http://www.speaker.gov/blog/?p=1683

Holy Shit!

Pelosi published a simple, to the point graph illustrating the trouble we are in.

This still isn't gonna stop the GOP from screaming "tax cuts!"

Good catch Missing! Pretty stunning isn't it?

Unlike many Americans who are out of work, Ian Thiermann just got himself a job.

I've heard a rumor that last month,there were about 1-million people who have lost their jobs.

I can believe it.
I've been looking for work,and I'm honestly about to give up.There are no jobs to be had..None.

As an example,I went to about 20 businesses last week,and only *2* were even willing to give me applications,the rest flat out said "We aren't hiring anyone,and we've just laid off X-number of people.Sorry."

If you've currently got a job,hold on to it..even if it is crappy.

It is bad.

I have had blue-collar folks, from the area mills and even some from Silver Valley and the mines, inquiring as to whether I'm hiring. I've talked to a lot of good people, who are desperate for work. They are swallowing their pride and looking for even $7.00 an hour work at a pizza place, when they are accustomed to so much more. It's not the normal high school-aged kids looking at Schmizza anymore!

Pride is a bit better here -- $8.40 min. wage.

for the sake of argument, would there be more jobs available if min wage was 5.00?

how about no minimum wage?

What effect would depressed wages have on the economy? Would employment rise? Would prices decrease? Would government better serve the public by controlling or subsidizing prices for necessary items (housing, utilities, gasoline, food basics) rather than providing direct bailout and stimulus packages to select groups and industries?

Is part of the hardship caused by the fact that it now takes two incomes to run a household when it used to take one? What is out of wack? Did consumers create this, or business?

For example.... My first job was 1.65 an hour. obviously an entry level position. With that first paycheck, I bought a totally serviceble 7 year old car... paid cash, I owned it. Not unique, there were $50-$100 cars everywhere.

Could a high school kid today take his first weeks paycheck, cash it and do the same today?

At 18, I had a part time job, at 2.50 an hour (min wage) was in school and had my own apartment at 80 bucks a month including utilities... plus (if you hooked the phone up right you could make outgoing local calls free) neighborhood not the greatest, but no one was getting killed out front, and the building was clean. Wasn't eating steak, but, I didn't live on Mac and Cheese either. An hours pay bought 4.5 gallons of gas,
a pound of Bologna was .49, bread 5 loaves for a buck, 79 cents for a 10 pound bag of potatoes.....
I finished school with NO STUDENT LOAN DEBT

How much does it stifle the American dream when College grads start out 30k, 40k or more in the hole?

Could you do the same today in PDX or SEA even in the crummiest part of town at todays wages?

If not, then what skewed the numbers?

Obviously on many items minimum wage did not keep up with costs of goods and services. WHY? more people competing for the same amount of those items? Increased costs of items not due to increased wages? Relaxed buy now pay later plans and marketing that allowed people to buy things they really didn't need or could afford? government regulations that increased costs without increasing wages? All the above?

Today people are worse off at 8.40 an hour than I was at 2.50........

So, the questions are, What is the Fix?
and
Is anyone interested in fixing it?

Isn't government aid to the financial sector really nothing more than a reworking of defacto tax cuts for the wealthy? With the Goverment having a stake in banking and industry, but not DIRECT control, will the system be manipulated so they can OPERATE but not RECOVER enough to have to pay back the money fronted.......

Will the printing and distributing of this paper eventually widen the gap on my above comparisons to Life in the big city?

We might not get the inflation that struck Germany in the 20s, Italy, Africa, or Central America, But bet that people in the future working for a minimum wage of 30 dollars an hour will be worse off than those now working at 8.40...

One other perspective......

At 2 bucks an hour, owning my own home was in sight, even if I didn't get a raise, I knew I could save the 10-20 percent down payment.

At 8 bucks an hour can home ownership be a reality?

An increased minimum wage is a double-edged sword.

I own my business in Idaho, where the current minimum wage is the federal one of $6.55 an hour. On July 24th of this year, it goes up to $7.25. I start my employees out at $7.00 an hour, which of course will go up.

It is a good thing, of course, for the employee. They earn more, have more money, which helps the tax base, and spurs spending.

BUT

The double-edged sword, the cost of living goes up, in some cases more than the wage. I will be able to absorb the raise in minimum wage without raising my prices, but in Oregon and Washington, where the minimum wage goes up annually, and in rather large increments, those prices will continue to climb.

It's also no secret that states with a higher minimum wage have a higher unemployment rate than states that don't. I know it forced me to get more creative, and efficient, with my restaurant operations when in Oregon.

It also pretty much eliminates the ability to give raises, bonuses, etc. at entry-level positions. That's a luxury, again, that I have here; the ability to reward an employee for exemplary service. Most foodservice places in Oregon and Washington don't do that, because they are capped out labor wise.

I'm not against a higher minimum wage, don't get me wrong. I am just saying that the labor movement paints a picture of stimulating the economy and helping the little guy, which is partially right, but at the same time it can HURT the economy and the little guy, because the COGS goes up dramatically as well.