Senate Again Fails to Raise Minimum Wage
 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051019/...minimum_wage_1

By JIM ABRAMS, Associated Press Writer 35 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - The Senate on Wednesday defeated a proposal to raise the minimum wage, rejecting arguments by Democrats that the current floor, $5.15 an hour for the past eight years, was perpetuating poverty.

The proposal by Sen. Edward Kennedy (news, bio, voting record) to raise the lowest wage by $1.10 over an 18-month period was defeated on a near-partyline vote of 51-47 vote.

The Senate was also voting Wednesday on a Republican alternative that combined the same $1.10 increase with various breaks and exemptions for small businesses. It was expected to lose.

Kennedy, D-Mass., said Hurricane Katrina demonstrated the depth of poverty in the country and he pointed out that a single parent with two children working a minimum wage earns $10,700 a year, $4,500 below the poverty line.

He said it was "absolutely unconscionable" that in the same period that Congress has denied a minimum wage increase, lawmakers have voted themselves seven pay raises worth $28,000.

Kennedy, who has campaigned relentlessly for a minimum wage increase, picked up one vote from the 46 votes for a similar measure in March. On Tuesday he modified his proposal, which originally called for a $2.15 increase over 26 months, in hopes of attracting more Republicans.

The first minimum wage of 25 cents an hour was enacted under President Roosevelt in 1938. Congress has since voted eight times to increase it, including under Republican presidents Eisenhower, Ford and George H.W. Bush. Congress approved the last increase in 1996, with the second stage, boosting the rate to $5.15, taking effect in 1997.

Sixteen states and the District of Columbia have minimum wages higher than the national level, including Washington State at $7.35, according to the Labor Department. Twenty-six states are the same as the federal level; two — Ohio and Kansas — are below; and six do not have state laws.

Also on Wednesday, Sens. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, proposed adding $3.1 billion to the administration's $2 billion request this year for emergency heating assistance for low income families.

"We're about see a second tidal surge from Katrina and Rita," with rising energy costs, Reed said.

A vote could take place Thursday, with GOP leaders saying an emergency spending bill to be taken up soon was a better venue for the heating assistance debate.

Alabama

Sessions (R) No; Shelby (R) No.

Alaska

Murkowski (R) No; Stevens (R) No.

Arizona

Kyl (R) No; McCain (R) No.

Arkansas

Lincoln (D) Yes; Pryor (D) Yes.

California

Boxer (D) Yes; Feinstein (D) Yes.

Colorado

Allard (R) No; Salazar (D) Yes.

Connecticut

Dodd (D) Yes; Lieberman (D) Yes.

Delaware

Biden (D) Yes; Carper (D) Yes.

Florida

Martinez (R) No; Nelson (D) Yes.

Georgia

Chambliss (R) No; Isakson (R) No.

Hawaii

Akaka (D) Yes; Inouye (D) Not Voting.

Idaho

Craig (R) No; Crapo (R) No.

Illinois

Durbin (D) Yes; Obama (D) Yes.

Indiana

Bayh (D) Yes; Lugar (R) No.

Iowa

Grassley (R) No; Harkin (D) Yes.

Kansas

Brownback (R) No; Roberts (R) No.

Kentucky

Bunning (R) No; McConnell (R) No.

Louisiana

Landrieu (D) Yes; Vitter (R) No.

Maine

Collins (R) No; Snowe (R) No.

Maryland

Mikulski (D) Yes; Sarbanes (D) Yes.

Massachusetts

Kennedy (D) Yes; Kerry (D) Yes.

Michigan

Levin (D) Yes; Stabenow (D) Yes.

Minnesota

Coleman (R) No; Dayton (D) Yes.

Mississippi

Cochran (R) No; Lott (R) No.

Missouri

Bond (R) No; Talent (R) No.

Montana

Baucus (D) Yes; Burns (R) No.

Nebraska

Hagel (R) No; Nelson (D) Yes.

Nevada

Ensign (R) No; Reid (D) Yes.

New Hampshire

Gregg (R) No; Sununu (R) No.

New Jersey

Corzine (D) Not Voting; Lautenberg (D) Yes.

New Mexico

Bingaman (D) Yes; Domenici (R) No.

New York

Clinton (D) Yes; Schumer (D) Yes.

North Carolina

Burr (R) No; Dole (R) No.

North Dakota

Conrad (D) Yes; Dorgan (D) Yes.

Ohio

DeWine (R) Yes; Voinovich (R) No.

Oklahoma

Coburn (R) No; Inhofe (R) No.

Oregon

Smith (R) No; Wyden (D) Yes.

Pennsylvania

Santorum (R) Yes; Specter (R) Yes.

Rhode Island

Chafee (R) Yes; Reed (D) Yes.

South Carolina

DeMint (R) No; Graham (R) No.

South Dakota

Johnson (D) Yes; Thune (R) No.

Tennessee

Alexander (R) No; Frist (R) No.

Texas

Cornyn (R) No; Hutchison (R) No.

Utah

Bennett (R) No; Hatch (R) No.

Vermont

Jeffords (I) Yes; Leahy (D) Yes.

Virginia

Allen (R) No; Warner (R) No.

Washington

Cantwell (D) Yes; Murray (D) Yes.

West Virginia

Byrd (D) Yes; Rockefeller (D) Yes.

Wisconsin

Feingold (D) Yes; Kohl (D) Yes.

Wyoming

Enzi (R) No; Thomas (R) No.

North Carolina

Burr (R) No; Dole (R) No.

I love my NC!

Hey Joshy...I have a question.


I just got the Wildflower CD/DVD deluxe set. When I put the DVD into my DVD player, the only "special" feature that I am getting is the video for "Good is Good". Where is the acoustic tracks and the DVD quality tracks?

And of all the Republicans to vote for it, it was Santorum and Specter of Pennsylvania. I wonder why that is.

I'd also like to see the Republican alternative and find out what kinds of breaks and exemptions are leading Democrats to reject it.

That's because the cost of living is low in NC and in quite a few other states that voted N. Try living on min wage in CA or NY.

Oh I would LOVE to live in NY. :nod:

Experience proves that the minimum wage hurts more people than it helps.

I've got to hand it to you, you really are absolutely brilliant when it comes to completely avoiding an issue that someone brings up. I suppose you learn from the best.

A general question to anyone, since I must admit I'm not terribly well-versed on the ins and outs of this: Do any states have their own minimum wages that are higher than the national minimum wage? And if not, why not? Is this something that state legislatures are not allowed to do?

I would have thought that Santorum would have voted against it just to thumb his nose at Kennedy, Kerry, and Massachusetts.

Now don't freak out...but that pic of Ann Coulter looks like Amber Frey, the former lover of convicted murderer Scott Peterson.

It can be state by state...it just depends.

You know I have never noticed that. :lol:

You got a source for that, boy-o?

Also, that doesn't really answer my question about why Santorum and Specter voted for the proposal. Or about what the differences are in the Republican-sponsored proposal.

The minimum wage in MA is $6.75. Any state can establish their own minimum wage, it just can't fall below the national minimum wage.

There was also a yes vote from DeWine (R) in Ohio.

Exactly. What I posted above. Which you know me I'm just unaware of an facts.

Which leads me to the assertion that if any state can establish their own minimum wage, then why must the national minimum wage be upped?

Minimum-wage advocates imply that mostly large, successful firms employ low-wage workers. Therefore, the only effect of a higher minimum wage will be to reduce business profits. However, the Small Business Administration (SBA) recently examined the types of businesses employing low-wage workers. Not surprisingly, the bulk of them are small businesses, not big corporations. Among all minimum-wage workers, 54% work in businesses with fewer than 100 employees and two-thirds work in businesses with fewer than 500 employees

He asked for an example, I gave him one. You did not.

Umm, so that people are paid more for their work? What a concept.

I answered his question. I didn't know he was asking for an example as well.



Sounds nice in theory, but it isn't that simple.

You should really be attributing that to the original author, Bruce Bartlett.

But of course...

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articl...2/ai_n10298110

I was just about to post the entire article.

How sweet it is that you spew the corporate capitalist talking points as if they were your own.

The concept of a minimum wage seems straightforward: If we believe the wages of some workers are too low, we should pass a law requiring those wages to be higher. What could be simpler? The problem is that increasing the minimum wage may make some people better off, but others will be harmed. Experience proves that the minimum wage hurts more people than it helps.

A bill to raise minimum hourly pay is introduced in every Congress. The current proposal would immediately raise the federal minimum wage from $5.15 to $5.85, then to $6.45 one year later and to $7.00 after two years.

Age and education are the two most basic determinants of the wage a worker can command in the employment market. Young people generally have less experience and maturity and are usually not productive enough to demand a very high wage. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the bulk of minimum-wage workers are under 25, with limited education.

In 2002, half of all workers earning the minimum wage were under age 25 and one-fourth were between the ages of 16 and 19. One-third of all minimum-wage workers had less than a high school diploma. Three-fifths of minimum-wage employees worked only part-time, and many were students or others living in homes with high family incomes.

At the same time, minimum-wage jobs are not insignificant. They are the first rung on the employment ladder for most workers. The experience workers gain in such simple skills as showing up on time, learning to follow instructions and how to interact with customers are critical to success in life.

That is why-absent government mandated hikes-salaries grow rapidly for newly hired minimum-wage workers who stick with their jobs. About 90% of workers hired at minimum wage earn more than the minimum after one year, according to the BLS.

Minimum-wage advocates imply that mostly large, successful firms employ low-wage workers. Therefore, the only effect of a higher minimum wage will be to reduce business profits. However, the Small Business Administration (SBA) recently examined the types of businesses employing low-wage workers. Not surprisingly, the bulk of them are small businesses, not big corporations. Among all minimum-wage workers, 54% work in businesses with fewer than 100 employees and two-thirds work in businesses with fewer than 500 employees.

Small businesses create 75% of new jobs annually, but they are also responsible for most job losses. That is why we must be especially careful when contemplating new financial burdens on small businesses. With so many of them so close to the edge to begin with, it often doesn't take much to push them over, destroying many jobs in the process.

Unemployment figures are also a telling statistic regarding minimum wage. From 1948 to 1955, unemployment of black and white teenage males was essentially the same, 11.3% and 11.6%, respectively. However, after the minimum wage was raised from 75 cents to $1 in 1956, unemployment rose significantly for both bhck and white teenage males, with blacks bearing more of the burden. By 1969, the unemployment rate was 22.7% for black teenage males and 14.6% for white teenage males.

Economists Donald Deere, Kevin Murphy and Finis Welch found that minimum wage increases totaling 27% in 1990 and 1991 reduced employment for all teenagers by 7.3% and for black teenagers by 10%. A study of the 1996 and 1997 increases by economists Richard Burkhauser, Kenneth Couch and David Wittenburg also found a 2% to 6% decline in employment for each 10% increase in the minimum wage.

In a study published by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, Couch translated these conclusions into raw numbers: At the low end, he estimated at least 90,000 teenage jobs were lost in 1996 and another 63,000 in 1997. At the high end, job losses may have equaled 268,000 in 1996 and 189,000 in 1997.

Couch estimates that a $1 rise in the minimum wage today would further reduce teenage employment by at least 145,000 and possibly as many as 436,000 jobs. According to the SBA, even among large firms the probability of a low -wage worker losing his job doubles after a minimum-wage hike.

Advocates of a minimum-wage hike ignore the evidence that it increases unemployment among the least productive workers: unskilled teenagers whose employment opportunities are limited. This is unfortunate, because low-wage jobs are the first rung on the economic ladder of success for workers entering the labor force. When we cut off the bottom rung by increasing the minimum wage, we keep youngsters from making the transition to work.

Mr. Bartlett is a senior fellow with the National Center for Policy Analysis.

Copyright Human Events Publishing, Inc. Feb 14, 2005
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved

I looked it up for myself, here's a nice site with the information: http://www.dol.gov/esa/minwage/america.htm

There are sixteen states with a minimum wage higher than the federally mandated one, among them California ($6.75), New York ($6.75 as of 01.01.2006), Florida ($6.15), and Illinois ($6.50). Washington state seems to have the highest minimum wage: $7.35.

While this does seem like something that should be a state issue much more than national one, as the cost of living varies widely state by state, it does seem incumbent on the federal government to ensure that states are enforcing a minimum wage that allows someone working a full-time job to live above the poverty level.

Gee...could it be that capitalism works? A free-market equals a better market!

Those are both matters of opinion, not facts.

Well you stated that somehow they weren't MY opinions and just talking points...so...

His opinions do not carry much weight with me due to his inexperience, age, and the fact that he lives at home. Sorry kid!

I was waiting for the stereotypical "You don't know unless you have had a life experience" liberal argument.

Why is it that an idea or a point is less valid because you haven't had a "life experience"...it doesn't take away from facts.

So where is this totally free market that is working better than all the other ones?

Seems like the market was pretty free in the US at the turn of the 20th century.

He's an elitist if I've ever heard one, which is why I laugh when we're accused of being such. Adores a man who supported apartheid, has a palpable contempt for the poor that he won't admit to, and wants the government to dictate the most conservative social policies imaginable.

What are you talking about? That's a stereotype I was not aware of.

Your data was all about teenage jobs. That is less important than the adults who have these jobs and have to pay for living expenses. Where is that data?

When you are a fabulously wealthy CEO with your 3 homes, yacht, and mansion then talk to me. Lord knows why you spew the talking points at your young age.

Which can be summed up in one word "clueless".

Ah, but you really don't. Leave home and try to support yourself independently with a minimum wage job. I dare you.

Causing an increase in minimum wage sounds nice and pretty, however it is not. Businesses will have to tighten there strings and cut jobs. And as far as the issue that increasing minimum wage somehow encourages poor people or people on welfare to enter into the work force, that two is a little fluffed. Firstly, with fewer jobs available it is quite difficult for any workers to find employment. Also the higher the minimum wage, the more the work becomes attractive to more people. Then employers will then be more selective. To me it seems that a higher minimum wage only better helps to prolong a "nanny state"...keeps the poor and welfare recipients more dependent on the government.

I think he should move up to Massachusetts, he can have his eyes opened up wide. :laugh:

Well duh. that tends to be how it works with most things related to money. If somebody's getting more of it, somebody else is getting less...

...but I don't see anything in this article showing that "more" people are hurt than helped by a minimum wage. A bunch of statistics about rises in teenage unemployment immediately following minimum wage hikes (although teenagers make up only 25% of workers earning the minimum wage, according to this guy's own statistics). Which is to be expected, of course. Where's the long-range results, though?

Funny how statistics can sound different depending on you present them:

In 2002, a full half of all workers earning the minimum wage were over age 25, and nearly three-fourths were over age 19. Two-thirds of all minimum wage workers had a high school diploma or better. 40% of minimum wage employees worked full time.

I know people who do it actually. And lets not pretend that most low income families and households make the EXACTLY minimum wage, because that is just untrue.

But how else will those welfare momma's get their cadillacs? :rolleyes:

Or, barring that, at the very least read Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed.