The last time the federal minimum wage was raised, I pastored a church that employed more than 60 people at its daycare and school. Most of the daycare employees were making minimum wage or a few cents more. Our budgets were definitely effected by the increase in the minimum wage.
I was more than happy to be able to devote the time and thought that was necessary to see that everyone got a raise and to increase rates to whatever was necessary to see that the operations of the school and daycare went smoothly.
Any business manager worth his salt can break out salary costs and project the level of income that will be necessary to meet those costs. They do it every day when other costs rise and fall.
The only time businessmen complain about doing their job is when the minimum wage is adjusted.
They have no problem, however, figuring out how to pay for raises for themselves. The last figures I saw indicated that the salaries of top executives has increased more than 500 times as much as the minimum wage has increased over the last thirty years.
We need to put some of these lazy executives back to work at some minimum wage jobs and see if they can figure out how to live on it.
Technorati Tags Minimum Wage, salaries
Posts
6 comments:
Incredibly, I find myself in complete agreement with you. Not for the first time, but this is the first I've admitted it...
I think we should pay a livable wage that is no less than $10.00 an hour. It can be done. Executives don't have to make such ridiculous salaries. Shame on them. Do you think the middle class will be able to survive into the future? Seems to me it is quickly becomming the working poor.
Marty,
Whether the middle class survives will depend on how deeply the next recession effects the middle class.
There's no safety net left, only businesses can go bankrupt, middle income jobs are disappearing, and the scarcity of oil is sure to set off inflation.
"no safety net left"??? Look at the definition for poverty 100 years ago... what was once "middle class" in the U.S. is now "poverty". Please don't speak to me about "no safety net left" if you are speaking about United States' citizens. Now, if you are talking about Rwanda or the Sudan, well that is different.
Yay for Albuquerque! (And yay for myself for spelling it right without spell check!!)
Nothing to cheer about. The measure was defeated by a little over two thousand votes 51% to 49%. The opposition spent a lot of money in advertising to nearly none for those in favor of it. It would be nice if they spent that money in salaries instead of keeping it down. The lies in their advertising boggle the mind at times.
Post a Comment