Raise of minimum wage to $6.25 defeated

The Chicago Sun-Times ^ | 10/20/2005 | Jim Abrams

[NapkinUser]

WASHINGTON -- Senate proposals to raise the minimum wage were rejected Wednesday, making it unlikely that the lowest allowable wage, $5.15 an hour since 1997, will rise in the foreseeable future.

A labor-backed measure by Sen. Edward Kennedy would have raised the minimum to $6.25 over an 18-month period.

[Uncledave]

good

[Stellar Dendrite]

fantastic!

[ncountylee]

What do life guards make these days?

Memo to Teddy's liver: Do your duty!

[flashbunny]

"A labor-backed measure "

Because many union contracts are tied to the minimum wage.

Raise the minimum wage, a bunch of union workers automatically get raises.

Voila! Inflation all around.

[claptrap]

Who cares? Anyone who wants a higher minumum wage
is not skilled enough to command a decent wage.
They also might be a politician, it doesnt matter what
the party affiliation is because they are both all liars.
Except Weldon.

[saveliberty]

A labor-backed measure by Sen. Edward Kennedy would have raised the minimum to $6.25 over an 18-month period.

....which illustrates that Senator Ted doesn't know how to create or kill capital.

Or maybe he does.

[saveliberty]

More paid per hour. Fewer hours, fewer people working.

More people demanding government services.

It works for Senator Ted.

Just not for those who are less fortunate.

[Graybeard58]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1506118/posts

[Reaganesque]

Funny how Mr. Kennedy always brings up the Minimum Wage issue only in election years.

[mc6809e]

What I don't get is why the government feels it has the right to force one group (business owners) to provide charity for low skill workers.

Of course it creates unemployment, but the GOAL is to help those people out. Why must a presumably public social good be entirely paid for by private businesses?

The minimum wage law is so bad in so many ways.

The best compromise I can think of is to get rid of the minimum wage but have a kind of "matching funds" mechanism that the government pays for. It's not ideal. I don't don't think the government should pay for such things, but I don't think a minimum wage is a good idea, either. The public, however, wants SOMETHING. Public funding of a public good is more fair than burdening businesses with this and causing unemployment.

[NapkinUser]

Two victories today. This and the passage of S. 397.

[dynachrome]

You oughtta see the some of the mooks the company I work for gets out of the temporary agency for $8.50 an hour.

[staytrue]

Are we allowed to still volunteer ? I think that means doing work for zero dollars per hour.

Further what about the entreprenuer who often works for less than zero dollars per hour when a project fails and loses money.

[Republican Wildcat]

$6.25 hardly matters as that's likely below the equilibrium wage.

Knowing Teddy, he probably had some other things piggy-backing on it.

[SmoothTalker]

Some good news out of congress. Now if we can just get some spending cuts and do something about the borders!

[genghis]

I wish someone would explain to me why it is better to work at an unplesant job for $6.25/hr than a pleasant job at $5.25?
And why do those geniuses in congress think that employers and employees won't start trading along a different margin making both worse off?

[swmobuffalo]

Apparently there are a few unacquainted with the trials of minimum wage jobs and the fact that you can't support a family on one even at 40 hours a week.

[endthematrix]

Awe shucks! I thought we could get $50k living wage salary...less tax of course!

[LadyNavyVet]

If someone doesn't have the skills to earn more than minimum wage, they have no business having children. Nobody's entitled to a certain income just because they have a family to support.