The minimum wage debate has seen Republicans defending the status quo as they usually do to support corporations over workers in a variety of ways and ludicrous sound bites. We can now add California Rep. Tom McClintock to the list of idiots.
In today's America, earning ten dollars an hour is not going to really support a family in any meaningful way or be considered a good living wage, but is a necessary step to improve conditions for low-wage earners. However, in Rep. McClintock's view, raising the minimum wage would not help them and only destroy our entire fabric of employment.
Raw Story:
California Republican Rep. Tom McClintock said on Thursday that the minimum wage should not be raised because low pay was necessary for minorities and other unskilled workers who were not worth more than $7 an hour.
During an appearance on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal, host Greta Brawner asked McClintock if he could get behind a presidential candidate like Mitt Romney, who is one of an increasing number of Republicans saying that the minimum wage should beat least $10.10 an hour. But McClintock argued that raising the minimum wage would “rip the first rung in the ladder of opportunity for teenagers, for minorities, for people who are trying to get into the job market for their first job.”
“It’s not supposed to support a family. The minimum wage is that first job when you have no skills, no experience, no working history. That’s how you get into the job market, that’s how you develop that experience, develop that work record, get your first raise, then your next raise, then your promotion.”
Marshall Auerback writes a very good piece in Alternet called: Top 5 Reasons Why Raising the Minimum Wage Is Good for You and Me
After reading that, who are you going to believe?
