President Barack Obama is challenging Republicans to raise the federal minimum wage, which is now $7.25 an hour. And he’s laying down a dare to anyone in Congress who refuses to raise the minimum wage.
Obama says that if lawmakers truly believe they can work full time and support a family of four on less than $15,000 a year, then they should try it. The salary of most senators and House members is $174,000.
Obama has proposed raising the minimum wage to $10.10. It was pegged at $7.25 in 2009.
He made his comments in his State of the Union address.
(AP)
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If one intends to making a lifelong career out of asking, “Would you like fries with that?”, one really can’t generate much sympathy from us, can one? Among our Torah crowd, should one nobly wish to pursue chinuch as a career, one must be prepared to live a life of sacrifice and limited material goods. If such a candidate for the life of a “kli kodesh” objects to these hardships, he can go to college in preparation of a far greater earning potential. Why don’t liberals get this? It’s not quite quantum physics.
It turns out that very few people receiving the minimum wage are the “breadwinners” of nuclear families. Usually they are living with other persons and pool their incomes, such as children living with parents, or spouses (even if de facto). The low minimum wage facilitates entry into the job market, leading to jobs that don’t pay the minimum wage.
A family of four supported by a single minimum wage earner will be recieving substantial aid from various federal programs including medicaid, food stamps, WIC, earned income tax credit, child allowances, etc. And typically, the second adult will also take a job.
i challenge obama, live on medicaid and food stamps, waiting on line for hours to speak to people that mostly don’t know what they are doing
this being said if the minimum wage goes up 10.10 it comes out to 21,000 which will be the new poverty line and 133% for medicaid and fs would be 27,940