Growing Evidence We Need to Increase the Minimum Wage

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Amy Goodman makes the case!

Bloomberg News Provides Some Useful Information on the Problem

Crooks & Liars presents Susie Madrak's argument.

Remember Herman Cain who ran for president as a Republican? He was president of a restaurant-owner's association which made a deal with Congress to accept an increase in the minimum wage so long as 'tipped wage earners' didn't get included. Restaurant owners got a sweet deal -- everybody else had to pay more, but not them. Thank goodness he wasn't elected president.

The last minimum-wage increase was a long time ago, during Clinton's presidency. I think the economy could use a boost from more consumption spending and since the 'job creators' aren't creating jobs or paying more the government should do just that. One way is to raise the minimum-wage and another is to spend money (borrowed at very low interest rates) on major infrastructure work. It's sometimes said government does what the private sector can't or won't do. Private business will not pay more in a lot of places (though some states have minimum-wage rates higher than the federal level) and private business isn't hiring much, so government should do that. Ideally corporations which are doing great, or their owners, should pay more to the government to get these things done, but Republicans refuse to have them pay a penny more.


Update: John Schmitt of democracyjournal.org makes his argument for increasing the MinimumWage