How is raising the minimum wage and cutting taxes a good thing?

Open your local newspaper, when they crow about getting a new opera house (like Hillary got for Oneonta NY, $37 million) or highway project or study grant for more planning or for the arts or whatever, that money came from your pocket but your are supposed to kiss the "ring" of your politician that brought that earmark or "pork" home to their district. Then you don't even want to know about foreign aid, like all the money we gave Russia to secure nuclear materials like they just arrested that guy for peddling on the blackmarket the other day. The problem is, the more they collect, the more they spend, the more time the money cycles through government hands, the more they take as a percentage. A flat tax would make more sense, those who spend more would pay more taxes, those who have poor paychecks, buy less. And taxes are wrapped up in the cost of everything you buy whether or not you pay sales tax on it. Social security funds is just a figure on paper, there is no "cash box", it comes out of the taxes collected this year, itw as started as a temporary measure in the 1930's, traditionally reps and conservatives wanted it done away with from day one. Bush made a deal with Mexico's Fox before the his last election to extend social security benefits to illegal aliens after 6 pay periods as a temporary patch of the fund shortage, people filing a freedom of information act finally got this deal exposed last month. Your taxes go into the pockets of your politicans and their friends, and foreign countries that hate us for not giving them more money. We should cut off foreign aid until we have all our debts settled, budget balanced, social security, healthcare, etc. issues resolved. I'm not against international charity, but not at the expense of bankrupting our nation. But career politicians look out for themselves first, I don't care what party they belong to. It's liek "non-binding resolutions", sound and fury meaning nothing but creates good sound bites for election campaigns and fools the stupid sheeple into thinking they are doing something worth the money they get. Look at the big fuss over the 9/11 commission suggestiuons, reps passed all but two of 51 last year, they did not approve the last two issues because the technology is in developement for better communication and scanners, yet contracts will be awarded for certain manufacturers in certain politician's districts whose current products do not meet the requirements of the job. Funds will be wasted that won't be there when better equipment can be purchased. Politics before the public safety. Raising minimum wage just gives employers incentives to replace legal workers with illegal ones, or lay off present workers and make the remaining ones take on more of the workload.

Minimum wage is a double edged sword, unlike the first person to answer your question you seem to have somewhat of a grasp on it. It is good in that it prevents employers from paying too low of a wage. Any increase in the minimum wage is followed by an increase in the cost of living, i.e. businesses raising prices. The more employers are forced to pay their employees the more they are forced to raise prices and cut the hours of their employees. Any benefit that would come from a wage increase is offset by the increase cost of living and reduction of hours, so nothing is really gained. In Washington state the minimum wage is 7.93 an hour and increased every year according to inflation. One of the more unsound decisions the voters of this state have made. The only time the increase helped is when it first became law and minimum wage went from 5.15 to 6.50 an hour in the middle of the year. But that doesn't really concern many people these days, all they can think about is getting more money in the pockets of the poor. But if the cost of living keeps going up what good does that extra dollar do?

Our Income taxes go everywhere, from congressional payroll to a teapot musuem in North Carolina (no joke). But raising the minimum wage is much needed, who can honestly live off of $5.15 an hour??? Raising it is a great idea but we need to cut taxes on small businesses so they can afford the hike in the minimum wage. By cutting taxes on businesses they can pay their employees more and the more the employees make the more income taxes they will pay, so it works out in the end.

They raise wages, lower taxes, cut social programs, make the people who got the raise pay more for less and then pat themselves on the back for helping the working poor. Sounds like a government program to me.

taxes right now are going to the war and toward tax breaks for corporations and wealthy people. Social programs were cut a long time ago. The current administration has run us into the ground financially, we will be paying on that forever.

I think it is good they are raising the minimum wage and cutting taxes. It will help more people out than you can imagine. The working poor.

Raising minimum wage allows those in the lowest-paying positions to earn enough to survive, reducing dependency on social programs.

Reducing taxes allows people to increase their savings and put more money into the economy. However, it must be accompanied by reduced government spending -- deficit spending devalues the dollar.

taxes go into vote buying projects by your congressman so they can stay elected. rainsing the minimum wage is a terriible idea...it will only raise the unemployment rate

Nosotros tenemos mas dinero

when that happens the price of the products we use everyday goes up. not good when a gallon of milk is 3.99 and a package of hot dogs is 5.00 .