I'm a geologist: I make a liveable wage, I support a minimum wage increase, why is it...?

Even most conservatives I know realize that minimum wage is pretty much ALREADY raised. To many conservatives, its nothing more than an ideological issue for them to pretend it would "cause unemployment, inflation" etc when largely it would do very little considering most employers already ignore the minimum wage.

However, when it is raised, and it will be, it needs to be indexed so that it doesn't fall behind like it did this time. While the minimum wage did get adjusted by economics for most people, its taken far too long and people suffered in poverty needlessly because Congress just didn't give a ****.

As for the geologist cracks, Republicans are naturally condescending. If you don't support them, you are a do-nothing welfare loser. If you do, you can be a drug addict, Rush Limbaugh, or both...and they will praise you!

The problem with a minimum wage increase is that in the long run it doesn't work. As you raise the minimum wage you are forcing the prices of EVERYTHING to be raised. How else can a company offset the cost of their employees?

As an exzample: in 1984 the minimum wage in Ohio was $3.35 an hour. The price of a Whopper at Burger King was about $1.59. In 1999 the wage had been increased to $5.25 an hour and the price of a Whopper was increased to about $2.29. Now in 1984 you could have around 10 employees on the clock if your sales were $200 in an hour. For the same sales in 1999 you were allowed only 5 employees. The price of a whopper only increased $.70 the wage increase was $1.90 an hour. Do the math...we lost jobs. And that is only the tip of the ice berg. As the wages keep increasing so do the costs of running a business and less people are expected to do more and more...and cost's continue to rise. Then you have the issue of how much will you pay for that burger? There is a limit...a point where you will say...NO I WILL NOT PAY THAT MUCH. Then the companies have to do other things...like down sizing. Have you noticed that that jar of spegetti sause is smaller than it once was? That hamburger? That can of mushrooms? Or jar of coffee? The packages LOOK the same, but the contents are less. And the minimum wage employee is still in the same boat...only now they are working harder and longer for less and less...and there are less jobs to get. Minimum wage jobs were not ment to be career paths...just stepping stones. The minimum wage was ment to even the playing feild not solve the poverty issue.

FYI most companies make profits on pennies...remember as you see how much something costs you you have to figure the cost of all that goes into that item...labor, utilities, buildings, and raw product. Sometimes you have to look at the bigger picture. Hope this answers your question...and I'm not a Republican!

Most of those who are against the minimum wage increase are making considerably above minimum wage, as are those that they care about. Thus, it doesn't affect them. Most people have to work at minimum wage at some point or another in their lives, many of us do so while in school. While raising minimum wage might be detrimental to the economy overall, it might also be helpful. Afterall, the more money that we poorer people can make in a work-week, the more we can afford to buy. Also, if we could actually afford to set a decent amount aside per week without spending that on bills, maybe our credit histories (via borrowing against bank accounts) wouldn't suck and we would have an easier time enrolling in a college.

P.S. for the record, my budgeting skills, and those of my bill-paying family members, are quite good. We also neither drink nor smoke and often didn't go out to do anything particularly fun; besides which, many weeks, we had to decide between semi-basic groceries and the rent. Thankfully, we had a fairly agreeable landlord and we did make it through.

If you look at the states that have a minimum wage that is higher then the federal minimum you'll see that their jobs growth is higher then states that are at the federal level. Also every time the minimum wage has been raised the economy has gone up. As for prices going up, that is a myth. If that is the case, how come prices have been going up for the last ten years when the wage hasn't gone up. Prices go by what the market will stand.

Geologist that I know make a very, very excellent wage. Supporting minimum wage gives the impression you need a raise. Working minimum myself at one time. you need two jobs to pay the rent. minimum wage is okay, but you can't work 16 hours a day for long. For many that is as far as they can go, and each persons' case is different, but minimum wage job, needs to be temporary.

They assume this because it does not make economic sense. Look here Hun. If you raise it, which Ohio did God only knows why.

1) Product cost go up.

2)If Owner doesn't raise cost then he'll lay people off to make up the loss money

3) Min. Wage is not ment for people to live on Unless your a Democrat. It's meant to get people off their asses and get an education and get a real job which overall helps our economy, but the Democrats don't want that. They want people to rely on the Governement and not themselves.

4) I could keep going on, but I'll stop here.

Because people DO judge, and that is the way it will always be. Kind of depressing, really, but they have their opinions and you have yours.

Nice to meet you. I'm a volcanologist who also supports minimum wage increase, so I guess you and I are quite alike.

Perhaps they think you are a Democrat. Most Democrats don't work. They just live off everyone else.

Check out the Minimum Wage. Raising it helps no one. It will cause lay offs.

Check it out.

And when/if minimum is raised, How long do you think your livable wage is going to remain that livable? Its a simple matter of economics, inflation, and economic growth.

we definitely need minimum wage increase. The economy would get stimulated because people could afford to buy more.