I apprecite your view of the why you think minimum wages should be increased, and your feeling of entitlement that successful businesses like McDonald's and Wendy's, even Wal-Mart should have to bite the bullet and pay more.
However, minimum wage jobs will never make for a successful or well-to-do family lifestyle. (I suppose you could work 3 jobs -- and never see the family). This only leads to the affected businesses raising their prices to cover the new cost of employment. This inflation, in turn, hurts the very same people that the minimum pay increase was meant to help. May I suggest that what we need in Kansas, especially in Cowley County are higher paying industry jobs. I agree the large industries like Boeing, IBM, Amazon will probably never come. But it is within our power to recruit small and meduim size industries. We as a community should be happy to give tax breaks, to embrace new businesses. We need to and should be proud to support them.
Thanks for the opportunity to discuss this with you.
I agree with what you were saying in regard to the tax breaks and getting some larger companies recruited in our county to help with the economy. All of the things you spoke of are true, however, regardless of what size businesses that come to Cowley county there will always be people that will work minimum wage jobs. They work these jobs for various reasons. Some have a lack of education, or possibly lack of transportation. There will always be minumum wage workers. I suppose my concern was for those who HAVE to work these jobs. With the inflation that already has risen in the past few years they need a new standard.
One of the key reasons I was a bit frustrated about the Senate voting this down was because of the huge pay raises they have voted in for themselves in the past. They are living a more than standard living and feel obligated to give themselves raises. With no health care for the poor, and higher prices at the pump and the retail stores, it seems to me that it is time to possibly make a new standard for the poor.
Being a single mother, and the bread winner, I have always been able to keep a "more than minimum wage" job. Sometimes it wasn't easy. I have to work out of state now to keep a higher paying job. When industry started shuting down in the "90's" it made it harder to make a living here in our county. Many had to choose the same path as I by working out of county. But, there are those that are less fortunate than I, that can't make that trip out of county for one reason or another. Better jobs are needed. You are right. Tax breaks would be good for the right businesses to get them here. Do you know if the new business here in our area that are hiring the prisoners were given any breaks on taxes? It would be interesting to know. I see some possible jobs for those who manage to stay out of prison there, if that would have been an option. Does anyone know about that situation?
While reading the Wichita Eagle today I found that the Senate had voted on a proposed increase on minimum wage. I see that the vote was 52-46, eight short of the needed 60 votes for the increase. I am saddened by the thought that the polititians can vote for raises for themselves and have given themselves hefty raises since the last minimum wage raise was made, but cannot see fit to raise the minimum wage for the people. Do they really care about the poor people who are trying to raise children on these low wages? It seems to me they don't! I know that if the wage is raised, it may cause hardship on the small business owners but we all are having a hard time these days making things stretch. We all have to make cuts. And for the big employers, for instance MacDonalds, Wendy's ect.....they can just let go of some of the profit. I KNOW they are making a profit or they wouldn't still be around.
Our whole country is money hungry. Greed is steering us toward a sad future. And so is our polititians. We need a major change soon!!!!!
Raising the minimum wage is not doing a thing for the low and middle class wage earning people. What needs to happen is our goverment should tax heavier on profits and put in to works a limit on raising the price of consmuer products. For example I stops at a local fast food place for a glass of ice water and the price had gone up, so I ask why, the answer was all of our prices have gone up since the new minimum wages have gone up,. ee we are not going to get caught up or be able to afford any more than before unless ther is a tighter control on the cost of goods and fuel cost. RIGHT
Well it is September,2009 and the minimum wage came up to 7.25. Not much but it helps a little.At least it finally came up.Made me feel better. I started a job ,not my first, in 1979 at 3.25 an hour. 25 cents less then what I was making at my other job.But in a year had gotten a dollar more. My wages went way higher then that and after 25 years it was $14. But I had good benefits. Several that started during that 25 years complained about $7 and $8 dollars starting wages. One guy complained so much that I told him what I started at and he said maybe his $8 was not so bad after all.But I did not tell him what minimum was at that time. It was $2.75. So my point no matter what the wages are it is never enough.Even the folks that make $35-40 an hour the wage is not enough. oh well. sunflower
