Not Just about Jobs

In 2007, when I was still sending letters to what I then thought of as "my" senators, I wrote to Jim Demint to ask him to support the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007.  This was one of the first bills that the new Democratic congress was trying to pass.


I received a lengthy reply from whoever Demint pays to answer his mail, thanking me warmly for my letter.


However, Demint's ghost writer informed me, raising the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 was uncalled for.


Well, I just tried to rephrase his reply, but there really are no words like the originals:


"The current minimum wage ($5.15) gives unskilled workers an opportunity to enter the job market and build skills for future employment.  Two-thirds of those who receive the minimum wage earn a pay raise by the next year.  You may also be interested to know the majority of those receiving the federal minimum wage are not the sole earners in their family and in fact are between 16 and 25 years of age.  For these reasons, I do not support mandating a federal minimum wage increase....

"I am also concerned by the fact that the minimum wage increase in H.R. 2 would raise the minimum wage in lower cost of living states like South Carolina while leaving it untouched in higher cost of living states like Massachusetts that already maintain a higher minimum wage."

Where to begin!!!!!


I don't know what minimum wage jobs Demint was talking about, but the folks that have the nerve to pay minimum wage aren't offering training in much other than washing dishes, picking produce, or changing diapers.


And the opportunities for promotion?  Not a lot of management training opportunity in the minimum wage sector.


Now what made me completely crazy was the idea that the cost of living in South Carolina was too low to warrant stressing employers by raising the minimum wage.


From $5.15.

Here are some headlines from 2007 from Lundberg, who surveys gas prices:

February 25, 2007:  "Gas price increases speed up."
February 27, 2007:  "Traders flinch, Retail Price Jumps."
March 12, 2007:  "Pump costs have soared over 40 cents over the past six weeks."

You get the drift.  

Now at $5.15 an hour, how many hours do you need to work to fill your tank?

Okay, I could go on and on, but basically, the only cost that stays low here in the South is the cost of taxes, which pay for the schools and libraries, roads and bridges, police and firefighters.

But in Jim Demint's Mayberry fantasy, that paper route that you're working is going to lead you pretty much to the editor's desk at the Post and Courier.

And the babysitting?  Well, it sure will train you to take care of that baby you'll have when you leave high school, because even if you worked really hard and got good grades, you would probably not be able to afford to go to college.

So the bottom line is, are you going to vote for six more years of this nonsense?  Or are you going to support someone who understands about the need for, not just jobs, but jobs that pay a living wage.

www.alvingreeneforussenator.com