Federal Minimum Wage

How many of us could raise a family on $5.15/hour? Around $230. gross a week and less than $1,000/month. Before taxes and Social Security. The tax wouldn't be much but Social Security is a killer. It's usually hard, thankless, work for an income below the Federal poverty level.

That number hasn't gone up in ten years while housing costs, including utilities, have skyrocketed. So have the salaries of most CEO's. Depending on the state, these families may or may not be eligible for food stamps and medical care. How do they survive? Many of them don't.

How can this administration talk about "family values" with a straight face?

The Senate will be voting once again next week to raise the minimum wage. Here is a letter I received from John Edwards this morning asking all of us to contact our Senators. My state's minimum wage is higher than the Federal standard but that's not true of many states and some manage through loopholes to avoid even the $5.15 Federal requirement.

Please call or write your Senators (or all of them if you're feeling terribly ambitious) and ask them to support Senators Edwards and Kennedy.