I would have voted for zero also. People think they got a raise because min wage got a boost, they will lose much more once they figure out that inflation just ate their lunch.
Why not make it $200/hr? Then everyone will be able to drive a Rolls Royce and live in a waterfront mansion.
You can't just price in a minium for unskilled labor. People have to be competitive or else it hurts the workplace in the long run. If there are people willing to work for low wages then you can't stop them from taking the job. The problem is not really with how much a worker should get but if a company should be able to hire illegals (and even achor baby offspring) that come here from 3rd world countries and live within the santuary cities. As I see it know one wants to tackle that issue in fear of angering the latin community. Like one front runner said a country that does not enforce it's borders will not remain a sovereign nation. Here's what Ron Paul said about our welfare states: <object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/53ZcNe5WVSU&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/53ZcNe5WVSU&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object> <object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/inZjyW_F7YE&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/inZjyW_F7YE&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object> <object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/cY6t2ckpb5g&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/cY6t2ckpb5g&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>
I can't believe the heartless cold attitudes on E.T. Posters that advocate no minimum wage, no healthcare system, no Soc Security, little or no government -- just free market anarchy with a dog-eat-dog mentality. Grandma can't afford an operation? Too bad, it's her own damn fault for not saving enough money. Let her die in the gutter so my taxes stay low -- now that's the American way!
I don't think it's meant how your taking it and I think your twisting some words. Alot of social services are being taking advantage of by people who come here illegally. The government is supposed to defend the borders that's what we pay taxes for and there are laws against hiring illegals that don't get enforced. Let's face it there's alot of people who don't honor America but are here to take advantage of her and the high quality standards that are supposed to go for our legally raised children here and people who defend America in wars. They don't even waive our flag. If you just give someone a minium wage they are not going to work hard for it. Look around and see all kinds of gripping people on the clock and not being productive. They don't educate and they don't work there way up so that's their problem. You don't deserve benifits for being on the clock. When my families came here from Europe they were happy to be here and had a strong work ethic unlike the new generation. As far behind as we are people aught to be out there working for free just make up for what we have lost before there are no opportunities. We are generations behind other countries now and there's no room to bargon for benifits and high saleries. There's a great percentage of people who barely read now in the US. Is that our fault? Hell no it shouldn't have to come out of our pockets either and it isn't going to come out of mine. People that are in high paying jobs deserve to be there because they educated themselfs and work hard. If you have skill and want to work your in high demand - that's all there is to it there's no slavery. I don't see what the problem is. It's a persons choice if they want to get stuck at one job instead of going to look for opportunities. We can't just say well this is the rate everywhere even where there are no opportunities because someone else has to pay the bill. All are of our jobs are being outsourced because of these reasons.
I hired my cousins to work on a couple occasions and told them one time how much they were going to make an hour and they just expected to make that much an hour but not have to earn it. I think it was like 10 or 12 bucks. They expected to get paid like they get paid in town for doing nothing. I actually paid them more but they didn't want to work. I told them what I wanted done and when I came back they barely did anything. They asked me again for work a few weeks later. I realized how much of a mistake it was last time but I needed help so I told them you are going to get this much for this job (I told them what they had to do) and if you don't finish you will not get paid. You know what they did? They said we'll be right back and just left. They literally expected me to pay them an hourly wage to be on hand and barely work at my own home not even at a business. They were supposed to do yard work and help fix up a house we were working on. Dig ditches and other manual work like that. I was going to pay them 60 dollars a piece and figured they would work about a half of day. This was several years ago before fuel prices were high and they could walk here, all under the table, no taxes and paid on the spot. It took me 6 hrs to do the work myself. That's 120 bucks between 2 guys that normally make minium wage. People that don't want to work won't work that's why we have prisons full of them and those are the people that belong on chain gangs working on projects like our highways.
Jamis, just think how much more benevolent the Chinese and Indian ass kicker are going to be versus the evil American capitalist who wont let granny get her gall bladder removed on HIS dime. Dont you get it? Globalization is here to stay. China/India has got a taste and unlike the American whiner they're willing to work 14 hrs a day/7 days a week, no pension, no healthcare, no bathroom break. To the OP, minimum wage is irrelevant. So long as the Central banks of the world pump out fiat "currency" and the pimps in politics pander to the have nots by giving them said currency out of thin air in exchange for their vote and thus encouraging them to create nothing in their lives, so that Goldman Sachs executives can laugh all the way to Switzerland, doesnt matter what "living" wage orphans receive. It wont be enough. Two ounces of gold when Nixon took us off the gold standard was enough to pay ones rent. Today two ounces of gold will still pay ones rent. Think about it. How many people could gut out the cost for two ounces then? Probably about the same as now. But you still somehow find a way to buy your cigs, lotto tickets, porn, itunes, Thunderbird wine and god knows what else. Just think if you buy gold now in 40 years you'll still be able to afford your rent. Are you buying gold? Course not. It's gut check time for ALOT of America. Would you really want to take your chances with those great social scientists: Castro and Chavez? Or Goldman Sachs? King George and Aunt Hillary dont care that they spend more than they make. Because their rate of graft exceeds the rate of inflation. If you dont even understand that, $100/hr wont help you. Just be thankful they dont want your blood. Not yet anyway. But its also a matter of perspective. Andrew Carnegie never lived at any time in his life with the opportunites that the least of us has in America. You may, however, have to work for them. And work even harder to keep them. It's yours for the taking. Or not.
"just free market anarchy with a dog-eat-dog mentality." Trading places, one of my favorite kines, "Prepare yourself for what you are about to witness..." http://new.wavlist.com/movies/239/trpl-society.wav
I actually think that there shouldn't be minimum wages. If wages are not livable wages, then we should expand welfare system to supplement these people. Call it as it is, if you think you can't earn a wage that is livable by yourself and corporates are not cheating, then you need some sort of welfare help.