Posted on 04/03/2014 8:13:38 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Ladies and gentlemen, I’m Joe Biden. I’m filling in for President Obama, who is abroad.
I want to talk to you today about the minimum wage and the overwhelming need to raise the minimum wage. There’s no reason in the world why an American working 40 hours a week has to live in poverty. But right now a worker earning the federal minimum wage makes about $14,500 a year. And you all know that's incredibly hard for an individual to live on, let alone raise a family on.
But if we raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour, that same worker will be making $20,200 a year—and with existing tax credits would earn enough to bring that family or a family of four out of poverty. But there’s a lot of good reasons why raising the minimum wage makes sense.
Not only would it put more hard-earned money into the pockets of 28 million Americans, moving millions of them out of poverty, it’s also good for business. And let me tell you why.
There’s clear data that shows fair wages generate loyalty of workers to their employers, which has the benefit of increasing productivity and leading to less turn over. It’s really good for the economy as a whole because raising the minimum wage would generate an additional $19 billion in additional income for people who need it the most.
The big difference between giving a raise in the minimum wage instead of a tax break to the very wealthy is the minimum wage worker will go out and spend every penny of it because they're living on the edge. They’ll spend it in the local economy. They need it to pay their electric bill, put gas in their automobile, to buy fundamental necessities. And this generates economic growth in their communities.
And I’m not the only one who recognizes these benefits. Companies big and small recognize it as well. I was recently in Atlanta, Georgia, and met the owner of a small advertising company, a guy named Darien. He independently raised the wages of his workers to $10.10 an hour. But large companies, as well, Costco and the Gap—they're choosing to pay their employees higher starting wages.
A growing list of governors are also raising wages in their states – the minimum wage. They join the President who raised the minimum wage for employees of federal contractors like the folks serving our troops meals on our bases. They're all doing this for a simple reason. Raising the minimum wage will help hardworking people rise out of poverty.
It’s good for business. It’s helpful to the overall economy. And there’s one more important benefit. Right now women make up more than half of the workers who would benefit from increasing the minimum wage. Folks, a low minimum wage is one of the reasons why women in America make only 77 cents on a dollar that every man makes. But by raising the minimum wage, we can close that gap by 5 percent. And it matters. It matters to a lot of hardworking families, particularly moms raising families on the minimum wage.
And one more thing, folks—it’s what the American people want to do. Three out of four Americans support raising the minimum wage. They know this is the right and fair thing to do, and the good thing to do for the economy. So it’s time for Congress to get behind the minimum wage bill offered by Tom Harkin of Iowa and Congressman George Miller of California—the proposal that would raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $10.10 an hour.
So ask your representatives who oppose raising the federal minimum wage—why do they oppose it? How can we look at the men and women providing basic services to us all, like cleaning our offices, caring for our children, serving in our restaurants and so many other areas—how can we say they don't deserve enough pay to take them out of poverty?
The President and I think they deserve it. And we think a lot of you do too. So, folks, it’s time to act. It’s time to give America a raise.
Thanks for listening and have a great weekend. God bless you all and may God protect our troops.
Hey Joe, why not $60.10 an hour?
No amount of gimmicks will fix this turkey!
The way to get people earning more is to remove the unproductive jobs (government pencil pushes and nose gazers) and encourage productive jobs (don’t tax them so much).
This is looking libertarian, believe it or not.
Why so stingy? Make it $100,000 an hour and we’ll all be rich! Government waves its magic wand and abolishes the laws of economics. Biden must be vying for Boob of the Year.
Question...is he really that stupid or he is sly and conniving and understands what all demagogues have about what appeals to the ignorant.
Dear Joe:
No, it won’t. A real economic recovery with actual job growth, however, will enable millions of people to feed themselves without the nanny state interference.
Slow Joe knows all about doing a minimum job.
Just like 2 blasts off the porch from a double-barreled shotgun is the Biden-approved way to defend you home.
And jobs that PRODUCE things. The army of paper pushing busy bodies that is most US government today is not such! You want rich men’s money? Well, make something to sell to the rich men! Pencil pushing busy bodying is NOT such an item!
Ah, he couldn’t win a gunfight with Elmer Fudd.
If Joe was a light he’d be on the dashboard of an Edsel.
That is the RESOLUTE DESK, fashioned from the timbers of the British warship HMS Resolute. It was a gift from the British to President Hayes in 1880. The Moron-n-Thief HATES the Brits due to his delusional fabrication about them having imprisoned and tortured his father when Kenya was still a British colony. That's BS on two levels: It never happened and FRANK MARSHALL DAVIS (his biological baby daddy) was NEVER IN KENYA!
If by empower you mean send millions more to food stamps and unemployment, then yes, yes you're right, you plagiaristic moron! Why does Joe always come off as the child that ate the lead paint chips off the window sill?
And also get a lot of people laid off.
No, it will raise prices on everyone after the 2014 elections. Douche bag... why do we tolerate these f**
That recently circulated Joe Biden cartoon was great......Joe Biden, solid as a rock...but just not as smart.
Joe Biden,,,, Feeding Millions of Americans, since 2009! Yep The VIce Farmer!!
Why does the left have such difficulty with the simplist of simple concepts?: If you want to sell more of something, make it cheaper. Put another way: if you want more people working, make labor cheaper. If you want less people working, make labor more expensive. If you can’t sell your car or house, how many people would respond to that by raising the price? Well...apparenlu Joe Biden would.
On a larger macro-econmic scale, when the economy is good, labor has the advantage and that’s when they are positioned to ask for more money becuase their service is in demand. When the economy is weak, business has the advantage. Today, however; , the economy is weak. This means labor is at a disadvantage and business can be more choosey and pay less.
The government, by raising the minimum wage, is putting labor at even more of a disadvantage. I know this is egg-head stuff, but someone better break out the econ 101 book in the Democratic party because this concept completely escapes them.
Here’s another story. A city owned golf course where I live wasn’t making enough money and was close to going out of business. To try to survive and close the financial short-fall gap, they raised their prices on the customers who were showing up. Of course, the higher prices meant even less play (shock!!!) and they went out of business.
A city with even one brain cell in their collective head They would have lowered prices, got increased play, and stayed in business, but again ....Democrats don’t understand that by lowering prices, they would have had more customers which would mean more money, but also more work....which they didn’t want to do. They did not understand another obvious fact: when the economy is weak you have to work harder for the dollar....not make it harder for the customer to pay you for your product.
I’m certain the minimum wage will be raised. Less people will then be emplyed as a result. The Dems will react by giving more government money away....and the world will keep on turning...until the financial colapse hits...which will be blamed on big business....naturally.
Can we please get a leader in this country who can explain what I just wrote above (and other points) to the dunderheads who make up the voting population!! It’s desperation time and no one knows or even cares because....well.....the government is handling it....even though they aren’t.
Ughhh!!! I’m depresed.
.
In sales I have made between $900 and $40,000 a day. On the flip side, I was guaranteed exactly NOTHING if I didn’t make a sale.
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