Republicans, who are once again forced to deal with an actual policy proposal by the President and Democrats to remedy the country’s decades-long experiment with wealth inequality, are now threatening that by increasing the current federal minimum wage from $7.25 and hour to $9.00– it will hurt low wage workers and low wage jobs. In other words: increasing the federal minimum wage will harm the future of America’s record corporate profits, stock buy backs, and CEO compensation.
How else are the Republican party to continue to suppress economic mobility, demand-driven buying power, and the political capital of America’s minimum wage workforce?
When asked about the president’s proposal by CNN, wonky talker and committee waver recipient, Rep. Paul Ryan, said, “I think it’s counter-productive, actually. You end up costing jobs from people who are at the bottom rung of the economic ladder.” In other words, it will cost America jobs– poverty wage jobs. Is it thirsty in here?
House Speaker John Boehner added his boogers thoughts to this silly idea that Americans be paid a living wage, saying, “When you raise the price of employment, guess what? You get less of it.” Sounds threatening, especially because they gave him a gavel.
Senator Marco Rubio(R-FL) chimed in, saying, “Stay thirsty, my neighbors.” (Actual quote: ”The impact of minimum wage usually is that businesses hire less people.”)
So, we can’t raise the minimum wage! Why? because sustaining record levels of income inequality is good economics, of course.
And many of these current wage blockers, 65 of them, have, at one time or another– argued for, and voted for the increase in 2007. But that was before they had an economic ponzie scheme to see through, and good old fashion money-in-the-pockets of people who drive the economy was useful at masking the stench of debunked, unregulated supply-side theory.
“This will hurt small businesses!” Not really. The majority of low wage workers are employed by large corporations which employ 66% of all low wage workers.
That includes Walmart, YUM! Brands (the operator of fast food chains Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and KFC), and McDonald’s– Many of which pay so little that their employees end up on public assistance for their healthcare, or food. So, where there’s obscene profitability in exploitation of low wage workers while growth in the demand for low wage jobs in America continues rise, China is answering the calls for higher wage demand. And this, in turn, has resulted in a tighter Chinese labor market, which, for U.S.-based corporations, will continue to make doing business in China economically unfeasible.
When they suggest that the poor and the working poor have never had it better! with our DVDs, cell phones, microwave ovens and our welfare queen life styles, “eat more rice and beans” might sound like sincere advice, but the assets of the working poor come to about an average of $300 in total “assets.” In the conservative hive mind, $300 dollars worth of used appliances should nullify complaints about depressed wages, lack of opportunity, limited economic mobility, loss of benefits, cuts to healthcare and education, and if the corporate sector looting government treasuries and running off with all the growth in national wealth is a problem for you, you must hate success, small businesses, and job creators– while a three days old plate of rice and beans are best served with fuck-you-pie.
Another glaring problem with the Republican party’s opposition to the minimum wage is that they’re proposing to abolish corporate taxes outright, and off-setting them with increases in everything from sales taxes to increases in the price of public transportation. It’s a poor-tax platform, but they would call it, “pro-growth.” Of course it is.
Here’s some more Republican party pro-growth, in chart form:
The superrich have grabbed the bulk of the past three decades’ gains.
If tracked to productivity, workers currently making minimum wage today should be making over $21.00 per hour just to keep pace. And while republicans continue to marginalize and attack labor unions through every little scheming trick in their book of lies, you can pretty much track the decline in union membership in America to the decline of the middle income class:
Via Think Progress:
The president in his address only suggested half a loaf– a humble request by any human standard of decency– but Republicans are determined to continue to suppress demand for higher wages that would keep up with the cost of living, and by policies that shift vast sums of wealth to the top while passing on the hidden costs to the public, they continue to repeat the lie that low wages are all just part of “market forces.” Forces that they have fortified through systematic greed and “free market” manipulation of the real value of low wage workers in America. Since money is power and money is speech– The Republican party feels that the people who work for a living, especially in low wage jobs– the majority of whom are women and minorities– should continue to be silenced and stripped of their power. Only, they would call it, “outreach.”