Living Wage OK'd in Chicago Options

[Billy]

if minimum wage increases, inflation happens. it's how things work. now read that again and tell me where it says that minimum wage is the *only* cause of inflation. logic's a bitch aint it.

Actually, it might be possible that minimum wage does not increase inflation. Especically if more people are being paid more, the government collects more taxes, the more money drained out of the economy (unless they put it right back in by spending it). Your logic is that if one expense goes up for a company, they pass those on to their customers, making things more expensive. But with megastores like walmart, who already pay their employees over minimum wage, companies will not be able to raise their prices without completely losing their business (because walmart won't, as the wage hike won't affect them as much). So the claim that inflation *will* happen if minimum wage goes up I think is easily disputed.

[impala454]

http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0622/p01s03-usec.html#

upping wages will only create incentives for businesses to hire fewer low-skilled workers - which is what happened when at least 146,000 restaurant workers lost their jobs after the last minimum-wage hike, according to the National Restaurant Association.

and that's just restaurant workers. now I dunno if you've noticed but since the last minimum wage hike the price of a decent meal at a restaurant has about doubled.

now I'm not saying i'm against raising the minimum wage, I just think people need to look at the whole picture. what good does it do a minimum wage worker to make more money if it drives up costs of everything else? and consumer costs rising affects everybody. not just minimum wage workers. If my electricy rate goes up $0.02- $0.03 per kwh (which it has over the past 4 years), I wouldn't spend as much money. Now if I'm a college grad making good money and it lowers my spending, think of what it does to low income and minimum wage people.

[Billy]

But where's the rest of the story? You really think those 100,000+ people didn't eventually get their jobs back (somewhere else, after the short lived business protest)? You're almost claiming that raising the minimum wage caused a recession (which didn't happen).

I just don't buy the argument that raising minimum wage *will absolutely* increase inflation higher than it's natural rate. I do believe raising inflation will help fight the rich/poor gap and a lot of other benefits, like help with the national debt, more funding for social/eductational programs, larger military budget, strengthen the economy. But I guess at this point we're just arguing beliefs since you don't buy my argument, and I don't buy yours, so all that's left to do is agree to disagree and watch in the coming years as the minimum wage gets increased (because it's not like our debate over the subject is going to change what the government already has planned).

[chook]

http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0622/p01s03-usec.html#



and that's just restaurant workers. now I dunno if you've noticed but since the last minimum wage hike the price of a decent meal at a restaurant has about doubled.

now I'm not saying i'm against raising the minimum wage, I just think people need to look at the whole picture. what good does it do a minimum wage worker to make more money if it drives up costs of everything else? and consumer costs rising affects everybody. not just minimum wage workers. If my electricy rate goes up $0.02- $0.03 per kwh (which it has over the past 4 years), I wouldn't spend as much money. Now if I'm a college grad making good money and it lowers my spending, think of what it does to low income and minimum wage people.

The Nat Restaurant Ass. is going to push lower wages, show an independent source.

[FORSAKENR320]

you would think that by my lack of responses to you, Brandon, that you would understand that I dont really care what you say.