The minimum wage hasn’t been increased since… when? 1997, almost a decade ago right? And in Ohio, not counting the BS this past year, it hadn’t been raised since 1991. So have prices stayed the same since then 91, or 97? Has keeping the minimum wage stagnant helped people who are struggling to raise a family on it because prices didn’t go up, because wages were so low?

The prices of goods are going up no matter what happens with the minimum wage, and again you are right that the raise wouldn’t amount to a living wage, but every penny counts when you are rolling them in order to pay that gas bill this winter. Just because we don’t have universal health coverage doesn’t mean we should kill Medicaid, you know?
This is a post from an Ohio policy group, the headline: “Over 650 Economists Agree – Raise the Minimum Wage!”

http://communitysolutionspubpolicy.blogspot.com/2006/10/over-650-economists-agree-raise.html

For you Ohioans, it is State Issue 2 that would raise the wage. I’m of the mind that if you don’t think you have deserved and NEEDED a wage increase in the past decade, then vote NO for the wage increase. If you know that you needed that raise (even a .25 an hour raise) then vote YES. We all deserve something better than we have, and i’m worried EM that your point of view on this is fatalistic and something that you would say while on the verge of giving up all together. I really hope that isn’t the case. If it is, we need to talk.

Sure, raising the wage won’t make millionaires out of broke ass you and mes, but you know when you are living that close to the edge, even the littlest amount can help TREMENDOUSLY in all aspects of your life, not just your finances (money stress can ruin you physically, it can ruin your relationships with those around you, with your higher power).
What do you think about the argument that when you raise the waters, all boats rise?

Now of course, you are probably right about the fact that the cost of goods and services might go up, but that’s definitely not because it has to: you skim a tiny profit margin off of the CEOS who make more money than god herself could spend in an eternity, and there it is, there is your wage increase without goods and services going up, and they can still remain rich bastards: everyone’s happy. The question is: how do you regulate that? Obviously with the gas prices soaring right along with the oil companies’ profits, you can say without hesitation that they won’t do it themselves. I’m thinking there must be some sort of mechanism for regulating the wages of the upper wage earners of a Company v. the bottom wage earners, ala Costco?

nice to see you are doing better.