Comments on: Year of Action Gets Going

By: Cynthia

Cynthia — Sat, 01 Feb 2014 12:52:11 +0000

Raising the minimum wage doesn’t hurt small businesses. You think a 10-employee company pays minimum wage? Well, consider this: how comfortable would you be, telling 9 people (who you know well) that they don’t deserve more. Especially if those people can look at your lifestyle, and see that the company is doing well.

A faceless corporation, on the other hand, can do this easily. All a manager has to say is “Well, sorry, but the home office sets strict guidelines on wages.” So, I find it very difficult to believe that a higher minimum wage would hurt small businesses and help big ones.

By: A Patriot

A Patriot — Sat, 01 Feb 2014 12:50:55 +0000

Jerry#26, There has always been ”buying votes” but the new democrat communist types have taken it to an entirely new level. This social justice concept is just starting to be implemented and heaven help us, if we don’t win the senate in 2014 and the presidency in 2016…..otherwise, it will all be over.

By: Laci

Laci — Sat, 01 Feb 2014 12:49:10 +0000

‘Why would we want to make it harder for small employers to hire people?” Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio said.

That comment leaves a tremendous void once said. Noting follows. It shows no concern or thought for the American worker. It is as if the American worker is left out of the equation. The Republicans seem to be evading reality without thought of the American worker or how he or she must live and survive. Anyone paid $7.25 is below poverty. And the cost of living continues to rise and the price of essentials continues to soar.

Speaker Boehner and other Republicans need to go home and look at their paycheck stubs and think about what $7.25 means and how a family can live on that. The present wage perpetuates poverty and is the cause of a continuous struggle for millions.

By: Jon

Jon — Sat, 01 Feb 2014 12:48:41 +0000

I support lower income employees making more money. However every economic study shows raising the minimum wage would lead to a reduction in employment. There should be no Federal or State minimum wage, period. This violates the principle of liberty of contract. Government should have no role in this. It should be left up to the market to determine the wage rates.

By: Rick

Rick — Sat, 01 Feb 2014 12:47:52 +0000

Such transparent hypocrisy: the Democratic leadership for years fails to pursue this effectively, while cosseting their corporate backers and caving, compromising, or appeasing on every bedrock issue for the poor, from the public option and school funding to taxing the rich and the Iraq debacle. Did I mention the lax Wall Street oversight that blew up the world’s economy and hurt the poor the most?

Then, when it dawns on them that seeking a modest (to the point of embarrassment) increase in the minimum wage might give them an election “wedge” issue and bring more poor to the polls, they spring into action, like Superman jumping out of a phone booth.

I’ve come full circle with the least-worst party: I now understand why Ralph Nader, Greens, OWS, and other progressives are loathe to support them (save a handful of exceptions; e.g. Alan Grayson).

Indeed, it is as Mr. Nader stated: when we serve notice to the Democrats that we will walk away from them if they do not stake out our issues, they will then become a party of true progress and inspire something to support, rally around, and elect in larger numbers than ever before.

In the meantime, this cynical measure, an election bone thrown to the poor, will sustain the current lesser-of-two-evils nonsense.

Need I add that Mr. Nader was also well out in front on the minimum wage effort itself, working tirelessly to spotlight it? But now the Democratic leadership sprints to the front of this parade too. How pathetic.