I had a rant in me. I thought I would share it with you. As a survivor of eight years under Ronald Reagan (80-88) where the minimum wage was $3.35 (less if tipped) and wasnt raised once, not once in eight years. I get a little emotional about the plight of low wage workers and the lack of sympathy for their problems. ------- Three things: One, this is comparing apples and oranges in that if the value of non-payroll benefits were calculated into military pay then it would be larger than the $15/hour being requested. That $15/hour is before taxes, social security and health insurance. There is no commissary for minimum wage workers, there is no base-housing. Two, If the minimum wage were pegged to inflation (like it is in some other developed countries) then it would currently be at $21/hour. The minimum wage was never a starter wage you worked away from but a floor that a civilized people didnt let the populace go below. The idea that a family (of four) trying to live on two full-time federal minimum wage jobs (or even Washington States higher minimum wage) will still qualify for food stamps and public assistance is morally wrong. Thats you paying for MacDonalds and Burger King and Wal-Mart not giving their employees a living wage. Thats large corporations with billions in profits taking money from you. And the truth is that most minimum wage jobs are kept under 32 hours a week so the employer doesnt even have to offer benefits. Three, if we need to pay our military more to protect this country and keep them from going to food banks or getting food stamps or looking fondly at non-military minimum wage jobs, then we need to give them more money. The fact that the military is underpaid and the VA system (under administrations of both parties) needs to work better does not mean that the average citizen doesnt also deserver a living wage.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Sep 2014 01:23:06 +0000
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