iwould like to know why we the people of louisiana why can,t we get a cost of living raise? we all work hard?
149863
Well I live in Texas and I would like one too...but, I believe it is up to the owners of the company you work for.
263398
We have WORKING Americans who are not even afforded these luxuries.  Paying for noncontributors and not even being able attain these services themselves is not fair. This is what is making health care, college education, etc. unattainable to working class people.  Why should we pay for them when we can't get these things ourselves?
477300
This is America a court of law can not make you do anything, they can order for you to comply with a judges order, and if you do not then you can be sentenced to jail.  As far as mandating an individual to work, well lets look at Louisiana, if courts could make people work then the people of louisiana would be out cleaning up their mess and rebuilding their homes and not waiting on yet another govenment funded program to help them live.  Is this cruel to say.  you bet it is, but usually the truth is cruel.  If America wants to get rid of the deficit then get rid of walfare, can you imagine the money the government could save if it could mandate all capable bodies to get a job.  That would be a huge relieve on me and my family.
554040
stop corporate America from stealing everybodys life savings at retirement so we have something to look forward too. cost of living goes up, wages stay the same, that can't be good. faith cannot do it all. in the end, it's just money. and you can't take it with you...
217672
i am from the hurricane area and there is big bucks to be made here..... the more workers the better..... it still looks like hell here..... i dont know that fema is looking but you can come here yourself and do it or you can find someone to work with..... i know people that live here and started to do this work and are now just short of 1 million dollars in their accounts....but those are the money hungry peeps..... so i dont know... you can volunteer or you can charge... which ever way the people will be thankfull... the waiting periods are so long right now....
825522
I am hard working (a mason) and a Republican.In fact I might even be able to benefit from Democrat control as my son is disabled and I am a single parent .I simply believe we should do our best to provide for ourselves and that this is a land of opportunity.I don't have money in the market but I want those that do to do well if they can then that means a better chance for me.\n Our economy is great employment is great I am at a loss as to what the new direction is.
243611
In Louisiana, you can demand $ 5.00 an hour, per child. If they realise that their children get along fine in your care, parents might soon start paying you even more - but first, you will have to prove your worth, and deserve the raise !
693960
Illegals drive down the standard of living for our middle class and reduce wages for our working class so that they become no longer self sufficient.  I suspect you are talking about a different country than I am.\n\nWhere I am, taxpayers are subsidizing cheap labor for corporations which benefits illegal workers who may have new opportunities we pay for and benefits corporations who expand operations abroad, but does very little for us.  They say the price of produce would go up if we had no illegals.  However, studies have shown that it would go up $10 per year for a family of four, because labor is such a small part of the price of produce.\n\nI'd pay $10 a year, heck, I'd pay $100 a year, if my kids' schools would return to the educational standards they had 30 years ago.\n\nNot to mention that my taxes would go down at least $1,500 per year from not having to pay for their services, according to other studies I have seen.
710423
Looks like you already answered your question. Sickening isn't it?\n\nGalaxy500: Hey slick, could you please explain for me just how an increase in minimum wage makes people want to stay on welfare?\nThis should be a real hoot.
16683
I agree with bd, we help other countries more than we help our own and these people need our help. I understand your point but look at the monies our government wastes on less important issues. This one my friend is the best way I have seen in a long time to spend money, and if we don't rebuild New Orleans, what state is next? in a 100 years who knows what the earth will look like but I am all for preserving what we have and rebuilding when tragedy strikes.
678369
Obviuosly you are one of those who think only rich housewives benefit from immigrant labor. Agribusiness and a lot of manufacturers in the south rely heavily on illegal immigrants. Why would it not go up? I'm surprised it didn't go up more, but I guess the big guys waited to see what the backlash was.
490542
Would everyone like to earn more money?  Sure thing, from that standpoint it sounds great.\n\nBut the problem is this, when you raise the minimum wage, prices will go up in the market, reducing the effect of the wage increase.  Job availibily will go down, because the USA will become less competitive on the international market from a price standpoint.  The same people who received the "raise" will have the highest potential to lose their job.\n\nIf you look at the minimum wage as what you're going to earn, then you need to wake up, start learning some new things, find a new way to earn, find a better job, do something different.\n\nIf you're living in the USA and making minimum wage, it's your choice, opportunity is available, you just have to pursue it everyday!!
698925
This is a difficult question... \nFirst min. Wage was enacted to be a living wage which it was at first. If it had kept up with inflation it would be well over $12 an hour( I did an upper level paper on this and I have a degree in Labor studies) The problem is while the cost of labor has really only risen a small percentage the cost of the same goods that could be obtained with that salary is now out of reach. so min wage needs to be raised.    Min. Wage is supposed to be a living wage and can be raised by individual states the Federal government just sets a rock bottom minimum.\n$5-6 dollar an hour jobs cannot support an economy.... It is kind of a snow ball effect.. .\nThe problem is people skilled or unskilled are fighting over any jobs that pay a living wage... There should be  a salary gap for skilled workers but our economy is leaning the other direction.
118726
The cost of living has gone up tremendously. The living wage has not. So, overall, I would say most are really struggling to afford to live A very elite few are getting by, actually paying their way without using credit. Very few!
115987
Can liberals think for themselves or they just spit out the talking points the DNC gives them?\n\nSS needs to be reformed.  Any program that takes 15% of your money at gunpoint and gives you a rate of return of about 2% is just wrong.  What if you die at 58?  Your heirs get $255.  \n\nW's reform plan is a good one.  Keep most of the revenue going in to the program to pay for the retirees AND allow younger workers to start their own accounts.  Every 5-10 years increase the percentage we can put into our own accounts.  In a generation we will all have our own accounts and not have to worry about the government borrowing from SS.  Then if we die at 58 our savings go to our heirs as it should.\n\nThe only reason liberals want to keep SS is because EVERY election they threaten old people that Republicans will take away their SS if you elect them.  They have been saying that for at least 25 years (thats as long as I have been paying attention) and it hasn't happened yet.
1029807
2 nations and 1US state pay not tax the residents. Kuwait pays $58,000 y, no rent, utilites, phone, hospital,  or income tax bills!  I know it's oil! Oil is just 1 of thousands of commodities. With all the commodities in your state why aren't you getting paid?  With all the resources of the Feds why aren't they paying 50 times better than Alaska.  With all 3 systems working right now; why aren't the Feds taking the best from each system and doing better than Kuwaities at paying US! No tax is the only fair way! The US got by for 160 years without income taxes.  If you owned a company and you paid salaries as big as our Reps get and they never earned you a profit, so they never did any real work, how long would wait before you fired them and brought in a whole new management team? So with 3 other Govs paying their people, how long will you wait to get paid and not taxed? The Dems and Reps have known about this for 30 years, how much longer do they get to stay in office, tax you, and lie about why taxes are needed?
986996
The simple answer is: because they can!  Something happens to people who go to Washington DC that makes them greedy.  They (usually) are making less money than they would if they were CEOs or private-practice lawyers, so they keep increasing their salaries.  They seem to forget that the average working person does not get nearly the benefits that they do, yet must pay for all of the "pork" in the spending budgets.  Their salaries must be kept separate from the minimum wage, though:  The minimum wage was put in place to maintain a floor for people beginning to work.  It was considered a starting point.  The minimum wage was never intended to be the "living wage" that we hear about from those who want it raised.