Hillary Clinton is doing something awesome

POSTED BY: fredgiblet
UPDATED: Friday, May 19, 2006 17:22
VIEWED: 1862
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FREDGIBLET

Thursday, May 11, 2006 5:50 AM

Hillary Clinton is introducing a bill into Congress which would make it so that every time Congress gets a pay raise the minimum wage goes up. Economically unfeasible? Yep. But still quite cool.

Link to the story below:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/5/10/145432/882

KHYRON

Thursday, May 11, 2006 6:03 AM

Heh, I like that idea. I think the point behind it is that it is economically infeasible, thereby ensuring that congress doesn't get carried away when it comes to paying its own salaries.

Other people can occasionally be useful, especially as minions. I want lots of minions.

SIGNYM

Thursday, May 11, 2006 9:05 AM

I can think of several reasons why raising the minimum wage would be sound economics, so why do you say it's unfeasible? You've really piqued my curiosity, and as much as I would enjoy a rigorous discussion on economics, I never really seem to get one. Would you perhaps humor me?

---------------------------------
Don't piss in my face and tell me it's raining.

CITIZEN

Thursday, May 11, 2006 10:02 AM

Because if you raised the minimum wage as often as Congressmen raised their own pay you'd soon find businesses going bust because they can't stay competitive paying $25 an hour...

Congress wouldn’t go for it anyway. I believe while they’ve been denying a raise to the American minimum wage is required they’ve been giving themselves huge cost of living rises. Obviously inflation and cost of living rises don't hit people on minimum wage as hard as it does those on $145,000 a year...

They seem to be living on a different planet, or they just don’t give a shit...

More insane ramblings by the people who brought you beeeer milkshakes!
And as you know, these are open forums, you're able to come and listen to what I have to say.

AURAPTOR

Thursday, May 11, 2006 10:03 AM

Wow, how generous of her. While overpayed politicians reap more and more of the peoples money, folks breaking into the work force can demand a few more pennies from their employers in the real world.

People love a happy ending. So every episode, I will explain once again that I don't like people. And then Mal will shoot someone. Someone we like. And their puppy. - Joss

" They don't like it when you shoot at 'em. I worked that out myself. "

CITIZEN

Thursday, May 11, 2006 10:10 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by AURaptor:
Wow, how generous of her. While overpayed politicians reap more and more of the peoples money, folks breaking into the work force can demand a few more pennies from their employers in the real world.

It's better than not giving them a rise at all, which is what is currently being done.

More insane ramblings by the people who brought you beeeer milkshakes!
And as you know, these are open forums, you're able to come and listen to what I have to say.

GEEZER

Thursday, May 11, 2006 2:06 PM

Actually, it wouldn't be that different from now. Since 1992, congressional pay has gone up a bit over 20% and the minimum wage has gone up 17.5%.

I note that in the bill, she plans to increase minimum wage to $7.25 from the current $5.15 in two years, regardless of congressional raises. That's a 29% increase. So she doesn't expect the congressional raises, which work out to about 2.5% a year when they don't decline them(about half the time over the last 10 yrs.), to be a major factor.

"Keep the Shiny side up"

FREDGIBLET

Thursday, May 11, 2006 2:32 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by SignyM:
I can think of several reasons why raising the minimum wage would be sound economics, so why do you say it's unfeasible? You've really piqued my curiosity, and as much as I would enjoy a rigorous discussion on economics, I never really seem to get one. Would you perhaps humor me?

I am not 100% sure but I believe that Congress raises its pay at a higher rate than inflation, pay going up faster than inflation means that businesses end up paying more than they can increase their prices without going over inflation themselves. That means lower profits which would lead to lower employment. That being said I do believe that the minimum wage should be tied to inflation so that there is an automatic cost-of-living increase, but I am not an economist so I don't know what the effects would be.

Quote:
Don't piss in my face and tell me it's raining.

OK I won't.

HERO

Thursday, May 11, 2006 3:24 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by SignyM:
I can think of several reasons why raising the minimum wage would be sound economics, so why do you say it's unfeasible? You've really piqued my curiosity, and as much as I would enjoy a rigorous discussion on economics, I never really seem to get one. Would you perhaps humor me?

I note for the record that the biggest impediment to wages is not Congress's refusal to artificially inflate the minimum wage, but is instead illegal immigration. Illegals undercut wages in a number of key sectors and in doing so undemine wages across the board. They also provide much needed labor which, by artificially inflating supply decreases demand and thus the amount employers are willing to pay also decreases.

Hillary is just using this issue to grandstand. I note she has no real solutions, just some symbolic fodder for the idiot left...but thats why they put the big "D" next to her name.

H

BROWNCOAT1

Thursday, May 11, 2006 5:17 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by citizen:
Because if you raised the minimum wage as often as Congressmen raised their own pay you'd soon find businesses going bust because they can't stay competitive paying $25 an hour...

Congress wouldn’t go for it anyway. I believe while they’ve been denying a raise to the American minimum wage is required they’ve been giving themselves huge cost of living rises. Obviously inflation and cost of living rises don't hit people on minimum wage as hard as it does those on $145,000 a year...

They seem to be living on a different planet, or they just don’t give a shit...

I think the latter is more likely the case.

Besides, why should the rich and powerful care about us middle & lower class citizens? It's not like we have lobbyists on the Hill to seduce them with money, gifts, and all expenses paid trips or anything.

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