Post by TRIPWIRE on Sept 13, 2004 19:13:26 GMT -5
September 13, 2004
Minimum Wage
Written by David M. Hickerson
Originally posted at tripwire.hickersonfamily.net/2004_0913.html
I've been trying to figure out how it is that Kerry thinks that increasing the minimum wage will help Americans and our economy. I've been doing some reading on the subject just to get some different points of view and I've had more than one debate of a few of the forums I visit frequently, and my opinion is still unchanged. I think that overall the minimum wage is a good thing and has done what it was intended to do, but I am downright adamant that raising it up to 8$ an hour is outright lunacy.
My first reason is totaly selfish (at least I'll admit that). When I get a raise it is because I have either increased my performance/productivities or I've been given a more critical job function. I think it is unacceptable to give someone an unearned 60% increase in pay without giving me that same increase, which I know better than to ever expect.
A lot of people argue that everything has increased in price since 1997 (the last time the minimum wage was raised) so the minimum wage should raise with everything. I can at least see that as a possibly arguable point, but if minimum wage was recalculated with inflation I sincerely doubt that it would need to rise any more than to 6.15$-ish an hour. I only have information about item prices from 2000 and up (I didn't move out on my own til then) but since 2000 I have not noticed a notable increase in any of my necesary food items or toiletries. Bread has only gone up maybe 15 or 20 cents since then, and milk hasn't gone up any more significantly either. I don't believe these increases justify a massive
Another point... a friend of mine on Saturnfans brought this up and I've heard it mentioned before that you cannot raise a family on even 8$ an hour and things like car payments, auto insurance, and medical benefits are impossible to afford when you make so little... My argument on that is that the minimum wage was not established for the purpose of raising a family... cars (and thus car insurance), medical insurance, and other requirements for children are not expected to be paid for on a minimum wage job. Things like cars become massive luxury items when you look at it from the perspective of a minimum wage job.
Furthermore, it is not the federal government's place to baby us and make sure that every person has the ability to improve themselves and their place in life. It is my opinion that the government is actually specifically forbidden by the Constitution to do. Our Constitution does, in it's preamble, state "promote the general Welfare" but I do not believe that was intended to mean that the government is expected to control our lives. If we expect the government to help push us along constantly, why don't we just have them come into our homes and clean and cook and do everything else too? I personally perfer to keep the government constantly at a safe distance as far away from my life as possible. It is my opinion that "promote the general Welfare" was intended to mean to provide necesary services such as schools, police, etc, things of that nature, not to provide for our every need. Of course, my opinions are always debatable so I guess I should expect some argument on that point.
The only convincing argument I've heard for the minimum wage is the fact that if it had kept pace with inflation since 1968 it would be close to 8.50$ an hour. Was that the intent of lawmakers in 1968? I'm not certain of that; it is my opinion that when lawmakers set the minimum wage at 1.60$ an hour back then it was to prevent factories from exploiting their workers with dismaly lower wages. Today, these factories, and new ones like them, are paying their workers well above the minimum wage (Line workers at Honda employed thru Adecco start above 11$ per hour and those same workers employed directly by Honda get paid in excess of 16$ an hour starting out). So I ask today, are places like McDonalds and Wendys abusing their usually under-age workers by paying them 5.15$ an hour for what is a totaly menial/noncritical job function? Consider the fact that many of these places are perfectly willing to pay more than minimum wage for adult employees such as my wife who worked at McDonalds for almost a year and managed to start at 8$ an hour and when she quit she was making 9$ an hour. Minimum wage, as it is today, is what I consider appropriate for these high-school/college age kids to be making to flip burgers at Burger King or run a cash register at Walmart or sell CDs at Sam Goody's or fold clothes at JCPenny... and I could go on and on on with that list.
Reference:
www.house.gov/Constitution/Constitution.html
bigpicture.typepad.com/comments/2003/09/minimum_wage_in.html
www.aflcio.org/yourjobeconomy/minimumwage/
Minimum Wage
Written by David M. Hickerson
Originally posted at tripwire.hickersonfamily.net/2004_0913.html
I've been trying to figure out how it is that Kerry thinks that increasing the minimum wage will help Americans and our economy. I've been doing some reading on the subject just to get some different points of view and I've had more than one debate of a few of the forums I visit frequently, and my opinion is still unchanged. I think that overall the minimum wage is a good thing and has done what it was intended to do, but I am downright adamant that raising it up to 8$ an hour is outright lunacy.
My first reason is totaly selfish (at least I'll admit that). When I get a raise it is because I have either increased my performance/productivities or I've been given a more critical job function. I think it is unacceptable to give someone an unearned 60% increase in pay without giving me that same increase, which I know better than to ever expect.
A lot of people argue that everything has increased in price since 1997 (the last time the minimum wage was raised) so the minimum wage should raise with everything. I can at least see that as a possibly arguable point, but if minimum wage was recalculated with inflation I sincerely doubt that it would need to rise any more than to 6.15$-ish an hour. I only have information about item prices from 2000 and up (I didn't move out on my own til then) but since 2000 I have not noticed a notable increase in any of my necesary food items or toiletries. Bread has only gone up maybe 15 or 20 cents since then, and milk hasn't gone up any more significantly either. I don't believe these increases justify a massive
Another point... a friend of mine on Saturnfans brought this up and I've heard it mentioned before that you cannot raise a family on even 8$ an hour and things like car payments, auto insurance, and medical benefits are impossible to afford when you make so little... My argument on that is that the minimum wage was not established for the purpose of raising a family... cars (and thus car insurance), medical insurance, and other requirements for children are not expected to be paid for on a minimum wage job. Things like cars become massive luxury items when you look at it from the perspective of a minimum wage job.
Furthermore, it is not the federal government's place to baby us and make sure that every person has the ability to improve themselves and their place in life. It is my opinion that the government is actually specifically forbidden by the Constitution to do. Our Constitution does, in it's preamble, state "promote the general Welfare" but I do not believe that was intended to mean that the government is expected to control our lives. If we expect the government to help push us along constantly, why don't we just have them come into our homes and clean and cook and do everything else too? I personally perfer to keep the government constantly at a safe distance as far away from my life as possible. It is my opinion that "promote the general Welfare" was intended to mean to provide necesary services such as schools, police, etc, things of that nature, not to provide for our every need. Of course, my opinions are always debatable so I guess I should expect some argument on that point.
The only convincing argument I've heard for the minimum wage is the fact that if it had kept pace with inflation since 1968 it would be close to 8.50$ an hour. Was that the intent of lawmakers in 1968? I'm not certain of that; it is my opinion that when lawmakers set the minimum wage at 1.60$ an hour back then it was to prevent factories from exploiting their workers with dismaly lower wages. Today, these factories, and new ones like them, are paying their workers well above the minimum wage (Line workers at Honda employed thru Adecco start above 11$ per hour and those same workers employed directly by Honda get paid in excess of 16$ an hour starting out). So I ask today, are places like McDonalds and Wendys abusing their usually under-age workers by paying them 5.15$ an hour for what is a totaly menial/noncritical job function? Consider the fact that many of these places are perfectly willing to pay more than minimum wage for adult employees such as my wife who worked at McDonalds for almost a year and managed to start at 8$ an hour and when she quit she was making 9$ an hour. Minimum wage, as it is today, is what I consider appropriate for these high-school/college age kids to be making to flip burgers at Burger King or run a cash register at Walmart or sell CDs at Sam Goody's or fold clothes at JCPenny... and I could go on and on on with that list.
Reference:
www.house.gov/Constitution/Constitution.html
bigpicture.typepad.com/comments/2003/09/minimum_wage_in.html
www.aflcio.org/yourjobeconomy/minimumwage/