So tonight, WCIA posted on their facebook page that the state of Illinois is considering raising minimum wage (which is already higher than the federal mandate) $.60 per year to end up at $10.65 by 2014. This has pretty much ruined my night. And my family's night, because I can't shut up about it.
What makes people think that they are ENTITLED to $10.65 per hour? How is it fair to require a small business owner (who is probably struggling to begin with) who wants to hire an uneducated, inexperienced high school student to come in a few hour per week to clean or file papers to pay that person $10.65 per hour? How is it fair to me to have to pay the increased costs that will be passed on to the consumer to cover that increase?
I have read all the arguments such as "you can't live on minimum wage"or "you can't pay your bills with minimum wage." Here is my argument: then EARN the right to make more than minimum wage. Get an education. Learn a trade. Develop a skill. Work hard, be responsible and get a promotion.
But what should I expect from a state that has decided that hard working tax payers should pay a 67% tax increase instead of taking responsibility for mistakes and cutting the fat from its own budget? Hey, why not force business owners to pay their employees more money - that's just more tax revenue for the state. After all, 5% of $10.65 is more than 5% of 8.65.
I know many people disagree with me and think that minimum wage should be increased, and I am willing to hear them out. But I work with small business owners every single day. They face such an uphill battle as it is. The state of Illinois is making it look better and better every day to just pick up and move a few miles to the east and live in one of the top 10 business friendly states in the country. If we continue demanding that people, whether it be the workforce or the state government, receive more and more money for the same (or in some cases, less) effort, then what are we really accomplishing?
3 comments:
Whew girl. On. The. Nose.
You won't hear any arguments on this end....
You are exactly right! Who is coming up with these ideas, and have they ever actually run a business? I just let my second employee go because the business won't support a second employee at $9 an hour. Hopefully the business improves and I'm able to hire again someday. Do you think upping the minimum wage to $10.65 an hour is going to make it easier or harder to hire her back? DUH!
My other problem with this, we are a very diverse state. There is alot of the state south of I-80. Even if $8 an hour is too low for Chicago, what about the rest of the state that has much lower cost of living? How about we let the market set wages? Is that such a crazy idea?
Nate Byram
Good bye $1.00 menu, HELLO $10.00 Big Mac. And we wonder why the jobs are going to Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and the Carolinas??????
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