February 29, 2012
The people of Connecticut are fighting to pass a bill that will increase the minimum wage for their state. The bill would take affect in the month of July raising the minimum wage up to 9 dollars an hour. Then it would increase the minimum wage again the following year to $9.75. The people say that the minimum wage is tied to the rising inflation problem and should continue to rise accordingly. If this bill is passed then the current nearly 106,000 people earning minimum wage would have there pay increased and about eighty percent of the people are over twenty years old. If this bill passed Conneticut would have one of the highest minimum wage rates in the country. There are two sides for this bill the people who want to see it passed and the people who want to see it fail.
-For:
-$8.25 an hour or around $17,000 a year for full-time employment — puts the state's low-wage workers below the poverty line.
- increasing the minimum wage would help put more money back into the economy, because the workers would have more spending cash.
-Margot Dorfman, chief executive officer of the U.S. Women's Chamber of Commerce, who testified at the hearing, said raising the minimum wage would help level the playing field for women-owned businesses. Dorfman said these businesses, as a whole, tend to pay employees above the minimum wage. She said requiring big-box stores to raise their minimum wage payments would help female-owned businesses compete.
Against:
-could discourage employers from hiring new workers, resulting in potential job losses.
-Andrew Markowski, the state's director of the National Federation of Independent Businesses, said raising the minimum wage would be devastating for small business owners under the current economic conditions. He said NFIB members in Connecticut would suffer under the increase as small businesses are still recovering from last year's tax increases and did not include the raise in their budgets....
I believe that raising the minimum wage in the state of Connecticut is something that should happen to benefit the 106,000 citizens earning minimum wage in the state living below the poverty line, but I believe in order to avoid causing inflation it should raised accordingly without making the drastic jump from $8.25 to $9.75 within two years. If I could vote I would vote to pass the bill but have the new minimum wage earning be a bit cheaper, considering the nation minimum wage in the United States is oly $7.25 an hour. If the bill were to be declined there would be no progress made by the state in order to help those living below the poverty line, therefore ignoring those who are most in need in Connecticut. Since 18 states have currently set a different minimum wage exceeding the national requirement, it seems like a good idea that will benefit people who need it most. In my opinion I just cannot see a state going from $8.25 an hour to $9.75 within two years, that is why the wage should be raised slower so problems do not occur.
ReplyDeleteI think that they should not raise the minimum wage. There may be about 100,000 people making minimum wage and are below the poverty line, but if less people have jobs the number of people under the line ill increase. If the pay is 9 dollars an hour like the article says there might be a cut in jobs, and having a minimum wage job is better than not having a job at all, therefore increasing the poverty rate in Connecticut. I would vote against this bill, or maybe propose that if they are going to raise the minimum wage that they raise it to $8.75 an hour, just not letting it exceed $9 an hour in the next two years like they propose it to be raise to $9.75. Which is basically what Zack said above how he thinks the minimum wage should increase slowly. I agree with that if they have to increase it at all, but other than that I would vote no to this bill.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Zack that this bill should be passed to benefit the 106,000 citizens earning minimum wage in the state living below the poverty line. $8.25 is a dollar over the current national minimum wage and I feel that if the state was to try and jump from $9 to $9.75 would be a huge mistake. A year is not enough time for the state and its citizens to adjust to the sudden change in minimum wage. Small businesses would take the full hit from the dramatic increase and could ultimately affect the economy. I would probably vote to decline the bill, unless they change it to slowly adding to the current minimum wage of $8.25 over a period of years. With enough time for the state to adjust, the minimum wage will be able to make a difference to the 106,000 citizens that are living below the poverty line.
ReplyDeletei think that the state of Connecticut can and should raise the minimum wage up to 9 dollars an hour. This will benefit the thousands of people that are living below the poverty line because the minimum wage now is not enough to live of of. However i agree with Rachel when she says that jumping form 9 to 9.75 in a year is a lot. From the wage now to 9 dollars is a big enough jump, and i think if the people ride that wage for long enough, things will get better. 9.75 is personally a lot of money to pay, i would be extremely happy if i got paid 9.75 an hour, but its not logical to raise that much in a year. It will need to be a couple of years to make that leap. I think that they should change it to 9 dollars an hour and see where that gets them first. It will help the people out a tremendous amount because its more money in their pocket.
ReplyDeleteI think they should pass the bill. However I think it needs to be revised a little. If people are almost getting by with the current minimum wage, I think increasing it to just $9 an hour would be fine and the second increase to $9.75 is not needed. Minimum wage isn't a salary you are supposed to live off an therefore they shouldn't make it do people can be lazy. Minimum wage, I think, should make it so people can survive and get by, but I think it should encourage people to want a better job an get more money.
ReplyDeleteI believe that raising the minimum wage to $9/hour will push the state to eventual inflation. This is because when people have more money to spend, businesses can charge more for their products. Also, businesses will see decreased profits, leading to a price increase and increased unemployment because companies will not hire as many people if they must pay them such an increased wage.
ReplyDeleteWhen the minimum wage is first increased, it will help low wage earners to make ends meet, but eventually, the economy will make their wages relatively low. This is why I believe the minimum wage is not worth raising. I think that the country needs to work on it's education and costs of living. If more programs exist to help poorly performing schools, then less people will be forced into minimum wage jobs. If costs of living are decreased, then minimum wage can be enough to survive off of. Also, if jobs are restructured to be worth a higher wage, then more jobs can help people to live more comfortably. If welfare is extended to those who make minimum wage, then they will be able to live more comfortably, and inflation will not occur. Crime rates will be reduced because people who earn minimum wage won't have to resort to crime just to live more comfortably. Overall, I would vote against the minimum wage increase and propose bills to help education and extend welfare to those making minimum wage.
I think that the state of Connecticut should raise the minimum wage up to nine dollars an hour. Raising this would benefit the thousands of people that are living below the poverty line because the minimum wage right now is too low for people to live off of. But I do agree with Rachel and Derek on the point of jumping from 9 dollars an hour to 9.75 an hour is a huge increase. Small businesses would take a huge hit from the dramatic increases. I think they should keep it at nine dollars an hour at first to see where it takes them, and then it will help people out a lot because it allows them to have more money in their pocket.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the state of Connecticut should pass this bill and raise the minimum wage to $9. I think that this is the best thing to do because $7.25 for a minimum wage is definitely not enough to live off. But if it is raised to $9 then I do not think that it should be risen again to 49.75 because that is a very large increase and unnecessary.
ReplyDelete