Posted on 06/22/2006 10:45:51 AM PDT by 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.
(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.nwsource.com ...
And the Dems keep getting pummeled. I love that everyone is witnessing that they are on the wrong side of every issue these days...
More comedy from the AP.
What if at your best you can only produce $5.00 worth of goods or services?
take the 10 million illegals off the table and the American poor wouldnt have to worry about a min. wage
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.
Then no one will employ you.
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 |
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
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!)
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?
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.
And by the looks of it Ted, it shows.
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.
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.
A teenager.
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.
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.....
That sounds like a possibility, but that is logical do you think the Pols will do something logical? :)
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