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[Marty Chinn]

Sacramento, Calif. (CBS SACRAMENTO) – Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., said that she supports raising minimum wage in the state of California to $26 an hour, adding that she doesn’t think such a hike would hurt small business owners.

Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., said on the show that the national minimum wage “should be left where it is,” and definitely not raised. He added that if “states want to increase it, or cities,” then they should have that opportunity at the local level.

One Republican congressman has called for an abolishment of minimum wage completely, with Sen. Tom Coburn saying, “I don’t believe there ought to be a national minimum wage. That’s my position.”

However, a study published in March found that 38 percent of employers will lay off workers if the minimum wage is increase. The Express Employment Professionals survey found that roughly 54 percent of the human resources professionals said that they would reduce hiring, and 65 percent said they would raise prices on goods and services.

She applauded Seattle Mayor Ed Murray’s plans to raise the city’s minimum wage to $15 an hour.

More to the article at the link:

http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2014/05/05/california-rep-raise-state-minimum-wage-to-26-an-hour/

 

[sn00zer]

alright that is a bit ridiculous, and would absolutely hurt small business owners....im all for an increase, but now paying 4x as much for a single employee is crazy

 

[Beer Monkey]

And then college enrollment tanks and we get even dumber.

 

[slit]

Yeah, ok, now they're just being silly.

 

[Brakke]

Well. It's nice to want things.

 

[Megalosaro]

Makes sense to me. California has a much higher cost of living than Seattle.

Either businesses can pay their workers a living wage, or the government can support them through welfare. Either way, someone has to pay for it.

 

[liquidtmd]

adding that she doesn’t think such a hike would hurt small business owners.

Wut

 

[Guevara]

$26 x 2000 hours a year = $52,000. Probably should be the "San Francisco" minimum wage.

 

[shira]

So $100 Big Mac? How the hell would fast food chains work?

 

[OrlanisWorks]

I can see that for San Francisco and LA, but most anywhere else is a bit silly with such a raise. $26 too far for cities smaller than the big-ass ones that cost >$25,000 to live in.

 

[Cyan]

That's crazy. Small marginal increases in minimum wage aren't going to hurt the economy or cause mass unemployment, but doubling it would have a huge ripple effect.

Oh, Barbara Lee. There you go then. She's the Berkeley rep.

 

[RiccochetJ]

I suspect all that would happen is that the price of goods and services would skyrocket.

 

[Gentleman Jack]

Would be nice if minimum wage workers could afford to live nearer to their jobs in one of the most polluted cities in the world.

 

[grkazan12]

 

[Thequietone]

I'm all for raising the minimum wage but $26/hour would completely crush the small business that I work at.

 

[Nyoro SF]

Wouldn't the currency crash?

 

[Slayven]

I suspect all that would happen is that the price of goods and services would skyrocket.

Milk and gas are too damn high as it is.

 

[FairyD]

If you elect me I promise to give everyone a unicorn and a goose that lays golden eggs.

 

[Zophar]

Do it. Do it do it do it do it do it.

 

[ghostofsparta]

That's crazy. I'm getting 52,000 salary out of college. If you do the math that's about 25/hr (8 hours). So I would actually be earning less than a janitor. Hmmm.

 

[zma1013]

Is she being sarcastic?

 

[JJDinomite]

Alright, dropping out of college and moving to California to work at McDonalds for the rest of my life.

 

[Piecake]

Im all for minimum wage increases, but 26 bucks is a bit much.

 

[Manarola]

Might not be too outrageous in San Francisco. But regardless, that's way too much for people flipping burgers

 

[Delta Assault]

Why not give everybody a holodeck while you're at it.

 

[zero shift]

Im all for minimum wage increases, but 26 bucks is a bit much.

Seriously. Unless this is for Manhattan they don't really have a leg to stand on. $15 is the max I'd go with.

 

[Chris R]

Might not be too outrageous in San Francisco. But regardless, that's way too much for people flipping burgers

We'd have burger flipping robots by the end of the month.

 

[Shouta]

26 dollars in California? Finally out of poverty!

 

[Thequietone]

Might not be too outrageous in San Francisco. But regardless, that's way too much for people flipping burgers

Flipping burgers isn't the only job that pays minimum wage.

 

[Manarola]

We'd have burger flipping robots by the end of the month.

Honestly I'm all for incentivizing greater mechanization of the work force. But I doubt thats what Barbara Lee has in mind

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

If I could have worked for $26 an hour I never would have gone to grad school.

 

[Manarola]

Flipping burgers isn't the only job that pays minimum wage.

That was just an illustration. Most minimum wage jobs involve menial tasks requiring no intelligence, and do not merit $27 an hour

 

[Boudica]

I've always wondered, if the minimum wage had actually kept up with inflation, how drastic would commodity prices be right now? Were commodity prices super expensive when the minimum wage was worth a lot more than it is today?

 

[kirblar]

"Politicians + Economics" generally equals 'I have no idea what I'm doing dog.gif"

I've always wondered, if the minimum wage had actually kept up with inflation, how drastic would commodity prices be right now? Were commodity prices super expensive when the minimum wage was worth a lot more than it is today?

Someone had a good chart in an earlier thread, the minimum wage relative to inflation has varied quite a bit over the past 100 years.

 

[Angry Grimace]

I make a little bit more than that and I went to three years of law school.

 

[AlphaSnake]

She pulled that number out of her ass for sure.

It's probably just a negotiating tactic though. Start at $26, finish at $14.

 

[adamsappel]

That's crazy. I'm getting 52,000 salary out of college. If you do the math that's about 25/hr (8 hours). So I would actually be earning less than a janitor. Hmmm.

A janitor should not be (and probably isn't) a minimum wage job.

I doubt even this Berkeley librul is serious about that wage. She might be suggesting it in order to make $15 seem a lot more reasonable.

 

[Gentleman Jack]

She pulled that number out of her ass for sure.

It's probably just a negotiating tactic though. Start at $26, finish at $14.

This.

 

[Rootbeer]

$26 x 2000 hours a year = $52,000. Probably should be the "San Francisco" minimum wage.

When you have to make $100k to rent in some buildings I think that wage is totally fair

P.s. I live in SF (barely) and would love to make $26/hr. I could actually afford food then.

 

[ghostofsparta]

A janitor should not be (and probably isn't) a minimum wage job.

Why not? If picking the fruits we all eat is a minumin wage job why should cleaning toilets not be?

 

[Angry Grimace]

We're already going up to $10!

 

[Cyan]

That was just an illustration. Most minimum wage jobs involve menial tasks requiring no intelligence, and do not merit $27 an hour

Right, most minimum wage jobs merit exactly $12.43. We should change the minimum wage to that.

Seriously, that's kind of a silly thing to say unless you're a market purist and think the market rate is what a task truly "merits."

 

[Kieli]

Why not? If picking the fruits we all eat is a minumin wage job why should cleaning toilets not be?

Because cleaning human waste is a very unpleasant job?

Why make this harder than it should be?

 

[Angry Grimace]

She pulled that number out of her ass for sure.

It's probably just a negotiating tactic though. Start at $26, finish at $14.

I don't know, in state, there's no-one to negotiate with. We have a supermajority in the legislature and a Democratic governor.

 

[HoodWinked]

sigh... why are some politicians so brainless. i cant only assume that she lives so extravagantly herself and is so disillusioned that 26/hr is a pittance for her.

 

[Manarola]

Right, most minimum wage jobs merit exactly $12.43. We should change the minimum wage to that.

Seriously, that's kind of a silly thing to say unless you're a market purist and think the market rate is what a task truly "merits."

I think the market comes close enough. There's no need to overpay for people shining shoes or picking up garbage on the street. You can easily find someone else to do it for less

 

[ghostofsparta]

Because cleaning human waste is a very unpleasant job?

Why make this harder than it should be?

So breaking your back in 100 plus weather is more pleasant?

As long as you agree that field workers should be paid the same as janitors then we're on the same boat.

 

[Cyan]

I think the market comes close enough. There's no need to overpay for people shining shoes or picking up garbage on the street. You can easily find someone else to do it for less

"Merit" is too close to "deserve" for my tastes.

 

[Tymerend]

I actually kind of agree with this. Worker wages have remained stagnant for HOW long? If minimum wage had increased like it should have, in line with executive wages, it'd probably be close to that by now anyway. It's just a shock hearing it in this light because it'd be a drastic increase all at once.

It won't work, if only because everyone just freaks out that people they feel are inferior to them might be able to make a good wage. Burger flippers don't deserve to have their lives made better, or if they do, they need to pull their own boot straps up.

The world works best when the poors stay poor like they deserve.

And we relieve ourselves of guilt when we say that 'Sure, they should make more money, but not THAT much, that's crazy, all they do is flup burgers."

 

[Goldenroad]

Why not? If picking the fruits we all eat is a minumin wage job why should cleaning toilets not be?

or designing the video games we play, or making the movies we watch, or building the cars we drive...why should everything not be a minimum wage job?