Increasing the minimum wage is, by any standard, good policy -- particularly when the minimum wage in the US is very low. Paul Krugman points out that it's good economics and good politics. The country is "overwhelmingly" for an increase including Republican women, if not their men. Maybe the men are more influenced by the false argument that an increase would also increase unemployment.
... There’s evidence on that question — lots and lots of evidence, because the minimum wage is one of the most studied issues in all of economics. U.S. experience, it turns out, offers many “natural experiments” here, in which one state raises its minimum wage while others do not. And while there are dissenters, as there always are, the great preponderance of the evidence from these natural experiments points to little if any negative effect of minimum wage increases on employment. ...NYT
Krugman believes Republicans "clearly feel disdain" for workers. There's every indication (we didn't even need Romney's candidacy to prove it) that he's right.
Eric Cantor, the House majority leader, offered a perfect illustration of this disdain last Labor Day: He chose to commemorate a holiday dedicated to workers by sending out a message that said nothing at all about workers, but praised the efforts of business owners instead. ...NYT
Nothing wrong with most business owners. But they'll profit from the same lift in the economy we'll all feel -- even Republican men! -- when workers, the people most likely to spend, have more money in their pockets.
Before you gear up for an argument against upping the minimum wage, remember San Francisco.
Gavin Newsom: Interestingly, it is a pocket of prosperity that distinguishes itself from the rest of the state. And I find it wonderful in this respect. And let me give you specifics. You know, I am really enjoying this debate around the minimum wage proposal the president made. You know, San Francisco's minimum wage -- and this may shock people -- it's the highest in the United States of America.I'm very proud of this. When I was mayor, we enacted an indexed minimum wage. Today it's $10.55. San Francisco is the only city in America that has universal health care. We did this years ago. We are the only city with paid sick leave. We're a city that has one of the most robust living wages. We have a very strong partnership with our labor family, not just the public sector, but the private sector. ...DRShow, WAMU
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