Raising minimum wage is just like the government price controlling the cost of goods. Wages should be set by the market, just like all other goods. Labor to make a chair is no different than the cost of the wood needed to make it. If the market says that it is worth a certain amount, then that is what it is worth. I would suppot abolishing the minimum wage. Unfortunately, the government has had their dirty hands in just about everything rendering any far-reaching reform unacheivable. Prices are overly inflated on things like housing because the government has restriced building and other unconstitutional legislation. In order to pay workers what they are worth, it would take a very long time for the price of housing and other goods to drop to where they should be. People could live on $3/hour if their rent was only $100/month.

I am not sure there is a huge problem but if there were, the fix would be less government regulation not more.

I'm aware of how buisnesses work.

What I'm saying is that there is a problem with the current system and I think it needs to be changed, I'm not saying there is a simple solution either.

Trisscar, you do realize that businesses don't pay anyb of their costs right. They don't pay taxes, labor, manufacturing cost, even light bulbs. Businesses pay noe of that, the consumer does. If you raise taxes to penalize business, you only penalize consumers. If you raise the minumum wage, they simply pass their extra labor cost onto consumers. In turn prices go up and the worker has no real increase in pay. He just makes more and has to pay more for things.

Some stats for you on actual minimum wage workers: http://www.bls.gov/cps/minwage2004.htm

Please I'm not stupid...

I understand that raising the minimum wage would effect the economy. What I mean is we need to find a viable way to increase the minumum wage so it is at par with basic living expenses. Right now, you can't live off of minum wage, and with the numurous unskilled workers that poses a problem. For a lot of people its not as easy as going to school, or upgrading, many unskilled workers work 2 or three jobs just to get by, many have families - and this effects our overall poverty levels in both Canada and the US.

What we need is not an increase in wage but the ability to adjust the economy to distribute wealth a bit more evenly.

$10 an hour? Why not $15 or $20? Hell, if everyone made $40 an hour everyone would be rich right?

Minimum wage here in my Province is 8.50 an hour... and its STILL not enough to live off of. I personally beleive that the minumum wage should be no less that 10 dollars an hour.

People should be able to live off of what they make if they're working full time. Ten bucks an hour is still on 80 dollars a day 250 a week 500 dollars a pay check. You can still only barely live off of that.

well i think alot, only because your currency is double mine, its life style, would it hurt the economy because the politians cant have more in their pay packet???

I have no idea what Coney is either... but hey, I dunno. We had a Friendlys in our city once and it was bought out. All I remember is that they had amazing ice cream and I miss it. Now all thats there is some stupid insurance company that went out of business. What a waste...

I think you are wrong about that one Hollie...I'm fairly certain that it's like a little cafe, kind of like Coney?

ah ok that makes sense. I think the reason I was getting paid $5 an hour was because my tips were taxed and distributed. But $2- $3 an hour is the usual wage waiters and waitresses get, which makes me feel alot better about what I got paid. Geez, thats barely anything, especially since most people are cheap and tip like a couple dollars.

But still, I thought Friendly's only served ice cream? I could be wrong...

Waiting tables doesn't apply for the minimum wage because of tipping. Almost every waiter/waitress I know gets paid like $2 an hour, but still make a decent amount in tips. This is why you shouldn't be a dick and be a cheapskate when it comes to tips.

Friendly's? Isn't that an ice cream shop? We used to have one of those...I loved that place
But $2 an hour? That doesn't make sense. I didn't think they sold anything other than ice cream? So why would they have to do any waitressing? And if they do get paid $2 an hour, first off I'm pretty sure that would be illegal and secondly why would anyone in their right mind get a job there?

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i was making $5.15 for waitressing.

Friendlys pays like 2$ an hour for waitressing. They expect you to make more in tips.

Although the employee benifits from minimum wage raising, the small buisness owners who put everything into their buisness and make hardly or less than minimum wage, will suffer. I once interviewd an owner of a small computer repair shop. She said that the biggest expendature was employees.

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In England, young people between the age of 16-17 earn the equivalent of $5.40 per hour, and 18-21 earn the US equivalent of $7.20.

I actually like that idea better. I mean, I was 18 last year and i was making $5.15 for waitressing. I would have loved to get payed $7.20, or even 5.40 woulda been fine with me.

In England, young people between the age of 16-17 earn the equivalent of $5.40 per hour, and 18-21 earn the US equivalent of $7.20. Whenever I have endeavoured to try and change this, I hear the businesses arguing how it will effect the economy and business competitiveness.

Why is it that businesses rely on paying people poor wages to earn a fat profit for shareholders? My reply now is to say, that business needs to find a new way of earning a profit, it needs to be driven by the values of humanity not lust for more money.

Where I live, Mcdonalds sets out deliberately to employ younger people, because they are able to pay smaller wages, the fact is, it is wrong. It is time that young people are valued as highly as everyone else, instead of intentional misery.

I could see the reasoning behind raising the minimum wage, but why does it have to be so drastic? I can't remember what the last minimum wage was, but I'm sure it didn't go up nearly two dollars. On the other hand, I believe the minimum wage is actually $5.15 an hour b/c thats what I got paid for waitressing, and that is not nearly enough to support yourself to even eat everyday if you are paying rent at an apartment. Unfortunately, this whole issue seems like a lose/lose situation. You raise the wage and the rest of the economy would go up as well. And then, the people working for minimum wage and supporting themselves are barely getting by.

The problem with raising the minimum wage is that in a short time, prices will rise accordingly, and nothing will have been gained. They may even rise more than the consummate amount.

Consider this: I remember when the minimum wage was $4.15 an hour. That also happened to be what a Whopper combo with King size fries and drink cost around here. Today, the minimum wage is $5.25 an hour. And guess what? That same Whopper combo with King size fries and Coke costs ... $5.25 (more in some places.)

In other words, today, you have to work the same amount of time to make enough money to buy a King-size Whopper combo at minimum wage as you did in 1996. Except now that some franchises figure that since they had to raise their prices, they could justify raising them a bit more than was appropriate.

Nothing's changed except the numbers.

My only problem is that I basically make $10/hr (after taxes) and while that is about double minimum wage in my state, it will not go up with the increase in minimum wage (I am the only employee at the law office where I work, and I am a nanny...). However, I will be paying more for products that have a risen price due to the stores' needs to pay employees more. Therefore, I will be able to buy less stuff for the money that I earn...any thoughts?

It could seriously effect the possibility of teenagers and underemployed people from job opportunities. I honestly would want more than a 5.25/hr wage as a teenager, but most of the jobs I've gotten understand the need for money and hire at a slightly higher wage anyway (the average for pizza shops is 6, Burger King is 7 or 7.50, most cashiers start somewhere between 7 and 10.50). I would want at least one stage increase, personally. It probably wouldn't hurt.