Posted on 05/11/2014 12:03:54 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
In the past few days, three candidates who ran for the last Republican presidential nomination, including nominee Mitt Romney, have endorsed a higher minimum wage.
Yahoo!Finance asks Mitt Romney Calls for Higher Minimum Wage. Does it Matter?
Mitt Romney, the GOP presidential nominee in 2012, called on Republicans Friday to raise the minimum wage, going against the congressional leadership of his own party.
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"I think we ought to raise it, because frankly, our party is all about more jobs and better pay, and I think communicating that is important to us," Mr. Romney said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
In recent days, two other Republican presidential hopefuls from 2012 – former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania – have also called for a minimum wage hike. The trend may signal that in presidential politics, some Republicans see the issue as a way to soften the party’s image across a broad electorate.
On MSNBC, Romney linked his support for a higher minimum wage to the GOP’s effort to reach out to working Americans, including Hispanics. Romney lost the Hispanic vote to President Obama, 71 percent to 27 percent.
“I also believe that key for our party is to be able to convince the people who are in the working population, particularly the Hispanic community, that our party will help them get better jobs and better wages,” Romney said.
Matter in What Sense?
The senate has blocked debate on the issue. It needs 60 votes to advance but only has 52. The fact that Mitt Romney flip-flopped twice (from for, to against, to for) does not change Senate math.
Nonetheless, Romney's flip-flopping does raise this question once again: From Obamacare to war-mongering to minimum wage, what real differences were there between Obama and Romney?
About all I can come up with is war-mongering and abortion. On the war-mongering front I remain convinced that if Romney had won the US would have attacked Iran and we would be engaged in a hopeless trade war with China.
Non-Differences
There are probably a few other differences, but arguably not on anything the President can directly control. Here are some distinct non-differences.
The 2012 election offered a classic choice of Tweedle-Dum vs. Tweedle-Dee. I said so at the time and numerous Republicans attacked me for that view.
Perhaps Republicans can see the truth now, but I doubt it. Self-assessment by bureaucrats and political parties is about zero.
Hopefully the 2016 election provides a real choice. Don't count on it. However, you can count on bluster, huffing and puffing, finger-pointing, and name calling even if there are few real differences.
I in response to this clearly political stand, say instead of paying fewer than ever Americans to actually work, how about the GOP stops sending US jobs to other countries, bring back American jobs to America.
And let the market decide what people make.
RE: how about the GOP stops sending US jobs to other countries, bring back American jobs to America.
And how do you do that short of making it illegal to do so?
The nursery rhyme Three Blind Mice keeps running through my head, especially that “See how they run!” part.
Same thing China does.
China has been absorbing American companies now for 20 years or more.
We start to use laws to make American companies, hire in American.
Simple. I know I’ll catch a lot of opposition to that, but there it is.
America needs to support, nurture and build up American companies.
We need to stop sending jobs to other countries.
America needs to employ people.
Right here.
WOW these people really need to review how well these same things have worked in previous history and act accordingly.
Why would we vote for those who do not get it...if a government continues to do the same things expecting a different result, well, that says it all.
Raising the minimum wage in The Great Depression era did not work then, and will not work now. That is not the way to raise minimum wage, it should only be raised in prosperous times, when an oversupply of jobs and money warrant it. The impact is minimized by the surplus of money and employment.
None of the three fit to be in the GOP.
Although they sell themselves as being two separate parties, America is still a one party system. The GOP has just branded itself as the “lesser of two evils” party. Essentially, they’re the same.
Reduce the corporate taxes, we are about the highest in the world
I am not positive that this loses jobs. San Francisco and Seattle both have much higher minimum wage than the country and they both have jobs available. Now I think it is dumb for Republicans to use this as the reason to not raise the minimum wage. I would use it as a freedom lost to companies and small businesses. They should chose what they want to pay their employees. But once again the Republicans have to lie and say it causes jobs to be lose which is not true at all. In fact most places don’t even pay with minimum wage but more.
The median income in 2012 was $50,099 and at the same rate of 39% as in 1972, the Minimum Wage would correspond to $9.39 vs the current actual Minimum Wage rate of $7.25.
So, I don't see these guy's position being 'radical'.
Right here."
I'll go out on a limb here and state what many conservatives consider abhorent.
You cannot have free trade with a mercantilist country. Or a protectionist country.
We must tariff every product that comes from any country that does not have absolutely free trade themselves.
Every stinkin' one of them.
"Commodities can be tariff free, but no finished products as long as they are restricting absolutely and totally free market access to American companies.
Check out The Fair Tax. It would bring so many jobs to the U.S. it would make your head spin I believe.
What can Romney, Pawlenty, and Santorum do to distinguish themselves from Democrats?
One thing that no one is doing is helping the small businesses pay for the hike in wages. Maybe the proponents of an increase in the minimum wage can perform a simple economic analysis to predict how many jobs will be lost so businesses can "pay" for the increase in wages.
Maybe they can use the economic analysis to identify how business expenses can be lowered by decreased taxes, decreased regulation to provide the additional income needed to pay higher wages for the same work.
Do not wait up the hear from anyone on this. The Democrats will say that is not relevant because the greedy business owners already have the money to pay more.
The Republicans do not care because they want to get on the bandwagon to get rid of the issue.
America is currently running a MASSIVE trade deficit.
Our government could bring back US industry, as well as improve our nation’s financial picture immediately, by enacting trade barriers on countries which run big trade surpluses with America.
Tariffs would be income for our government.
American markets would be markets for factories, for goods made right here once again.
Bring back American production.
Bears repeating: 'None of the three fit to be in the GOP.'
So the first thing that RINOs Romney, Pawlenty and Santorum need to do with respect to pushing for higher federal minimum wage is the following. They need to encourage Congress to propose a minimum wage amendment to the Constitution to the states for ratification. And if the states should choose to ratify the proposed amendment, then Congress will have the constitutional authority that it needs to regulate such wages and Romney, Pawlenty and Santorum will be heroes.
Otherwise, beware of corrupt federal politicians who take advantange of low-information voters, voters who have never been taught the federal government's constitutionally limted powers. Such politicans exploit low-information voters by making constitutionally indefinsible promises about what they will do for the voters once elected, like raising minimum wage.
Don’t ever trust a Pubbie above the Mason-Dixon Line!
In Texas, any Pubbie from “up north” is just a “moderate DemocRAT”
We don’t call it the “Stupid Party” for nothing. There are three I won’t vote for even if nominated.
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