A new openness to an ‘unemotional’ minimum-wage increase

March 25, 2006

In 1996, congressional Republicans were a little concerned about losing their majority control of both chambers, to they struck a deal with the Clinton White House to increase the minimum wage. It undermined Bob Dole’s message — Newt didn’t care; he realized the presidential race wouldn’t be close — and it took away a Dem issue.

A decade later, with the minimum wage buying-power at its lowest level since 1949, Republicans at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue are slowly considering the possibility of an increase.

Treasury Secretary Snow’s remarks on income inequality fuel debate. “We’ll engage with” advocates of an increase, he says, while cautioning against pricing some workers out of labor market. […]

Commerce Secretary Gutierrez also signals openness to an increase if Congress pursues the issue “thoughtfully…and not emotionally.”

I’m curious — how, exactly, does the administration define an “emotional” debate over minimum wage? For that matter, will the Bush gang resist an increase if they deem the process as insufficiently “thoughtful”?

As for the Dems, the WSJ noted that Sen. Ted Kennedy plans push for floor vote this spring on an increase to $7.25. James Carville, meanwhile, is advising Dems “to block pay raise for Congress until average worker’s wages rise,” which strikes me as a wise approach.

Stay tuned.

“James Carville, meanwhile, is advising Dems “to block pay raise for Congress until average worker’s wages rise,” which strikes me as a wise approach.”

True, they could make a real issue out of this, given that Congress has seen its pay raised seven times in the past nine years while the minimum wage has remained the same.

And then there’s the related question of just how “productive” Congress has been during this time . . .

  • True, they could make a real issue out of this, given that Congress has seen its pay raised seven times in the past nine years while the minimum wage has remained the same.

    I guess it’d be considered “emotional” to bring this up in Congress.

  • Why don’t the Democrats present a simple
    chart showing CEO pay rising over the last twenty
    years versus the minimum wage over the past
    twenty years, in constant dollars? Our Ed Stephan
    has probably already got one. I can’t imagine
    a more graphic depiction of what’s gone wrong
    in this country.

    I don’t know how our nation can live with itself.

    But I do know why the Dems won’t do it.

  • We inch towards the Soylent Green future… a dying ecosystem.. massive famine, plague, social decay and poverty for the masses … with fortress enclaves of the mega rich ruling class living out the last days modern civilization in style.

  • If the minimum wage is increased, unemployment will rise. Perhaps, this is what the democrats wish for in order to manufacture an election issue.

  • hark,

    This kind of information is extremely hard to come by generally – they keep it secret on purpose. I can’t post a graph here either, unless it’s part of an article I’m posting. You might find illumination here. It shows a graph, 1990-1999, of CEO salaries (up 535%) compared with S&P 500 (297%), Corporate Profits (116%), Worker Pay (32.3%), and Inflation (27.5%). It matches others I’ve seen.

    The upper figures (CEOs especially) took a temporary nose dive with the dot-com bust, but they’re back up again (unfortunately, I don’t have a graph).

    That we would even allow such a terrible disparity says volumes about our “values”. That most of it occurred during the Clinton presidency also speaks volumes.

    Fallenwoman states “If the minimum wage is increased, unemployment will rise.” Nothing is that simple in this complex world. But I won’t waste my time trying to teach Fallenwoman Econ 101.

  • I’m curious — how, exactly, does the administration define an “emotional” debate over minimum wage?

    Probably this is the same as calling Hillary “angry”-

    An “emotional” debate would probably be one where Deomcrats are able to use the discussion as a springboard to talking about people’s economic insecurity, and the wealth disparity between conservative CEO elites and their employees!

    The GOP is saying, those issues don’t count- so even if we’ll admit that raisinf the minimum wage makes sense, don’t start saying things we won’t like.

  • You know, the truth is, the minimum wage was not – at least originally – supposed to be merely the least amount a person could be paid. It was supposed to be the minimum amount a person could live decently on with full-time employment. I hate to say this, but $7.50 an hour isn’t even close to that, not unless you’ve got 5 people in the same house all working full-time for that wage, each.

    I remember, back in the early Jurassic, around 1967, when the minimum wage was $1.25/hour. I could work a 20-hour part-time job at night at the Free Press Bookstore here in Los Angeles, and have enough to pay the rent for a small 1-bedroom apartment a 15-minute walk from work ($50/month), food, gas for my car, and a movie a week at the local theater. I could spend my days pursuing my dream of being a writer.

    Today, here in California, I could make $6.25/hour now, which would come out to about $500/month (before taxes) for that same 20-hour workweek (now standard for people working in “real” jobs at Wal-Mart, any of the local “unionized” grocery stores since the strike 3 years ago, etc.)

    But the small, old, 1-bedroom apartment on North Stanley Avenue in West Hollywood now rents for $1,500/mo (I know, because 2 months ago I drove past the place, saw a “for rent” sign, stopped out of curiosity and asked the rent), and that’s cheap rent in the neighborhood. Food (and I eat pretty modestly, healthful stuff I cook myself, very few prepared foods, no solid-gold-price meat, etc.) comes to about $65/week (including food for my feline family).

    In other words, for half the monthly income, I could eat regularly, but I’d have to live in the park in a tent (and there is a surprising percentage of the homeless who live in parks in tents and do have regular jobs).

    What Senator Kennedy ought to be pushing for is a Full Employment Act, so that people working at Wal-Mart, Ralph’s, Safeway, your local Circuit City, etc., etc., can get a 40-hour a week job, and do so at a wage that means they can have some modest life as a result.

    All we have to do is take back the billions that have been stolen by the pinstriped corporate thieves masquerading as “patriotic” Republicans.

  • Clarification of what Republicans mean by “Unemotional Debate” as posted on redstate,com
    On my visit to redstate, I noticed they run a tight ship.. It’s quite easy to get banned and much discussion about banning. It does not feel like a democratic process.. but then why should it?

    . *******************************************************************
    The posting rules for redstate.com include…
    No profanity.
    No personal attacks.
    No harassment or demonization of a particular individual.
    No disruptive behavior or off-topic remarks for their own sake.
    The purpose of this site is promote conservative and Republican ideals. This is our home, and we ask you kindly not to track mud into it. Revocation of posting privileges (banning) will take place after a warning of behavior which violates the intent and spirit of these rules.

    Concerning profanity: The rules are simple. If you have any doubt about whether to use a word or phrase, don’t. If you still don’t know what that means, don’t post. Profanity is not necessary to make a point, add emphasis, or convey a message. There are plenty of other places on the ‘net to be vulgar and base, but RedState will not be one of them.

  • Well, I’m glad that some of you guys will get a non-merit-involved raise, but my dang starbucks is gonna go up again.

    Frankly, not even McDonald’s is paying minimum wage. They can’t find enough bodies as it is. The only folks who get minimum wage are the very entry-level employees, and the folks who work in campus services…

    Ohhh… Guys, if you graduate, and leave the university, you’ll have the chance to find a real job, with a real salary, and real taxation.

  • Well, I’m glad that some of you guys will get a non-merit-involved raise, but my dang starbucks is gonna go up again.

    Frankly, not even McDonald’s is paying minimum wage. They can’t find enough bodies as it is.

    Bogie, you do realize that you contradict yourself here, right? No?

  • I figure the folks at starbucks are likely minimum wage, because I can’t envision paying any more to that buncha folks, who even superbly caffeinated, stand around and do nothing quite as much as they do… I also assume that they’re all on educational grants or something, because that much makeup, hair product and facial jewelery has to come from somewhere.

    “Yes, I want a large coffee. The big one. That really big cup. Yeah, that one. Now, pour two shots of espresso in it. No, I don’t want the sweet crap. NO! I DON’T WANT THE SWEET CRAP! Just ferbobsake make me a big cup of really strong coffee – it’s before noon!”

    • Comments are closed.