Gregoire vs. Rossi on budget cuts

[The Tim]

[rose-colored-coolaid]

I'm not familiar with the ads, but I do have one "unintended consequence" to point out regarding a "starter wage" for those under 18. It encourages businesses to hire those under 18 at the exclusion of those over 18. Maybe a job at McDonald's is not your ideal, but if you are 19 and working your way through college on that job, it would sure be rough to get your hours cut just because the 16 year old is cheaper labor.

Also, when's the last time you went into a minimum wage employeer who didn't have a "Help Wanted" sign posted? They almost always do.

Well, that's my argument against.

[Masaba]

Tim, 'stair-stepped training wage' is a euphamism. If I am an employer who is hiring for a job to stack books at the library, and I can hire a 16 year old to do it for $7 an hour or a 25 year old to do it for $8.50, then the minimum wage I can pay as an employer is $7. Therefore, Rossi has proposed to lower the minimum wage.

Beyond the above simple fact, it's already been shown time and again that corporations are more than willing to accept forged documents or create them themselves to falsify the citizenship of their employees. I don't think many would hesitate to do the same for age. But even regardless of this, if Rossi is saying that he would allow people to work for less than minimum wage, then he has set a new minimum wage.

[Charles Dean]

That sounds like wanting to lower minimum wage by putting a different name on it. Minimum wage is already an entry level wage. That's why it's the "minimum". If you lower that, then it's no longer the minimum wage.

[The Tim]

[Masaba]

No, I think that my conclusion, that many big companies would leverage a law like this to increase their profit margin, is pretty safe. If Rossi truly wants to help small businesses, then he should find a way to rid them of their health care burdens, which account for a much bigger burden on small businesses than the minimum wage.

Beyond that, you're the one that said Gregoire's claims on the economy were dumbfounding. To me, Rossi's comments on lowering the minimum wage at a time when the gap between rich and poor in this country is increasing and we are heading towards a recession is much more dumbfounding than Gregoire taking claim for a budget surplus that was created while she was in office.

If Rossi wants to attack how she spent the surplus, I am all for hearing it. But to say that any politician wouldn't be facing a projected deficit right now is a little far fetched.

And, as many have said, I typically enjoy this blog because it offers sound analysis of the housing bubble. However, analyzing political spin is open to a lot more interpretation and usually incorporates biases of the analyzer.

[Charles Dean]

I have a hard time believing that $1.50 an hour is a make it or break it proposition for job creation. For a teenager, who is likely only going to be working 20 hours a week or so, that's a savings of $30 a week, or a little over $120 a month.

[WestSideBilly]

[The Tim]

[Masaba]

[The Tim]

[rose-colored-coolaid]

To answer your real question, Tim, I had not heard any reports that Rossi planned to cut minimum wages. In arguing the benefits or risks, I'll stand by my previous post regarding the value of a starter wage.

[Charles Dean]

Funny thing. I was at my office late last night and noticed the mandatory minimum wage posting there. And actually the minimum wage for people aged 14 and 15 is 6.58. $1.50 less than the state's $8.07.

[WestSideBilly]

The work restrictions on 14-15 year olds are pretty drastic from what I remember.

[Charles Dean]

They definitely are.