; I would be willing to bet that most of the cost is still the ingredients.

But when we talk about goods, I assume you meant things like groceries, or goods at say Wal Mart, rather than fast food -- fast food really falls under the "service" industry I would say. Services may go up, but if everybody is making more, it should be more affordable; and should also allow more people to partake, thus increasing total jobs.

But yes, I suspect competition with other fastfood joints, say burger king or wendy's or whatever you have in the US, would keep prices down to some degree.

I'm not sure why you think this would hurt small business? If they have more customers able to buy their stuff, don't you think they would do better? This would help small business far more than it would hurt them.

Soon enough the US government will be too bankrupt to enforce this anyways, so what does it even matter?

Do you honestly think some 17 year old kid that flips burgers at dairy queen should be earning 30k a year?

There is this thing, called 'the market' that has historically been dictated by these things called 'supply' and 'demand' that has done a pretty good job of allowing the US economy to pretty well crush the performance of other global economies for he last couple of centuries - how about we don't fluff that up by over valuing burger flipping.

The minimum wage should not be raised so high that it discourages young workers looking to move up to forget about trying to find more skills and knowledge so that they can qualify for a higher paying job.

If you make it too high, there will be a glut of people just "getting by" when they could be excelling some where. Or, you'll have the smart people being all lazy and deciding to do something easy like sweep the floors for enough to get by on and forget being productive like they could.

This is just another part of the government trying to redistribute the wealth that it really doesn't have any right to, it merely robs the working guy to support the derelict.

The government here in Canada wants to work with the capitalists who own the companies, especially the mines, forests, fish and other resources that belong to all citizens but that they have free reign to rape, to enslave everyone and force them to work at crappy low paying jobs. They are busting unions with back to work legislation and forcing people such as natives to get work in the mines, and the poor at minimum wage crap jobs while they all get richer. fluff em.

The government should keep its dirty, wasteful, useless nose out of private contracts between employees and private enterprise.

When the government can actually provide service (that the people want) in an effective and efficient manner, perhaps then they can push for some kind of reform. Of course, the government will never be able to provide services effective or efficient, so its a rather moot point. Dont worry, over time, these perpetual minimum wage types will be placed on the governments payroll to replace the retarded beuracrats who currently suck the life out of the private sector (and will do so until they die - hopefully they all smoke 3 packs of cigs a day).

The only talk about minimum wage the government should be speaking of is abolishing the minimum wage and let the free market set the wage.

Canada also want to reopen the asbestos mines and start selling it to the third world again... how kind of them.

fluff capitalists.

THIS!

THE MINIMUM WAGE IS NOT A LIVING WAGE, AND IT SHOULD NOT BE. I HAD LOW PAYING JOBS WHEN I WAS IN MY 20'S.. RATHER THAN EXPECING THE GOVERNMENT TO FORCE MY EMPLOYER TO PAY ME MORE THAN I WAS WORTH, I DID WHAT I HAD TO DO TO MAKE ENDS MEET. I WORKED ALL THE OVERTIME I COULD GET. I TOOK ON ROOMMATES. I DIDN'T GO OUT TO EAT, I DROVE fluffTY CARS (STILL DO), I DIDN'T BUY EXPENSIVE ELECTRONICS OR TAKE EXPENSIVE VACATIONS. I LIVED CHEAP UNTIL I COULD AFFORD TO LIVE BETTER. AND I DIDN'T GET TO WHERE I AM NOW BECAUSE UNCLE SAM FORCED ANYBODY TO PAY ME... I GOT THERE BECAUSE I HAD A DESIRE TO DO BETTER.

I KNOW NOBODY GIVES A DAMN ANY MORE ABOUT SILLY THINGS LIKE FREEDOM OF CONTRACT, SO I'LL SKIP THAT ARGUMENT....

AND NO. IF MINIMUM WAGE DOUBLES, THE PRICE OF A BURGER DOESN'T DOUBLE. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE BECOMES MORE EXPENSIVE? EVERYTHING. WHEN RENTERS HAVE MORE MONEY TO SPEND ON RENT, WHAT DO YOU SUPPOSE LANDLORDS DO? WHEN USED CAR BUYERS SUDDENLY HAVE MORE MONEY, WHAT DO YOU SUPPOSE HAPPENS TO THE PRICE OF USED CARS?

MINIMUM WAGE INCREASES HURT THE VERY PEOPLE WHO POLITICIANS PRETEND TO CARE ABOUT EVERY TIME THIS ISSUE COMES UP. THE VERY POOR AND THE ELDERLY. WHEN THE PRICE OF EVERYTHING GOES UP, WHAT DO YOU SUPPOSE THAT DOES FOR THE SPENDING POWER OF THE 80 YEAR OLD WOMAN WHO SAVED FOR RETIREMENT AND IS NOW ON A FIXED INCOME? WHAT DO YOU SUPPOSE THAT DOES TO *YOUR* SPENDING POWER WHEN YOU REACH RETIREMENT?

THE MINIMUM WAGE SHOULDN'T BE RAISED, IT SHOULD BE ABOLISHED.

Lol. Libertarians are fluffing scum.

THANKS BLID. COMING FROM YOU, THAT'S A PRETTY DAMN GOOD ENDORSEMENT.

Y..Y-YEAH!!! WE SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO AFFORD TO PAY RENT AND EAT, DESPITE HOLDING FULL-TIME JOBS. YEAH! WE SHOULD ALL WORK OVERTIME WHILE OUR CORPORATE MASTERS CONTINUE TO BUY YACHTS!

No, libertarians get it. They are tired of the welfare for the rich and the poor alike. They dont identify themselves as puppets of the democrat or republican party.

Neither do I, but I also don't worship at the shrine of capitalism. You know what happens under a libertarian utopia? Monopolies? Ultra-rich? Complete power for those with the purse strings? Absolute exploitation for those without influence?

You have confused capitalism with the economic systems in place today where politicians say they will help the poor, but cut deals with big business to be able to exploit people. In a true libertarian utopia, your fears would never materialize because everyone would be able to act in their own best interest, not what the power hungry politicians want or force you to do.

Please read Human Action and report back to me when you are actually educated on the foundation of libertarian beliefs. You can download the audio books for free in case you dont like to read.

BLID, WHY ARE YOU SO CONSUMED WITH JEALOUSY?

WHY DO YOU ASSUME THAT MY BOSS WHEN I HAD ONE WAS RICH?

HE RAN A SMALL COMPANY, AND HE PAID ME WHAT HE COULD AFFORD. WHEN I MADE MYSELF MORE VALUABLE TO HIM, HE PAID ME MORE. HE NEVER GOT RICH OFF OF HIS EMPLOYEES. HE MADE A DECENT LIVING, AND NOW LIVES MODESTLY IN RETIREMENT.

AND WHERE IN THAT PARAGRAPH DID I SAY THAT I COULDN'T AFFORD TO PAY RENT OR EAT? I HAD TO TAKE ON ROOMMATES.. OH THE HORROR!!!! I HAD TO BUY ACTUAL GROCERIES AND COOK MY OWN FOOD, RATHER THAN BUYING EXPENSIVE PRE-PACKAGED CRAP OR PAYING SOMEONE ELSE TO MAKE MY FOOD FOR ME. OH NO! LOOKING BACK ON IT NOW, I DON'T KNOW HOW I DIDN'T HANG MYSELF!

BUT GO AHEAD. DO KEEP JUST INSULTING ME. I'M SURE THAT WILL PROVE YOUR POINT.

With the general demise of the manufacturing industry, the average age of a fast food worker in the US is now 29. Many of these people have families and qualify for federal and state funded aid programs such as food stamps medicare and school lunch programs. They earn so little that many pay very little in federal or state taxes (aside from sales tax). Same with the big box stores like Walmart, Target, etc.

We The Taxpayers are subsidizing the upper management profits of these corporations precisely because they pay their workers so little.
http://www.forbes.com/...labor-costs-to-taxpayers/

Give these poor bastards a significant bump in minimum wage and they will no longer suck federal and state dollars out of the system. Instead they will be paying more in taxes, stimulating economic growth still spending every dollar they earn, and achieve a little bit better quality of life.

And while at it, close the offshore tax loopholes these corporate monstrosities use to avoid paying billions in taxes.
http://www.reuters.com/...ore-idUSBREA3729V20140409

Those poor "bastards" will still qualify for the same welfare they qualified for at 7.25 an hour. You would simply be forcing the consumers to pay the same taxes and pay more for the goods they consume.

If these workers want to get paid more, they should obtain skills the market deems worthy of a higher wage.

The worst part about a $15 an hour minimum wage is that it will devalue me. I worked my ass off as a janitor, telemarketer, construction laborer, and welder at night's to pay my way through college. I went to grad school while raising a family and making mortgage payments and I've put in almost two decades on my career.

Now some kid pushing shopping carts is going to make almost half what I make?? Are you telling me I could have spent the last 25 years smoking weed and knocking up strange women while working as a cashier at whataburger and be able to pull down 30k a year? Hell, that was supposed to be the retirement I'm busting my ass to get to, I didn't know I could skip the hard work and start there.

Qz if u think they'll absorb the extra payroll with profits you're not of a sane mind!

+999999999999999999999999999999999

HOW WOULD ANY OF THAT BE DIFFERENT WITHOUT GOVERNMENT? SERIOUSLY. JESUS.

You bragged about working overtime to help make ends meet. People shouldn't have to work overtime just to make ends meet.

OH NO, SOME RANDOM GUY WORKING FULL-TIME IS GOING TO MAKE *HALF* OF WHAT I MAKE! UNACCEPTABLE!

You're a piece of fluff.

Of all the posts in this thread I disagree with, this is the most fluffed up and pathetic one. You don't even have an ideological gripe! Your complaint is literally that someone will be able to make *50%* of what you make! Half! And why is that a problem? Not because it will affect you, but just because you think you deserve to be more than 2x as rich as people? Seriously? Kill yourself in real life please, please die, please bleed all over your keyboard and make one final "fgnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggg" post as you bleed out.

No blid, my point is that hard work and education and marketable skills should have value. Anybody can stock groceries, not very many people can clean up 10 acres of contaminated drinking groundwater.

Your teenaged kids making $15 an hour are going to drive up prices for EVERYTHING and the middle class will see zero benefit from it. All it will accomplish is to make it more expensive to put a bowl of cereal on the table for my kids. Do you think my wages will double? Of course not, as usual, ill get stuck footing the bill for the whole fluffing thing. My kids will have to work that much harder to get to where I am and the value of ambition will die a little more.

Take an economics class blid, earn your fluffing raise the old fashioned way.

I am not reading all of this but anyone that thinks raising the minimum wage won't lead to a 100% compensation in service and product prices is misinformed at best.

Big corporations aren't going to absorb a single cent. Even if they aren't as effected by minimum wage increase they will still figure it in to the cost they pass down. Medium businesses can't afford to absorb much and the ones that will one day become big businesses won't and will increase their prices regardless of effect following the path of big business.
Retail and food service is the largest employer of minimum wage and will also take the largest hit from increased product and services passed down the line. Small business will be dead, they don't have the money to pay their employees as is, they are the largest user of external services, and with product prices going to rise they will have no leverage to remain competitive.

In the end minimum wage employees will be in the exact same position they are now, everyone's cost of living will go up proportionally, only minimum wage employees are likely to see a pay increase, small business will be dead, and luxury/non-necessity goods will be unobtainable for most of the world.

In summation anyone that agrees with this movement is ignorant at best and an unfathomably dangerous retard at worst.

Symac, there *does* exist a point where it's more efficient to absorb an income hit than to pass it on to consumers. For example, if McDonald's desides fluff it, let's charge $2 for the McDouble, but Burger King says "hmm, say, let's absorb this wage increase in our profit line" and keeps selling BK Jr's for $1, and customers move to BK, BK will be the winner there, not McD's. I think you're ignoring the market's impact here. So, although I don't find your post disgusting like archaic's, who, seriously, is a monster, I do believe you are wrong.

So basically your saying, that a large portion of the country, shouldn't be able to afford to go out to a nice dinner once a month, so that your luxury items like a speed boat, are now "untouchable" when the price involved in the creation of the boat is maybe 5% labor? And would go up maybe 2.5%?

If we had a government, as set forth by our founding fathers (aka the constitution), this wouldn't be a problem. Only an idiot believes governments can solve problems. In fact, they create problems, complain about them, and then only halfass fix the problem they created.

You would be surprised how well a society would function without a fascist government standing in their way. Again, read the book and understand what motivates an individual before making stupid comments.

Read the book? What book. Your post sounds like a simpleton's solution to the world and everything.

Lol, now I realize your just trolling blid. For a while your Pol Pot economic model had me riled up. Well played blid, well played.

70k a year makes me a rich bourgeois monster. Yuk yuk.

Good stuff.

No, earning 70k does not make you a monster, saying people working full-time should be forbidden from making half that a year does. You're a sick piece of fluff seriously, you have a problem with people working 40 hours a week making half of what you make?? What's going on with your ego here?

I worked HARD, no one should be able to make 1/10th of what I make! Because I worked so hard!

WHY?

WHY, IF I CHOOSE (AS I DID) A LOW PAYING OCCUPATION (WHICH I ENJOYED) SHOULD I NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING MY OWN WAY? WHY IS IT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EVERYONE ELSE TO PAY MY BILLS?

AND REALLY, I *DIDN'T* HAVE TO WORK OVERTIME. I COULD HAVE RELIED ON THE GOVERNMENT TO STEAL MORE OF THE FRUITS OF MY NEIGHBOR'S LABOR AND GIVE IT TO ME. I CHOSE NOT TO DO THAT, BECAUSE I HAVE NO RIGHT TO STEAL WHAT SOMEONE ELSE HAS EARNED WITH THEIR OWN WORK.

I CHOSE TO WORK TO IMPROVE MY FINANCIAL SITUATION, RATHER THAN INSISTING THAT OTHERS SHOULD DO IT FOR ME. BECAUSE I'M SUCH GREEDY "fluffING SCUM"

If you believe I am wrong, you are woefully misinformed in how big business operates. First off both of those are publicly traded companies. They have an obligation to their shareholders to squeeze the every penny out of their customers. You don't find it odd how almost every fast food place sells their stuff at near the same price as their competitors? Call it non-cooperative price fixing, call it the SEC is blind or worse, call it what you want but companies will find the balance.

I also hate to tell you this but archaic's post above mine is on the money. In the end the middle class will front the bill. All so the minimum wage employees will make more money with a 0 net gain, and 1/4 to 1/2 of them will be unemployed. Open 24hours establishments will be no more, small business will be dead, medium sized service providers will be dead, you will never speak to an american when you call a customer service or tech support line again.