who do you feel about the minimum wage raise?
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!!
932200
NOT true. However a minimum wage increase is on the communist agenda right after #1 CUT and RUN and #2 Aletrnative Energy.
477321
its a short term fix. it doesnt address the real problem of inflation. after min wage goes up all other prices go up from rent to cheeseburgers. costs of producing goes up causes costs of living goes up. for those who make just above min wage there is no pay raise just cost raise. the only ones this never effects are the wealthy. very bad idea. its exactly the same as when unions go on strike. the companies that employ them have to charge more to cover whatever the unions were demanding. this has a ripple effect driving prices of everything up eventually forcing the unions to strike again next year usually for the same things they were demanding last time. heres our show on money, listen to what dr griffin has to say http://www.philipdru.com/griffin_stream.html
1168486
Yes.  Anyone who claims there will be massive job loss and companies going bankrupt due to a minimum wage increase has no knowledge of history.  No minimum wage increase in history has resulted in that.
774018
I don't know anyone who works for minimum wage, but a raise in the rate will not help. The greatest misconception about minimum wage is the idea that it is a living wage. Minimum wage is not and was never intended as such. It is a benchmark rate for workers entering the system. It is assumed that the average worker will gain skills and either move up in their current company, or change positions based on their acquired experience. The reason minimum wage does not help anyone is related to economic cause and effect. If the price of labor increases then the prices of goods and services must also increase to reflect the added cost of doing business. Therefore while you make more money you will also be forced to pay higher prices thus eliminating your surplus income.
799671
so lets raise min wage and allow illegal immigrants.  who do you thank will be fired and who will be then hired.  how much money will that take out of the min wage workers hands?  all maybe?
759642
Your boss is right! If the minimum wage goes up, so will unemployment! Did you ever think about looking for a job somewhere other than a fast food restaurant? Maybe you haven't noticed, but the economy is the best it's been in a long time and the unemployment rate is at 4.4 % which is lower than the average for the last 30 years!  You see, Bush did something right, and it's all because of the tax cuts (which everyone got! Not just the rich like you left wingers seem to think)
135152
This is a hard question to answer. As the minimum wage increases so also does the cost of living. Those people paying minimum wages often raise the cost of the product to compensate for the increase of the cost of manufaturing it. After all they are in business to make money. I think we should look at better ways to decrease the cost of living for those that need it such as no tax on food, keeping the cost of gas lower, better and cheaper medical. These would actually increase the persons potential to survive in a heathier state and not have to work 2 or three jobs to make ends meet.
371423
I worked for the minimum wage for nearly 3 years in a coffee/shop retaurant ran and owned by my uncle....\n\ni was finally upgaded after that, i left for a short period but came back again as i need money to see my love.\n\nit sucks to work for minimum wage, i am now earning a pound more than the minimum wage, which is not bad for part time work
476924
The United States Congress is currently considering a law that would increase minimum wage to about $7.25. I am just above the current minimum wage and would love to make $7.25, the only problem is economic effects that this could have on the country. Due to the huge rise in wages companies would have to pay out, they would be forced to raise prices to make up for that difference. That would cause the standard of living to increase, which would have a negative impact on our economy and perhaps bringing us back to this same issue. Again I do believe in a high minimum wage, but perhaps (and hopefully) smaller increases over a long period of time would remedy this problem.
887758
No\n\nThe point your trying to make is that a price floor actually creates a shortage.  That is classic economic principles at work.  Lets let go of the emotion and think.  For all of those who think that those earning minimum wage would be better off if we raised minimum wage, consider this:\n\nWhat if, due to the higher cost of labor, businesses hired less people and those people who had the jobs get fired in an attempt by the business to cut costs.  Then their lives would get a lot harder.  Other companies would be doing the same thing.  They may not be able to get any job.  What then?  How are they going to feed their families.  \n\nIts a hard decision to make.  but it is a fact.  Price floors create shortages. To help the unfortunate... what do you do.\n\nThe deeper concepts are that the market sets the price that labor is worth.  If a business cant find any people to do the job that it needs done they raise wages.  The law of supply and demand.  Lots of fast food places don't even pay min wage.  The harsh truth is that if the job that these people were doing was worth more to the business they would be paid more.  When you force a business to pay someone more than they are worth (whether that arbitrary price keeps up with inflation or not) they will take certain steps to require less help from labor.  Mechanize or whatever they need to do.  Jobs will decrease.  \n\nAnyone who is in desperate need of higher min wage should think about moving to New Mexico.  Their min wage is like 9 bucks an hour.  Why are people not stumbling over themselves to go there?  Because there aren't enough jobs to go around.  The price floor of wages has created a shortage and has slowed economic growth.  This is a real life example.
1076813
When the government sets a value for something, rather than the free market, there will be consequences. When you raise the minimum wage, you do two things. One, you make the cost of unskilled labor rise, sometimes higher than the actual value of the labor. Two, you devalue the people who have proven that they are worth more.\n\nIf I am paying a person $ 6.00 per hour, that is what he is worth to me. If he can find a job paying more, he is free to do so with my blessing! \n\nLook at this situation, for an example:\n\nI have two workers. One I hired last month, and am paying $6.00 per hour. He is still learning the job, and I have to spend time training him! The other worker has been with me for a year, and is making $7.00 per hour. They both do the type of work, but the second worker is more valuable to me, because he is trained!\n\nIf the minimum wage is raised to $ 7.25 per hour, I have to make a business decision. I will have to raise the  pay of both employees to $7.25. The new guy is not woth that to me, so he is going to be laid off. My other worker will be given the raise, but he will actually be going backwards in reality. He had worked his way up to a higher pay rate, but now is back to minimum. Prices will go up, but his real pay  (in relation to the cost of living) will go down.\n\nIf a $7.25 minimum wage is good, why not raise it more. Why not $17.25? Why not $172.50?
957432
I used to work for McDonald's when minimum wage was $3.35 an hour.  We were supposedly entitled to an evaluation every so often with an accompanying raise.  When minimum wage went up a dollar more and we employees were up for our yearly evaluation and raise, we got a raise all right ... the cheapskate gave us a buck raise to meet minimum wage!  Believe me, if no one is willing to report management to the Board of Labor for whatever reason, they can get away with anything.
770735
Some people don't have the opportunity to get better jobs. For those stuck in a job paying minimum wage and trying to survive, a pay increase makes living bareable instead of almost impossible.\n\nAlso, for those saying a minimum wage increase is a wash for those effected are not looking at the whole picture. It might be a wash for the economy as whole because prices will go up to compensate, but those making minimum wage will NOT feel the effects of that as much as middle and upper class. Those making minimum wage would definitely benefit from minimum wage increase.
334947
At one time I managed a restaurant that was part of a nation wide chain of restaurants and I had the Regional Director explain the process to me. When Congress passes a law raising the minimum wage, companies raise their prices to cover the increase in paying the employees. They usually raise them well before the date so that when the increase in the minimum wage takes place the company will have a reserve of cash. Now if the minimum wage increase is small enough some companies will not change their prices as it isn't' cost effective to change every store, computer programs, and paperwork.
960022
Everyone making minimum wage will get a pay increase.  Some companies may compensate those who are making above minimum wage, but it's really, really rare.\n\n(When I was working in St. Charles, I was making $5.50/hr.  When the minimum wage increased to $5.15, my supervisor said that I wasn't making too much.  But my co-worker was originally making $5.18, but complained and threaten to quit.  So the supervisor gave him a $0.30 pay raise.)
1186633
Whats amazing about this is that, while voting down a minimum wage increase 9 times over the last 10 years, they've voted to increase their pay 7 times. How's that for hypocracy? \n\nI think Congress and the Senate should be paid the same way we pay them here in NH, $100 per year plus expenses.\n\nJust another point - About half of all hourly-paid workers earning $5.15 or less were over age 25. Over 3/4 of minimum wage workers work full time. Just disputing a few "facts" others have quoted without sources.