[Soul Seeker]

You aren't supposed to live off minimum wage.

Minimum wage is intended for new hires, temp workers, unskilled laborers that are usually teenagers.

As you earn your keep, work hard, learn skills your wages increase. This usually happens as you pass your teenage years and move up the ladder. That is how it is supposed to work.

And if you don't want to spend your life doing this type of work, gain an education and you will start at a higher fixed rate for your entrance wage.

The market rewards skill, reliability, need, competence and education.

Besides, nothing prevents states from raising the minimum wage. I guarentee here in WA minimum wage is far higher then the set government standard. Why do we need the Feds to interfere with what constituents in their own states can pass if they desire it?

I support this move by the Senate.

[Protagoras]

Besides, nothing prevents states from raising the minimum wage.

Force based control over prices which are set by two consenting parties (absent force or fraud) is bad no matter who exerts the force.

[Myrddin]

Minimum wage forces employers to pay unskilled labor at rates that may be well beyond the value of the labor they can perform. The consequence is that an employer will hire fewer such employees to limit losses. When the smaller number of employees is trained and producing in excess of the labor cost, the employer has room to bring on another unskilled hire.

The socialists that push for minimum wage forget that the reason for hiring workers is to improve the productivity of the business to meet customer demand. Socialists believe employers exist to provide jobs. If there isn't enough demand for the product of the company, the employer must shed employees to avoid going in the red with labor expense that isn't balanced by product sales. That is a key failure in the European approach to employment for life with no care for the actual productivity needs of the business.