Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Minimum wage!!!!! Heee-YAH! *whipcrack*
Hey all,
Sorry I have not been posting a lot lately, I've got a lot of pots on the fire here, but nothing really boiling at the moment. (At least nothing boiling that I can post on the internet.) So instead of me constantly ignoring my blog because I've got nothing new to show, I'm going to start posting more opinion stuff about what's going on in the world of comics, politics or whatever strikes my fancy.
Sort of a gut reaction, to my honest feeling, quickly followed by the need to hear other's opinions afterwards. (this means you)
So here goes... Let the ranting BEGIN!
The first issue I'd like to ramble on about is the minimum wage.
The Senate, just today, voted down a chance at raising the minimum wage in this country . A bottom rung wage that has been set in stone since 1997 (up from $4.25 to today's standard $5.15 back then.)
It was voted down today, in order to keep businesses from having to pay their employees more and risk going out of business or be forced to lay-off workers... and that's a valid point. But, I can't help but feel that ten years is a long time to go without raising the amount of money that employers are obligated to pay their employees.
The simple fact is everything costs more now then it did then, even comic books skyrocketed in price since 1997! I believe comics ten years ago were about a buck or a buck fifty a pop, now they are getting up close to $4! And believe me that extra coin isn't going to directly to the creators. The price of comics has gone up because the price of printing and other services, like everything else, has also gone up.
Now I'm not saying, I think we should raise the minimum wage so people can buy more comics. (Although, that would be nice.), I'm just using it as an example. The price of gas alone is enough in my eyes to warrant some type of increase, but that may just be me.
Anyone reading this agree or disagree? Comment away!!!
Sorry I have not been posting a lot lately, I've got a lot of pots on the fire here, but nothing really boiling at the moment. (At least nothing boiling that I can post on the internet.) So instead of me constantly ignoring my blog because I've got nothing new to show, I'm going to start posting more opinion stuff about what's going on in the world of comics, politics or whatever strikes my fancy.
Sort of a gut reaction, to my honest feeling, quickly followed by the need to hear other's opinions afterwards. (this means you)
So here goes... Let the ranting BEGIN!
The first issue I'd like to ramble on about is the minimum wage.
The Senate, just today, voted down a chance at raising the minimum wage in this country . A bottom rung wage that has been set in stone since 1997 (up from $4.25 to today's standard $5.15 back then.)
It was voted down today, in order to keep businesses from having to pay their employees more and risk going out of business or be forced to lay-off workers... and that's a valid point. But, I can't help but feel that ten years is a long time to go without raising the amount of money that employers are obligated to pay their employees.
The simple fact is everything costs more now then it did then, even comic books skyrocketed in price since 1997! I believe comics ten years ago were about a buck or a buck fifty a pop, now they are getting up close to $4! And believe me that extra coin isn't going to directly to the creators. The price of comics has gone up because the price of printing and other services, like everything else, has also gone up.
Now I'm not saying, I think we should raise the minimum wage so people can buy more comics. (Although, that would be nice.), I'm just using it as an example. The price of gas alone is enough in my eyes to warrant some type of increase, but that may just be me.
Anyone reading this agree or disagree? Comment away!!!
Comments:
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I understand that everything is more expensive, going to the grocery store later will rub that in my face...but forcing a minimum wage makes it more difficult for the young and unskilled to get work...Businesses figure that if they HAVE to pay that much, they want some one more skilled than one who has just joined the work force or someone who really just doesn't have marketable skills. Or, when they have no choice, they mark up their products to make up for it...hence you and me shelling out more dough to buy stuff we can't do without...food, gas, comics. And no, I don't really have a great alternative, those are just the problems I see with mandating economics...
also, I think the bigger issue is that the value of the dollar is rapidly falling...and I want the government to stay out of everyone's business...
Hey J!
Thanks for posting! :D
I can't say that I believe that this would cause people to not hire unskilled workers, because most unskilled workers make minimum wage. That's what it is there for. I would imagine that if the newest worker on the workforce at a particular place was making minimum wage and the government raised him/her up a dollar so that he/she was making as much as the person who had been working there a year, that would cause everyone who worked there to get a raise in pay to keep it equal. But even if that didn't happen, I can't see anyone who has prior experience taking a job for minimum wage, because anyone with experience should be capable of getting a job making more than minimum wage.
Minimum wage is for unskilled workers, to keep business from paying them less than enough to buy food, commute and sleep under a roof.
There is a danger of businesses not being able to keep up with paying their employees if the rates go higher, but this is a capitalist nation and if the business is doing so poorly it can't pay it's employees enough to live, it probably was not that great of a business to begin with.
The other side of the coin is the lowest paid portion of the working class who are still working will have more money to inject back into the ecomomy, and I believe anyone who does lose their job because of this will be able to find another one somewhere else and they'll be making more money no less.
In the end, I can see the concern, but I can't imagine America without the minimum wage. I feel it's a good thing, that it protects employees and that it has to be raised now and again to keep up with inflation.
But what do I know, I draw funny books for a living. :D
Thank you again for your comments and feel free to post your mind anytime! I really appreciate the visit!
Post a Comment
Thanks for posting! :D
I can't say that I believe that this would cause people to not hire unskilled workers, because most unskilled workers make minimum wage. That's what it is there for. I would imagine that if the newest worker on the workforce at a particular place was making minimum wage and the government raised him/her up a dollar so that he/she was making as much as the person who had been working there a year, that would cause everyone who worked there to get a raise in pay to keep it equal. But even if that didn't happen, I can't see anyone who has prior experience taking a job for minimum wage, because anyone with experience should be capable of getting a job making more than minimum wage.
Minimum wage is for unskilled workers, to keep business from paying them less than enough to buy food, commute and sleep under a roof.
There is a danger of businesses not being able to keep up with paying their employees if the rates go higher, but this is a capitalist nation and if the business is doing so poorly it can't pay it's employees enough to live, it probably was not that great of a business to begin with.
The other side of the coin is the lowest paid portion of the working class who are still working will have more money to inject back into the ecomomy, and I believe anyone who does lose their job because of this will be able to find another one somewhere else and they'll be making more money no less.
In the end, I can see the concern, but I can't imagine America without the minimum wage. I feel it's a good thing, that it protects employees and that it has to be raised now and again to keep up with inflation.
But what do I know, I draw funny books for a living. :D
Thank you again for your comments and feel free to post your mind anytime! I really appreciate the visit!
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