House Conservatives Circulate Letter on Minimum Wage

FreedomWorks ^

[Solow591]

Despite the clear economic case against a higher federal minimum wage, "moderates" in Congress are continuing the push the issue. Fortunately, House conservatives are not going along with this misguided effort, and members of the Republican Study Committee circulated this letter on Capitol Hill yesterday.

[Hydroshock]

Then you think that social and crunchy cons have no place here?

[mwl1]

This is bad policy but good politics for the GOP for the 2006 election cycle.

Contrary to some assertions, this will take a major issue away from the RATS and their media handmaidens.

[leprechaun9]

A principal reason for this is an infusion of Money into Social Security. Those earning MINIMUM WAGE pay little or NO INCOME TAX.

However, they pay Social Security on every dollar they earn!

INDIVIDUAL INCOME TAX PAYERS:
Top 5% pay 55% of the total.
Bottom 50% pay <4% of the total.

[Hendrix]

"There is the hope/assumption that a rising minimum wage will lift all salaries close to it. Couple the minimum wage with gas company profits and you have five good paragraphs of a stump speech. The republicans need to point to one concrete thing that they've done that voters feel every day."

Well why we are at it, why don't we just propose adopting all the democrat economic points, including free universal health care. It is a very bad idea to adopt bad policy just to try to win elections. The best way to win elections is the Reagan way, which is to espouse conservative principals and explain why they are superior to the big government liberal policies.

[Mrs. Darla Ruth Schwerin]

In my opinion, agreeing or disagreeing with a minimum wage increase is not the point. In view of the exhorbitant salaries claimed by all of Congress, how can they have the nerve to tell Working People what they should or should not be paid. If they are really so concerned about the everyday Janice & Joe, they should clean up their own house before attempting to straighten up ours...

[Petronski]

Just hammer away at it.

The solution is to stand on principle, not surrender points because they hammer them.

[Hydroshock]

I know I went to one recently. It went well, not like my first one where the entire church heard the Priest from inside the confessional yell, "YOU DID WHAT!!!!!!" after I started. But hey what are a few hundred Hail Mary's and Our Fathers anyway. ;)

[Andrewksu]

minimum wage increase = increased costs of labor = higher product cost.

results Higher product cost = spending the magical wage increase on more expensive product = 0 gain
Higher products cost = more room for foreign products to take market share = massive US job loss.

Higher labors costs = dropping the lower echelon of employees and replacing with outsourcing/mechanizing/computerizing = no job = welfare

There is nothing to be gained, only lost

Economic newtons third law.

[Petronski]

Havoc isn't what you'd call a big thinker.

[durasell]

The first Reagan victory was a quarter century ago. The world has changed.

I'm not advocating the adoption of dem principles. I'm advocating giving the voters something concrete in terms of policy.

[the OlLine Rebel]

Good point!

[durasell]

The solution is to stand on principle...





We are talking about politics, right?

[Andrewksu]

yes, balance shifts to china/india/mexico

too bad for us though

[Hendrix]

That is the point. Government should not be in the business of telling anyone what they should or should not be getting paid in the private sector. That is not the function of government. Congress is working for the government, and thus their salary should be set by the government. See the distinction?

[Petronski]

We are talking about politics, right?

Power is either a means to achieve certain principled changes, or it is power for power's sake.

[Dead Corpse]

Contrary to some assertions, this will take a major issue away from the RATS and their media handmaidens.

More "defeat the Dems by becoming Dems" Bravo Sierra.

You people are going to get us all killed.

[Young Scholar]

Do you think really for one minute that congress can keep not raising the minimum wage, and that when they do it will be a big one.

Conservative economic policies have been successfully sold to the electorate in the past; it would help if the Republicans would at least try here. Nothing was more pathetic than Bush's response to the minimum wage question in the 2004 debate, in which, instead of publicly making the case that the minimum wage hurt the poor and the economy as a whole, he advocated an increase--only one smaller than Kerry's proposal.

[Hendrix]

Yes, you are advocating democrat principals. Reagan is the blueprint, and we deviate from that blueprint, we deserve to lose because we are no different than democrats. If I want democrat principals such as minimum wage, I will just vote for the real deal, which is democrats. What you say makes no sense.

[Seamoth]

"social and crunchy cons" have a place here. Idiot conservatives, OTOH...

[durasell]

"People who enjoy eating sausage and obeying the law should not watch either being made" - Otto von Bismarck