We need to abolish the minimum wage all together. In reality, minimum wage laws are used by sleazy politicians to buy votes. Enforcing a minimum wage also hurts the poor because it's a job killer. When the government forces employers to raise wages for jobs, independant of the employer's actual economic situation, the employer has two options he/she can use to off-set the wage increase - they can raise prices of the goods or services they sell, or they can cut jobs. Either way, the poor lose.

There is another extremely important point to note here and that is it's not the governments job to regulate wages in a free market economy. The government as NO right to tell you how to run your business.

We arn't a socialist country yet - I know leading liberals like Obama and Clinton what to take American in that direction, but we arn't there yet.

 [ send green star]

 [ accepted]

On the face of it, increasing the minum wage sounds like such a wonderful idea, but when you look at the economics of it, it becomes evadent that we might want to think this one through a bit.

Kevin (above) has the basic economics spot on. Businesses are forced to make up lost income from minimum wage laws by either fireing employees,  raising prices, or penalizing higher paid workers.  Can you guess which route employer will take?

Another important thing to keep in mine with regards to minimum wage jobs is that the people holding these positions rarely stay at the minimum wage lever very long. These statistics are easily viewed by reading census numbers. Those interested can view the data here - http://www.census.gov/econ/census02/

For those unfamiliar with basic economics it may seem counter intuitive, but a government enforced minimum wage does nothing to help the poor. In fact it hurts them.

 [ send green star]

 [ accepted]

    Great responses to the call for indexing the minimum wage to price increases.  Amazingly, so many fail to see that putting a price floor (i.e., a minimum wage in this case) on the market creates a situation where the quantity demanded (hired labor) is less than the quantity supplied (people seeking work).  It obviously results in unemployment for the ones who need employment the most.  Reagan was smart on the issue.  He failed to raise the minimum wage long enough so that the wage came close to market equilibrium, making the rate control moot and more people became employed.   Unfortunately, people also think in terms of the bottom end of the market and I think, as others do too, that many out there are working for less than they can get.

 [ send green star]

 [ accepted]