$9 minimum wage: Poverty reducer or job killer?

The Week ^ | February 13, 2013 | Harold Maass

[ExxonPatrolUs]

In perhaps the "most controversial proposal" in Tuesday night's State of the Union address, President Obama called for raising the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $9 an hour. "Even with the tax relief we've put in place, a family with two kids that earns the minimum wage still lives below the poverty line. That

[duckman]

It’s always been my impression that the minimum wage jobs were designed to give young people work skills/ethics or simply way to generate additional disposable income. They were never intended to be careers or to support a family. Please correct me if I am wrong.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

By Jove, you’ve got it CYC. Yes, those little gallons are so appreciative of the fact that you paid more for them that they try extra hard to give you more BTUs. They put out so much more for you so you can go the extra mile!

[Cringing Negativism Network]

Bump!

Bring back American jobs. To America.

Make things here. Buy American goods.

But leave the minimum wage alone. We are already overpriced as heck, on the world market.

Stop raising the minimum wage. Bring back US jobs.

[The Truth Will Make You Free]

The net result is that the initial euphoria that your low level employees will feel over having their wages raised across the board will quickly dampen when they find out that their cost of living has increased by almost the exact same amount as their wages. They will quickly be clamoring that they cannot make ends meet on their paltry $14.50 an hour and that something must be done.

And being in higher tax brackets will make people worse off.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Great explanation. Too bad low and no information voters don’t get this. There shouldn’t even be a minimum wage set by the government. It needs to be determined by market forces.