Senate Kills Minimum Wage Hike

Seattle Times ^

[Sean Flynn]

WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans on Wednesday killed an effort to raise the minimum wage, but Democrats who back the measure say they will try again both in Congress and through ballot measures in several states.

The federal minimum wage has been $5.15 per hour since 1997.

On a procedural measure Wednesday, senators voted 52-46 in favor of raising the wage to $7.25 in three steps, but that was short of the 60 votes needed to move the legislation forward.

The vote came one day after House Republican leaders made clear they won't allow a vote on the issue, fearing it might pass.

Still, Democrats intend to highlight the subject before November's midterm elections. Many hope to frame it as a "family values" issue they believe will draw Democratic-leaning voters to the polls, just as Republicans have tried to energize conservatives with proposals to ban gay marriage and flag burning.

"Americans believe that no one who works hard for a living should have to live in poverty. A job should lift you out of poverty, not keep you in it," said Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass.

He said a worker paid $5.15 an hour would earn about $10,700 a year, "almost $6,000 below the poverty line for a family of three."

Kennedy noted Congress has raised its own pay for the past nine years by $31,600, while the minimum wage remained unchanged.

He said backers may try to insert a minimum-wage amendment into another spending bill before November, including a proposed congressional pay raise or a bill to reduce the estate tax, which is popular among Republicans.

[Sean Flynn]

The Democrats claim that a min. wage increase will life poor workers out of poverty, but it will only increase unemployment and put the most unskilled workers out of a job. Countless economic studies have proven the damage caused by price floors like the minimum wage, and most economists agree that the concept is inherently flawed. But the Democrats continue to disguise the real effects of a min. wage hike with their rhetoric.

[demkicker]

And the Dems keep getting pummeled. I love that everyone is witnessing that they are on the wrong side of every issue these days...

[facedown]

The vote came one day after House Republican leaders made clear they won't allow a vote on the issue, fearing it might pass.

More comedy from the AP.

[Mikey_1962]

What if at your best you can only produce $5.00 worth of goods or services?

[Sean Flynn]

Exactly. The free market is better than the some political party at equilibrating wage with marginal product of labor, but its not like the Dems care about economic facts or anything like that.

[stan_sipple]

take the 10 million illegals off the table and the American poor wouldnt have to worry about a min. wage

[Straight Vermonter]

What is the need for a minimum wage? I thought all Americans were so prosperous that we had to bring in Mexicans to do those jobs.

[NeoCaveman]

What if at your best you can only produce $5.00 worth of goods or services?

Then no one will employ you.

[Straight Vermonter]

Check out the family incomes of average minimum wage earners.

The United States	41 %	20 %	24 %	85 %	15 %	$ 45,558
Alabama	43 %	20 %	21 %	84 %	16 %	$ 38,103
Alaska	29 %	25 %	31 %	85 %	15 %	$ 37,005
Arizona	39 %	23 %	23 %	85 %	15 %	$ 38,971
Arkansas	29 %	25 %	30 %	84 %	17 %	$ 30,954
California	41 %	16 %	23 %	80 %	20 %	$ 37,548
Colorado	44 %	18 %	31 %	93 %	7 %	$ 53,428
Connecticut	–	–	–	–	–	–
D.C.	16 %	34 %	11 %	61 %	39 %	$ 68,344
Delaware	41 %	27 %	19 %	87 %	13 %	$ 59,957
Florida	39 %	21 %	28 %	88 %	12 %	$ 43,604
Georgia	37 %	24 %	17 %	78 %	22 %	$ 39,618
Hawaii	27 %	16 %	9 %	52 %	48 %	$ 62,573
Idaho	46 %	18 %	24 %	88 %	12 %	$ 37,720
Illinois	48 %	17 %	19 %	84 %	16 %	$ 55,735
Indiana	50 %	13 %	20 %	83 %	18 %	$ 51,286
Iowa	53 %	16 %	24 %	93 %	7 %	$ 47,657
Kansas	53 %	16 %	21 %	90 %	10 %	$ 51,546
Kentucky	32 %	23 %	34 %	89 %	12 %	$ 40,708
Louisiana	33 %	21 %	21 %	75 %	25 %	$ 37,570
Maine	54 %	13 %	31 %	98 %	2 %	$ 43,805
Maryland	41 %	24 %	20 %	85 %	16 %	$ 62,317
Massachusetts	60 %	0 %	37 %	97 %	3 %	$ 52,609
Michigan	48 %	13 %	27 %	88 %	12 %	$ 52,193
Minnesota	53 %	11 %	30 %	94 %	7 %	$ 67,744
Mississippi	28 %	27 %	19 %	74 %	26 %	$ 36,569
Missouri	46 %	17 %	23 %	86 %	13 %	$ 42,466
Montana	39 %	16 %	39 %	94 %	6 %	$ 32,952
Nebraska	50 %	17 %	25 %	92 %	8 %	$ 50,454
Nevada	39 %	25 %	22 %	86 %	14 %	$ 53,453
New Hampshire	51 %	25 %	17 %	93 %	6 %	$ 72,473
New Jersey	48 %	21 %	20 %	89 %	11 %	$ 67,563
New Mexico	37 %	23 %	23 %	83 %	17 %	$ 37,525
New York	41 %	18 %	23 %	82 %	17 %	$ 51,466
North Carolina	38 %	22 %	27 %	87 %	14 %	$ 42,581
North Dakota	46 %	27 %	23 %	96 %	4 %	$ 50,165
Ohio	53 %	16 %	20 %	89 %	10 %	$ 54,011
Oklahoma	31 %	22 %	31 %	84 %	16 %	$ 36,748
Oregon	–	–	–	–	–	–
Pennsylvania	54 %	17 %	20 %	91 %	10 %	$ 52,415
Rhode Island	9 %	7 %	17 %	33 %	67 %	$ 52,732
South Carolina	44 %	18 %	22 %	84 %	16 %	$ 40,706
South Dakota	40 %	18 %	32 %	90 %	9 %	$ 44,868
Tennessee	37 %	20 %	31 %	88 %	12 %	$ 36,160
Texas	32 %	25 %	22 %	79 %	21 %	$ 38,047
Utah	48 %	19 %	23 %	90 %	9 %	$ 48,931
Vermont	–	–	–	–	–	–
Virginia	41 %	23 %	26 %	90 %	10 %	$ 56,499
Washington	–	–	–	–	–	–
West Virginia	31 %	27 %	25 %	83 %	17 %	$ 31,875
Wisconsin	48 %	18 %	26 %	92 %	8 %	$ 49,029
Wyoming	37 %	20 %	36 %	93 %	7 %	$ 46,490

[EQAndyBuzz]

Why not make the minimum wage $20.00 an hour? Or $30.00?

If you are going to make a political statement, make one. Don't blab that making 10,600 a year is poverty when your solution makes the new annual wage 11,900.

Maroons

[Buckeye McFrog]

totally irrelevant....as it is, virtually nobody pays minimum wage now anyway. You can't get even a minimum-quality worker for that wage anymore. I only know of one place near my home that does start out at minimum, and ironically, it is a grocery store under UFCW contract, where that starting wage is written into their contract!
(hey, guys...McDonalds is stating almost two bucks an hr. higher!)

[conservative blonde]

It was my understanding that the GOP offered a one dollar increase and the RATS were not interested. That only shows that they are not really serious about raising the minimum wage. Every other thing the RATS go after they do so incrementally, why reject the $1.00 raise offered by GOP if they really care about the poor suffering masses?

[stopem]

Something to consider is while keeping minimum wage at that level we the taxpayers have to pay for their welfare benefits.

$5.15 x 40 hours = $206 week who could live on $824 a month?
Under $10k a year I believe that's poverty level. So again I point out that we the taxpayers will have to pay to provide welfare benefits.

[Cobra64]

Kennedy noted Congress has raised its own pay for the past nine years by $31,600, while the minimum wage remained unchanged.

And by the looks of it Ted, it shows.

[MikeA]

Additionally, only about 4% of minumum wage earners are heads of household. Most are either second income earners like a wife or teenagers, so Teddy Kennedy's sob story of minumum wage earners only making $10K a year is basically just appeal to emotion with little practical meaning in this debate. Minimum wage is a starting place for most employees who quickly move up in pay and promotions. Raising the minumum wage now will lock many of these people out of the job market by squeezing hiring and ensuring they don't make the move up in wages they could accomplish on their own if govt. got out of the way.

[sinkspur]

Something to consider is while keeping minimum wage at that level we the taxpayers have to pay for their welfare benefits.

Only 3% of American workers make the minimum wage. And that includes kids who work at amusement parks in the summer, and those who work part-time after school.

[AppyPappy]

$5.15 x 40 hours = $206 week who could live on $824 a month?

A teenager.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Unfortunately, the federal minimum wage is irrelevant. There's nothing to stop states from raising their wages. Dims are already targeting the minimum wage at the state levels. Wisconsin just raised it's minimum wage to $6.50, thanks to the gutless GOP legislature that compromised with Governor Doyle.

[Onelifetogive]

$5.15 x 40 hours = $206 week who could live on $824 a month?

Uhhh??? Teens working their first job and living with their parents??? How about a minimum wage that exempts people under 20 years old?

I could tolerate indexing the minimum wage to inflation. It has fallen behind a level that is damaging to the economy. Indexing it to inflation would take it off the table as a political issue and ensure that it always remains a non-issue economically.....

[stopem]

That sounds like a possibility, but that is logical do you think the Pols will do something logical? :)