[big_Rob]

excellent summary. Unfortunately, the liberals who need to understand this refuse to believe data, and prefer to follow their feelings. But I enjoyed it.

[backhoe]

I owned & operated retail and service businesses for years- let me explain how this works at street level.

First, you pass the increased cost of doing business ( minimum wage, taxes, regulations ) on to your customers- they pay it, you don't. Like high prices? Raise the minimum wage some more.

Secondly, it's a powerful incentive to get rid of marginal employees- ole Bo over there might be worth $3 an hour, or maybe even $4... but five, six, or seven? Nope, be better to get rid of him and pay the remaining guys a little more...

The people who push this idiocy on the public have likely never had to meet a payroll in their lives- but they feel free to force you to run your business a certain way, don't they?

[secret garden]

This is a timely article for National Small Business Week.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

we should remember that our notion of poverty is relative. Using U.S. Census data, Heritage Foundation scholars examined the living standards of poor Americans and found that the average poor American has a car, air conditioning, at least one color television along with cable or satellite TV, a home that is in decent condition and enough food in the refrigerator.[6] Poverty in America, especially for those who do not work, is less a matter of material deprivation than of emotional and spiritual loss, the pervading worry that comes from knowing that one is dependent on the arcane determinations of state and federal bureaucrats, and the loss of self esteem that comes from knowing that one is not self-sufficient.

But for the working poor, this type of poverty is largely abolished. They are able to face the future with optimism and confidence, however modest their income, precisely because it is earned. They know they are contributing to the national economy and have taken control over own lives.

IOW, the working "poor" (an American secretary's standard of living can be compared to that of Queen Victoria's in her [1819-1901] day) get concrete credit for usefulness from their employers in their paycheck. Whereas the non-employed poor get, not reinforcement for positive effort, but notification of the superior vitue of others along with their dole.

And those who are eager to give the dole lust to make their own superiority official with it.

[Redbob]

"One fifth of low-income workers belong to families earning over $80,000 annually."

Now why do you supposee that is?
Ans.: It's because that's about the proportion of "low-income" workers who are teenagers doing part-time work while living at home - a fact conspicuous for its' absence from this article.

Another important point barely touched on is that being at the "low-income" level is largely a transient condition, with a huge percentage of today's low-income workers having pulled themselves out of this category within 18 months.