While I normally like to leave matters of politics to "Moon":http://moonoverpittsburgh.blogspot.com/, I heard a "segment":http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4526336 on NPR this morning about Sen. Ted Kennedy trying to attach a rider to the "bankruptcy bill":http://talkingpointsmemo.com/bankruptcy/ making its way through Congress that would raise the minimum wage by about $2/hr. Points to Ted for trying (he's made several attempts over the last few years to raise the minimum wage, actually) and also kudos for trying to attach his rider to something that's "actually related":http://www.dnalounge.com/backstage/log/2003/04.html#11 to what the bill is about. The minimum hasn't been raised since 1997, and according to "this site":http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0774473.html the "actual" value in constant dollars today is only $4.42/hr. I don't know how anyone reasonably expects that a person could actually have this be a living wage, especially not if they have dependants. If you happened to read "Nickel and Dimed":http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0805063897/ then you have an idea as to what a struggle it is to make a living on low-wage jobs.

The Republican argument against the wage increase is a good one; they claim that this will price workers out of jobs. Um, I didn't think that slinging burgers at McDonalds was something you could outsource overseas (although you can "outsource the drive-through":http://a.wholelottanothing.org/2005/02/you_just_got_se.html, weird). Of course Congress has voted 6 pay raises for themselves in the last 8 years. Good thing they haven't priced themselves out of their jobs.