Slave Wage?

As much as I’m delighted to hear that our governator passed a bill that would increase the minimum wage in California to $8, I’m skeptical as to how big of a difference that would actually make for those folks who are living in the poverty-line. After taxes and everything else, a $1.25 increase might not even make a dent on someone’s paycheck. For high-school kids working their first jobs, $8/hour is a pretty big deal, but for those who have families, that’s still way, way, too low. However, I’m sure those who are working in minimum-wage jobs are grateful for the small increase in pay. But, since we are one of the wealthiest countries in the world, don’t we owe our workers more than a $1.25 increase in wages? Our President has been trying to convince us for the past 6 years that our economy is stronger than ever. If that’s the case, why can’t Congress pass a bill to increase the minimum wage nation-wide. It just makes sense doesn’t it? Democrats have been trying for years to increase the minimum wage, but they always never get enough votes. Why is that? Like I said, for every big corporation that feeds the politicians’ pockets, there are people behind the scenes who actually do the hard labor. Don’t they owe them something more than $8/hour?

Even though I’m skeptical, I think our governor made a right and smart decision. Whether or not it’s a political ploy for the upcoming elections, I applaud him for this move. It just makes sense.