Minimum wage. This is a tough issue, right? For everyday liberals like me, it’s not so tough, really. You look at the fact that in each of the last nine years, a minimum wage increase has been shot down by the administration, yet Senate has voted for raises for themselves in each of those years. That doesn’t seem fair, does it? Minimum wage hasn’t changed one cent since 1995 but Senate’s had a raise every year? Think about your cost of living since 1995. Now think about it if you made $5.15 an hour.
Opponents of the increase say that enacting this would force small businesses to stop hiring entry-level employees. Sort of a weak argument and one that hasn’t necessarily played out that way in the past. So tell me something. If you hadn’t gotten a raise in nine years, how would that make you feel? It’s stories like this that make me realize how lucky I am and how sad it makes me to read about some of these people who just can’t get ahead, despite their efforts. Granted, some of the people making minimum wage probably deserve their paltry salary, just like some white-collar corporate types don’t deserve what they make.
But my original point still hits home for me:
Senate: 9 raises in 9 years
Minimum wage: 0 for 9.
Think about that.