The minimum wage: Another example of how stupid Trump voters are.

[shockey80]

The federal minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 for a very long time for one reason. The Republican party.

Democratic State governments across the country have been taking matters into their own hands. They are raising their state minimum wage to $15.00 progressively. My state, New York raised the wage to $11.80 this year, next year it goes to $12.50 and so on.

Some southern states don't even have a state minimum wage. They use the federal wage. DUH! Don't the republican voters of these states see how their party is keeping them poor? Don't they see how other states are moving towards a $15.00 minimum wage?

Republican voters in southern states probably believe giving themselves a raise is bad for them. They are worthless self destructive human beings who cannot defend themselves.

[kimbutgar]

1. My right wing sister who makes $15 an hour lives pay check to paycheck thinks there

Should be no minimum wage laws. Her son is anti union and just had his hours cut at his job. Also he has no health care either. He was mocking my husband and I who Both have union jobs with good wages, paid vacation, and healthcare. .

I’ve learned you can’t argue with fools.

[essme]

2. How does one mock someone else who is doing better?

I have never understood that mindset.

It is like people that hate public pensions and instead of saying "hey I want that too" they say "take it away!". That way everybody is f*cked...

[Ohiogal]

3. +1000

[Drahthaardogs]

6. I am imagining him mockingly saying...

Oh, look at Bob with the great healthcare and vacation benefits! He thinks HE'S smarter because he makes $38/hr at a cushy union job where he gets 10 paid holidays off a year.

[kimbutgar]

9. Yup, he never went to college and thinks he's smarter than everyone else

He’s 37 and still lives with his Mother. Both my husband and I went to college. He got the stupid gene from his Dad who never went to college either and used to call us the looney liberals from. sF. He divorced my sister in law, remarried and is still struggling financially at 60. He had to short sell his house before it was going into foreclosure. We are only 5 years away from paying off our house and still can save. But in their eyes we are the losers.

[StatGirl]

12. Actually, he knows that you aren't the losers.

What you're hearing is bitterness and envy, the hallmark of the Trump voters. (And for some of them, the bitterness is justified.)

[eniwetok]

8. Narrative....

I don't know what makes these people think but on some level it makes sense to them... and I think a big problem is the failure on the part of Dems to offer a compelling counter narrative... that might go like this... which I posted in a separate thread on Dem Talking Points...

Progressive Dems need a compelling historical narrative to counter the Orwellian Right fables about job creators and tax cuts are just "your money". Here's what I'd like to hear them say....

The economic triumph of the 20th century was the taming of amoral if not sociopathic rat-eat-rat capitalism. This was done by ending child labor, fighting sweatshop conditions, imposing safe food and drug laws, highly progressive income taxes, wage and hour laws, a minimum wage, protections for unions, social safety net taxes like SS, UI, DI, Medicare, safe car and product laws, safe working condition laws, pollution controls, a minimum wage etc.

AND THESE MEASURES WERE JUST.

Business gets immense help from the government from free intellectual property monopolies like patents and copyrights and free limited liability protection for corporate owners all which enable great wealth. Corporate profits were no longer going to be easily subsidized by harming consumers, or exploiting workers, communities, and the environment.

In the 50's and 60s that value of the minimum wage almost tripled in real value. Unions were strong. The wealth of the economy was being spread around. New safety net laws helped the working poor or those unable to work. The federal government was investing in new schools, highways, housing, highways and other infrastructure. These public investments and government policies were the REAL tide that raised all boats. Government made possible the conditions under which we and business could flourish, and then used that tax revenue to bootstrap the nation to higher levels of productivity. That symbiotic relationship was America's proverbial goose that laid the golden egg.

But that dark, pathological, side of the American Right is always present... always trying to reclaim the benefits of those government freebies for the malignant rich... and to screw everyone else. They can never be honest about this sociopathic agenda. So they resort to endless deception.

[MH1]

4. The first thing that needs to happen, is index it to inflation.

Otherwise, we keep re-fighting the same battle.

If years ago, instead of asking for $15 minimum wage, we had successfully fought for index to inflation, minimum wage earners would already be earning significantly more than they do today.

To be clear, I support a much higher minimum wage. But I think indexing might meet with less resistance and more support. And then we don't keep going backwards.

[eniwetok]

7. MW was never indexed....

Congress would vote on adjusting it, sometimes on an annual basis... but it was never tied to an automatic increase.

And now it's depreciated by $10,088 a year in today's dollars since its high value point in 1968

http://money.cnn.com/interactive/economy/minimum-wage-since-1938/

[MH1]

13. Yes, it has not been. Is there any reason

that it couldn't / shouldn't be?

[eniwetok]

5. MW has depreciated by $10088 in today's dollars

That's the 1968 MW... it's high value level, adjusted to inflation.

https://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl?cost1=1.60&year1=196801&year2=202001

[Flaleftist]

10. It's amazing.

There are Republicans who make less than $15 an hour who will argue against it and defend tax cuts for the rich. The right-wing propaganda machine is good at what they do.

[StatGirl]

11. One of my low-income relatives is against raising the minimum wage

She says that if they raise the minimum wage, she won't be paid more than brand-new employees (she has worked at the same place for quite a few years). And since the employer will not give her a raise to acknowledge her experience and institutional memory, it isn't fair.

She'd rather be paid less.