Ohio Right Wing Spreads Minimum Wage Jobs Myth
Ohio Right Wing Spreads Minimum Wage Jobs Myth
In Ohio and other states, progressives are pushing ballot initiatives to raise state minimum wages above the federal minimum of $5.15 an hour, where it’s been stuck since 1997.
The right wing in Ohio is fighting against the initiative with the old argument that a minimum wage increase would lead to fewer jobs:
“This is economics 101. When you raise the minimum wage, you cost young people and low-income people their jobs,†[the conservative Buckeye Institute’s Matthew] Carr said. “Businesses don’t create as many of them, because they cost more now.â€
But here are the facts:
1. A higher minimum wage does not mean higher unemployment. One comprehensive study found increases in the minimum wage in various states in the late 1980s and early 1990s did not result in increased unemployment. It found a minimum wage increase in New Jersey did not cause a decrease in lower-wage jobs.
2. Small business growth has been greater in states with minimum wage levels above the federal level. A report by the Center for American Progress and Policy Matters Ohio found that the “11 states with a minimum wage above the federal minimum of $5.15 per hour had higher rates of small business growth between 1997 and 2003.”
3. State minimum wage hikes have increased payroll and revenue without creating job loss. “A recent report from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development said last year’s increase in the state’s hourly rate — to $5.70 from $5.15 — produced $175 million in additional payroll and a $3 million boost in state tax revenue.â€
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Republicans are the type of people who will drop an orphaned kitten off the Empire State Building using the rationale that it’s supposed to land on its feet. They have nine lives, anyway. How much longer do these cold-hearted pricks expect us to keep making $5.15 an hour, when gas hits $5.15 a gallon?
Anyway, to follow up with my Paul Krugman post about the GOP and race relations of this morning, might I offer Bob Herbert’s latest diatribe about the war?
July 24th, 2006 at 4:41 pmSmall business growth has been greater in states with minimum wage levels above the federal level. A report by the Center for American Progress and Policy Matters Ohio found that the “11 states with a minimum wage above the federal minimum of $5.15 per hour had higher rates of small business growth between 1997 and 2003.â€
Somehow, I doubt there is a cause-and-effect relationship there. Is it not more likely the case that states with lots of job growth are also those in which it is difficult to hire workers at the minimum wage, and they must therefore pay more?
July 24th, 2006 at 4:42 pmCheck into the(I think Santa Fe) living wage. Jobs actually increased because the working people had more money to spend and the better wages brought better workers. Net result is more jobs, better workers, happier owners.
July 24th, 2006 at 4:43 pmHere in Minnesota we raised it to $6.15 last August 1st.
July 24th, 2006 at 4:43 pmWe have a Republican governor.
The biggest impact to date is lower unemployment rates.
I think Ohio, having rigged the last two elections, play such an important
part in the ‘Big Lie’ that they should actually lower minimum wages.
Hey, immigrants need to work, too!
Oops – meant to say the cause and effect may be reversed.
July 24th, 2006 at 4:44 pmMost new jobs created by companies are NOT minimum wage positions. McDonalds corporate death-burger only has so many positions at fry cook. Increasing min wage is ALWAYS a good idea, since as wages go up, there’s more people willing to take those jobs, hence, decreased unemployment and a more competent work force.
But the Right would HATE to admit they’re WRONG (again, as usual).
July 24th, 2006 at 4:50 pmAmong the many business ideas that were a boon to Henry Ford, was the novel idea that he’d pay comfortable wages to his people. His logic ran that if he paid them well, they’d buy his products, and it worked…he staunchly defended that position.
That business plan, under the Fascists of the 21 century has long been forgotten. Greed is their mantra…green is their manna.
July 24th, 2006 at 4:53 pmDoes anyone here know of people earning $5.15 an hour trying to support a family? Typically, that wage rate is reserved for entry level jobs taken up mainly by high school and college kids. Raising the minimum wage will in effect cause employers to hire fewer employees or raise prices. How is raising the minimum wage going to help those earning more than min wage? For those earning $10 an hour, do you think they automatically get an increase too? If that happens, you get spiraling inflation not seen since the Carter years. Also, just check out what fast food places are offering as starting wages, I checked a couple where I live and they are at $8.00 an hour. Since the demand exceeds supply, the wage is over the minimum to attact new employees. If dems think they are going to make hay with this in the fall, they had better think again.
July 24th, 2006 at 4:53 pmMost new jobs created by companies are NOT minimum wage positions.
Well, that would support that there’s not a very strong relationship between growth in small-business jobs and increases in minimum wage, right?
Look – I think there’s something to be said for raising the minimum wage. A kid working at Mickey D’s should be earning more, without question. However, if all we’re doing is putting more people into jobs at fast food restaurants, well… excuse me for being unimpressed with the results.
What’s required are investments in job training, education, etc.
July 24th, 2006 at 4:55 pmThe theoretical conclusion that higher minimum wages cause unemployment is based on neoclassical (supply and demand curves determine equilibrium prices or in this case wages) economics. Neolclassical economists completely ignore the conclusion of the Cambr9idge Capital Controversy of the later twentieth century. The upshot of that debate is there is no logically consistent theoretical foundation for the proposition that equilibrium prices are determined by supply and demand. That proposition is false.
Thus, if the fundamental assertion of that theory is false, so are any policy implications from it. In fact, raising the minimum wage does not cause unemployment.
July 24th, 2006 at 4:58 pm#8, yes I know of people trying to raise a family on this wage. Some are subsidized by tips, but it’s nothing substantial or consistant. Conservatives howl about welfare handouts but have never considered how this minimum wage would affect the barebones social safety net. In other words, minimum wage requires government subsidy for anyone to live on it. This ain’t Chinese math…raise the m.w.
July 24th, 2006 at 5:03 pmThus, if the fundamental assertion of that theory is false, so are any policy implications from it. In fact, raising the minimum wage does not cause unemployment.-J Stewart
I suspect this is probably right. My main question is: can anything be said about what it does?
July 24th, 2006 at 5:03 pmI know of people trying to raise a family on this wage-beaver
Really? You actually know people making $5.15 an hour?
I shudder at the thought that people who plan on waiting tables for an extended period actually plan on being able to raise kids.
July 24th, 2006 at 5:09 pman article in Time about this…
and a good nod to the Change to Win Federation and
the Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
Trying to Make A Decent Living
July 24th, 2006 at 5:12 pmWhile some janitors struggle to get by, others are climbing into the middle class. Behind the new battle over America’s low-wage workers
There is an appalling ignorance that, well, appalls me concerning the constipated conservative brain. We’re allowed to connect the dots here. As more and more of the population sinks lower on the economic scale, you’ll continue to see crime rise proportionatley. Of course that’s fine with many of these folks, because, like privatizing the Fed. government in every manner conceivable, you can add the burgeoning prison industry…all taxed to death by the very same government that campaigned on less government. There’s a close relationship between low income and the prison population that shouldn’t be ignored for a healthy society.
July 24th, 2006 at 5:13 pmReply to DrSinker:
My main question is: can anything be said about what it does?
Oh, I don’t know…perhaps it can raise the standard of living for America’s working poor? Perhaps it can help to buy warmer coats for children, so they don’t have to suffer through illness all year? Perhaps it can make it so people don’t have to choose between rent and medicine?
I shudder at the thought that people who plan on waiting tables for an extended period actually plan on being able to raise kids.
I shudder at the thought that some people seem to think that other people’s right to reproduce should be based upon their level of prosperity.
July 24th, 2006 at 5:17 pm#16 well said
July 24th, 2006 at 5:23 pmDrsinker
July 24th, 2006 at 5:25 pmAs a fully ordained doctor, you’re no doubt aware that some folks don’t plan on having kids while they’re working minimum wage jobs. It just happens that way. It’s the real world.
Laise-Faire & social darwinism aside, the struggle to lift ones self up by the proverbial boot straps is a myth.
Um, just so you are clear, the “facts” after “but here are the facts” would consist of only the words that are not in bold. And the “facts” are interesting, but they don’t prove anything.
July 24th, 2006 at 5:30 pmReally? You actually know people making $5.15 an hour?
you don’t?
I shudder at the thought that people who plan on waiting tables for an extended period actually plan on being able to raise kids.
Comment by DrSinker — July 24, 2006 @ 5:09 pm
and ya know what? … the world NEEDS good waitresses – and if that lady enjoys what she’s doing and so is good at it, why NOT make that a career… how can that job be considered degrading when it is well known how important it is that one be GOOD at doing it… i’m sure everyone knows what it’s like to appreciate a good waitress… or ANY service person…
those tips are the reason most wait personel do not even make minimum wage – and that is wrong… any tipping should be done comensurate to the performance and ability… in ADDITION to
a comfortable living wage… that shouldn’t be too much to ask…
you would expect no less…
July 24th, 2006 at 5:31 pmRepublicans only want people to make endless amounts of money when it is them. Everyone else can starve for all they care, just as long as they are fat, lazy and rolling in dough. Disgusting.
July 24th, 2006 at 5:32 pmI live in Ohio. Both houses are Republican and will remain that way through this next election. This is a ploy for the gubernatorial race to try to bring out the base to vote for someone severely behind in the polls. Probably also for the senatorial race.
July 24th, 2006 at 5:33 pmI just want to know, when is the right time to raise the minimum wage? It will eventually have to be raised. So if not now, when? in 10 years? 20 years? When a person has to work an hour to afford a loaf of bread?
I shudder at the thought that some people seem to think that other people’s right to reproduce should be based upon their level of prosperity.
Comment by TripMaster Monkey — July 24, 2006 @ 5:17 pm
well said… my thoughts too!
July 24th, 2006 at 5:33 pmThis particular subject really chaps my you-know-what, so forgive me if it becomes soap box-ish…
In MA, the min wage is a bit over 7.00/hr. Even that is too little. Average rent is approx 1200.00/month. In Boston, ~1600.00-1800.00/mo.
My first full time job, in 1984, paid me approx today’s minimun wage. Even with that *stellar* wage, my oil tank ran out, and I went cold.
You live like freaking dogs. Luxury items become things like decent socks, and underwear. Feminine care items? Forget it! A 50 cent roll of Scott toilet freaking tissue is a lot cheaper than any “decent” product.
There is no way to live on that wage. No way. Even people with bachelor’s degrees, as TP has written, have seen wages going down; all the while prices keep going up.
July 24th, 2006 at 5:44 pmSorry if I offended anyone’s sensibilities…..
I was actually trying to go easy, ’cause I have worse stories.
Min. wage has to be the ACTUAL wage a person needs to get by, not this crap about high school kids…
OK, I’m done.
I need to take a walk now…
what about creating a maximum wage? once you have a billion dollars, do you still need to keep raking in money while others out there are starving?
July 24th, 2006 at 5:44 pmThe conservative argument is so obviously false I can’t believe anyone falls for it.
To believe that companies will lay off workers if they cost a little more, you’d have to believe that companies are now hiring people they don’t need.
Anyone who thinks that is happening is an idiot.
July 24th, 2006 at 5:48 pmIf Matthew Carr and every other cheap labor conservative had bothered to read Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, they would not have the chutzpah to make a foolish, asanine statement that a minimum wage increase would lead to fewer jobs.
Or maybe they would. Chrap labor conservatives.
July 24th, 2006 at 5:58 pmLying right-wing assholes in Ohio. Imagine that.
July 24th, 2006 at 6:35 pm“When you raise the minimum wage, you cost young people and low-income people their jobs”
Conservatives have repeated this cannard every single time congress has sought to raise the minimum wage. It is a statement which has been made many times and yet, it has never turned out to be true. The minimum wage has been increased many times, so you would think there would be data on this to support the conservative position, but there is none. It’s just pure right-wing bull, but they keep repeating it like robots over and over again.
July 24th, 2006 at 6:43 pmOh c’mon, the minimum wage is being kept down to show the rest of the world our citizens are not greedy, and can get by on very little, like most of the world has to.
July 24th, 2006 at 6:44 pmBy the GOP’s logic, the minimum wage should be cut to $0.50/day(for a 12 hour day) to create even more jobs.
July 24th, 2006 at 6:45 pmin every state where the minumum wage has been raised above the federal level
July 24th, 2006 at 6:52 pmthere has NOT been a reduction of jobs. Also with all the outsourcing of jobs, it is
no longer true that min wage jobs go to teenagers (so called starter jobs).
Repugs just spew bs. about less jobs when min w goes up is just that bs.
and they need to be called on it. Used to be able to get min wage, plus benefits and
it was enough to scrape by. Of course then gas was .69 a gallon.
What percentage of people in Ohio actually make the minimum wage?
July 24th, 2006 at 6:58 pmNew York has raised the minimum wage but we still lose jobs and people due to retarded, bone-headed gov’t policies.
July 24th, 2006 at 7:30 pmWhat percentage of people in Ohio actually make the minimum wage?
Comment by DrSinker — July 24, 2006 @ 6:58 pm
———————————————-
They are trying to raise the rate to $6.85 an hour. So, the question should be:
July 24th, 2006 at 7:44 pmWhat percentage of people in Ohio actually make under $6.85 an hour?
#8 I agree with you that market conditions have largley made the raising of minimum wage a moot point. By the same token, the amount of workers that would see an increase in minimum wage, would seem to have a minimum impact on the rate of inflation. Such things as the price of gas or health care have a far greater influence on inflation than the poor guy who is bussing your table, or the poor lady that is making the bed at your hotel room. It only seems fair to give the people at the bottom rungs of the economic ladder, the ones least able to negotiate a better wage, a fair wage increase.
July 24th, 2006 at 7:46 pmAlso, I remember a story about Ford paying his employees $5.00 a day (a revolutionarily high wage at the time). He said something like: “It benefits me to pay people enough to buy my products”. That is the exact opposite of bushonimics.
July 24th, 2006 at 7:50 pmI shudder at the thought that some people seem to think that other people’s right to reproduce should be based upon their level of prosperity.-TMM
Look – I never meant to suggest that. People have a right to reproduce as much as they like. However, I do think there is some room for personal responsibility in our society. If you have a minimum wage job, heck – even if you’re making twice the minimum wage, you’re not likely to have enough to support a child, particularly with the rising costs of health care. Should we quadruple minimum wage to cover such folks? I’m not sure.
Like others have said above, I think we should be focusing our efforts on health care costs if we really want to make a difference. Education and job training can also help.
What percentage of people in Ohio actually make under $6.85 an hour?
Excellent point. I’ve no idea if that data is available somewhere or not. Might be difficult to find.
July 24th, 2006 at 7:53 pm20: Here here! Any job done with pride and integrity is a good job.
July 24th, 2006 at 7:54 pm“This is economics 101. When you raise the price of fuel, you cost young people, old people, people in low-income people every one suffers, Businesses don’t create as many of them [Jobs], because fuel cost’s are so much more now.â€
July 24th, 2006 at 8:12 pmSaexaeaen I’m proud. You’re last comment didn’t sound like some sort of fecal matter scooped up from rush’s mouth. I have renwed faith in humanity.
July 24th, 2006 at 8:25 pmOhio is either last or next to last in job creation……….raising the min wage will do what?…..make Ohio last or next to last in job creation?
July 24th, 2006 at 8:26 pm42: Last in job creation has to beat their current title. First in closeted gay republicans.
July 24th, 2006 at 8:33 pm“Raising minimum wage means less jobs” -I’ve heard that so many times but nobody ever backs it up with actual data.
In this case, the stance agaisnt rising mimimun wage is even less logical, because the vast majority of workers in Ohio already earn salaries above that:
In Ohio, 26,000 people made minimum wage last year. More widely, 111,000 people worked at or below the minimum wage, down from 125,000 in 2004, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The larger numbers include restaurant workers who make about $2.15 an hour plus tips.
Overall, that means less than 2 percent of the workers employed in Ohio worked at or below the minimum wage of $5.15 an hour last year.
Fewer Ohio workers each year, statistics show
If most Ohioans make above minimum wage already, increasing it could certainly not have a negative impact on the economy.
July 24th, 2006 at 8:50 pm“Businesses don’t create as many of them, because they cost more now.â€
See this doesn’t make any good sense at all. Why would an intelligent CEO, or franchise manager want to hire more people? Disregarding whether the company pays any form of benefits the costs of more employees in payroll work, federal and state employee taxes and fees, direct expenditures to provide whatever the company must provide (uniforms, bathrooms, parking spaces, etc.), etc. all goes to nullify this statement on its face. Cutting one minimum wage employee and then raising the salaries of five others a dollar an hour has enormous benefits across the board. The savings alone would begin to be understood immediately.
July 24th, 2006 at 9:04 pmI would think that any business that would go bust from an increase in the minimum wage would be a business that is just hanging on anyway
wasn’t it wal-mart that suggested to their employees that the go sign up for government assistance?
July 24th, 2006 at 10:26 pmOk, Grandpa Seth, if NOBODY makes minimum wage you shouldn’t have a problem with RAISING it. By your logic, it would have absolutely no effect since nobody actually has to support a family on that wage. A couple of college students making 50 cents more isn’t going to make a difference, right? You can’t have it both ways, either nobody makes minimum wage or raising the wage is going to destroy our economy (neither is true).
July 24th, 2006 at 10:55 pmas i have said, i think the minimum wage must be lowered…$1.90 an hour for white people, and $1.00 for non-white people and mexican immigrants…
poor people do NOT need more money because they will only spend their money on marijuana and colt 45…
kisses,
ann
July 24th, 2006 at 10:58 pmI think it was Chris Rock who said, “minimum wage is another way of saying the boss would pay you less if he could.”
July 24th, 2006 at 11:22 pmDuh, Ceos need their money for all their expensive big ass boats and houses……
July 24th, 2006 at 11:42 pmIt’s very simple. republicans believe that only corporate officers should be paid. Everyone below that shold not only NOT be paid, but should be property of the company.
Remember, Liberals DIED for your RIGHT to:
8 hour work days
2 days off (the weekend is a Liberal invention)
Paid vacations
Pension
Health insurance provided by employer
Protection from random and discriminatory hiring/firing
and of course
Decent pay
These things are just as sacred as America and our Flag.
July 25th, 2006 at 12:36 amThe GOP needs to be honest, and tell the voters that they only love the rich > PERIOD.
July 25th, 2006 at 2:06 amAnn is a racist who ought to be gang-raped by blacks and forced to bear black babies to full term.
July 25th, 2006 at 7:43 amI would like to see the “Ben and Jerry” pay structure throughout our culture. Ben and Jerry paid themselves no more than 7 times the wage of their lowest paid worker, a philosophy similar to Henry Ford. I would be nice to have our politicians’ earnings (from all sources, not just pay as an elected official) tied in similar fashion to the minimum wage.
July 25th, 2006 at 8:29 am3. State minimum wage hikes have increased payroll and revenue without creating job loss. “A recent report from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development said last year’s increase in the state’s hourly rate — to $5.70 from $5.15 — produced $175 million in additional payroll and a $3 million boost in state tax revenue.â€
you would think that a higher minimum wage would ease some of the pressure on property taxes
July 25th, 2006 at 9:00 amFantastic!! Why stop at raising the minimum wage to a paltry $5.70? Why don’t we just raise it to $20/hour, or better yet $50/hour. Think about how much money everyone would have and how much more tax revenue would be generated. If raising it a little bit helps a little bit, raising it a lot must help even more. I can’t believe all you greedy people on this board think that $5.70/hour is enough to live on.
July 25th, 2006 at 10:26 am#57
Whoa! Ron, you’re making too much sense for these simple minds. Wages are based on supply and demand. When the demand for labor exceeds the supply, wages will go up. My point is, simply raising the minimum wage does not move people out of poverty if the price of everything else goes up with their wages. Real wage increases occur when people obtain better skills, get more technical training and earn college degrees. I realize that most of the inflation these days is tied to the price of gas but if we could build more refineries, have fewer than 30 grades of gas, allowed to drill in Anwar and offshore, the price would go down, but thank a liberal for that.
July 25th, 2006 at 10:50 amThis is a complex issue where even economists disagree regardless of political affiliation. There is some evidence in both directions, but not solid proof in either. For every study out there, you can point to another study that says the opposite, and three studies that debunk both of them. To call this a conservative “big lie” denegrates your argument against true big lies, such as the myth that global warming doesn’t exist or isn’t caused at least partially by mankind.
So here’s a question. If raising the minimum wage will not cause businesses to reduce employment, what happens to the increased costs born by these businesses? We all pay for it in increased prices. We can fool around with wages all we want, but it will just filter through in prices. So why not leave the market alone, and help those who can’t earn enough money in some other way, such as already existing welfare programs, or by sending them to school? I’m just trying to throw out an alternate solution, not trying to be argumentative.
July 25th, 2006 at 11:01 amPLC,
After Ben and Jerry went public, they wanted to hire a new CEO followint their 7x rule. They searched for two years and gave up because no qualified person would work for so little money.
To which I say congress needs to pass a law mandating that Executives can not be paid more than 7x the lowest employee. I suspect that pay increases would take place instantly if their salaries were based on their employees wages…
July 25th, 2006 at 1:37 pmI’m from Canada, and I live in the province with the lowest minimum wage in the country, at $6.70. The downside of not raising minimum wages here is that people just leave. They go to Alberta, where’s there’s lots of oil and higher wages, and much lower taxes. Minimum wage here has risen twice this year already, from $6.30 to $6.50 and now $6.70. If they don’t continue to raise it, there will actually be more unemployment, because there won’t be workers to fill lower income jobs. Unskilled workers can much more easily work at a call centre or doing labour, and the lowest paid jobs are filled by teens. Unless minimum wages goes up a fair amount, there will barely be a workforce left.
July 25th, 2006 at 2:20 pm#15 – I think you’re missing the point of the conservative zeal to keep the minimum wage at sub-poverty levels. The right wings wants to keep the poor poor, and it wants to see the prison population as high as possible, and it wants high crime as long as wealthy people are insulated from it. It has to do with the keeping the society stratified, having rich people and poor people to serve the rich. A large prison population serves 3 purposes: appeasing the need for retribution against the poor for being immoral people unworthy of living in society, it provides a free labor force, and it siphons more money to them.
Unless you think that there’s an economic rationale to their position other than impovershing as many people as possible. All the pseudo-economic jive about small businesses and unemployment rates is just public relations.
July 25th, 2006 at 2:37 pmNobody has mentioned yet how the same people who vote against minimum wage increases are always in favor of raising their own wages, but somehow raising a politician’s wage that comes solely from taxes will not hurt businesses at all?
July 25th, 2006 at 2:41 pm#16 TripMaster Monkey – Very well said. I was trying to give DrSinker the benefit of the doubt. I think he’s a libertarian, and he may mean that if you’re going to raise a family, you have a responsibility to provide for it adequately, something everyone will agree with. Also see his comment #9.
But this statement:
I shudder at the thought that people who plan on waiting tables for an extended period actually plan on being able to raise kids.
can best be described as callous. My wife’s been a waitress for 40 years, but she never planned on doing it that long. It’s an honorable vocation, and she always planned on raising kids, and she did raise 2 of them—-quite well I might add. I would like DrStinker to know that she never made minimum wage as a waitress. She made less, much less. Tips make up most of the income for a waiter.
I see katy already made these points (#20). Not only do people need good wait people, they expect it. My wife does feel…humiliated is way too strong a word….but there is an element of degradation. Many people treat waitresses like servants and tip poorly on top of it. A waiter or waitress is always in a subservient position, moreso than somebody in the ladies’ department or even a counter person at McDonald’s. They are very underpaid, in my opinion, mainly because people expect food to be cheap. A lot of people, not just waiters, are underpaid because of this odd expectation.
#16 – Your point is one that needs to be made in the media and on the stump. The obvious proof that companies can afford to pay more than the minimum is that with the gains in productivity, the companies have profited more and have kept all of it. Why? because they can.
#47 – Don’t waste your breathe. Grandpa Seth & his ilk always have to have it both ways. Otherwise, they have to use logic.
July 25th, 2006 at 3:40 pmI am a single mother of 3. I make more than minimum wage, but not much more. My teenagers have jobs. They take on the burden of their own shopping for school clothes, gas for the car, other entertainment, etc. If they didn’t work, they wouldn’t be able to do these things as I do not have the income to provide for those items. Obviously all of the things they spend their money on are important parts of the economy. They give sales to retail, fast food, oil companies, movie theaters, etc. Therefore I don’t understand alot of the posts that say raising the wage basically affects teenagers so it doesn’t really matter to raise it. Apparently some do not understand that alot of those employees are children of low income families who help contribute to the financial health of the family. Anyone else in the same situation?
July 30th, 2006 at 6:49 amI shudder at the thought that people who plan on waiting tables for an extended period actually plan on being able to raise kids.
Comment by DrSinker — July 24, 2006 @ 5:09 pm
Someone has to be waitresses or waiters!! I love how people look down on the people who “serve” them. If the majority of people in this country actually tipped the standard 15% then wait staff would certainly make more than minimum wage. Some think that certain jobs are beneath them, but as I said before, someone has to do it. That would suck if you spent a wad of money on college, but couldn’t find employment in your field of study and then had to take a low paying job. Luckily alot of low income peole don’t have to worry about paying off student loans!!
July 30th, 2006 at 7:08 amThis country is going down hill if it does not start generating more family wage jobs.
August 2nd, 2006 at 11:29 pmThis country is in a quiet shrinking middleclass crisis. This country is also generating a lot of meaningless corporate jobs and I would say we have a sales , service and bureaucracy economy. We are outcourcing more jobs also. There are countless underemployed people and how could any human survive on the low wages offered
today. We need to raise the minimum wage now to $7/hour. No excuses.If the right wing had their way we would have the minimum wage at $2/hour. We need a new direction for this country ,and did i mention the health care crisis? Please everyone say a prayer for this country.