Kevin Drum at Calpundit really seems to be on to something here — every time Congress gives itself a raise, it has to boost the minimum wage, too.
“[F]or those who insist that raising the minimum wage would cause massive economic dislocation, I’d like to point out that Congress doubled the minimum wage in 1950 with no ill effects, and raised it to about $8/hour in present-day terms in 1968, again with no ill effects,” Drum explained. “What’s more, with a few exceptions, most minimum wage jobs are in service industries, not manufacturing jobs that are susceptible to being sent overseas. Raising the minimum wage would help a lot of people at a pretty small cost. We should do it.
“And should we index the minimum wage to inflation? Of course. But I’ll renew an even better idea I proposed a year ago: index it to congressional salaries. Assuming a normal 2000-hour work year, congressmen make about $75/hour right now. How about simply making the minimum wage equal to 10% of that? Congress can then increase their own salaries anytime they want, but only if they’re willing to help out the working poor at the same time. Seems fair to me.”
Me too. Minimum wage has not kept up with inflation, making it increasingly difficult (impossible?) for low-income workers to get by. I’ve never been one to rail against congressional salaries; I understand that maintaining two households — one in DC and one in the home district — can be very expensive. But if lawmakers want their salaries to keep up with inflation, they should be just as committed to giving an equal boost to those at the bottom of the income scale.
Drum’s idea sounds perfect. It should become a standard Dem talking point forever more.