So i see PA governor Ed Rendell has signed into law a bill that raises the minimum wage in PA by a dollar. It's in two increments, but by July 1, 2007, minimum wage will be one dollar higher than it is now.
And I tell you what...if, by the end of the year 2007, there is massive unemployment, and a significant loss of jobs in PA, and businesses leaving the state en masse, then I will sign on to and publicly agree with the nay sayers on here who previously reported about the "detrimental" effects of raising the minimum wage.
However, IF by Dec 2007, the Pennsylvania economy is chugging along fine, and civilization has not crumbled about our ankles here int he Keystone state and if everything's going along pretty much just as it is now, can those same nay sayers (this means YOU Mr. David Franceschina, among others), agree that raising the minimum wage just might not be as bad as they'd like to think it is.
No, it won't help me, or a lot of the readers of the Palace, nor actually a HUGE chunk of citizens, but who it will help is the working poor, those people who NEED the help the most. Not us, but them. And perhaps, things just wont' be a bad for ole metaphorical Petey as has been portrayed.
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The Republicans used to say if you raise the minimum wage the price of everything will go up. Notice they don't say that anymore. The minimum wage hasn't been raised in many years, so I guess that means that Mcdonalds and the rest haven't raised their prices in all that time huh? Survey's have been done that prove for the few jobs lost many more are made by the increased level of spending. The working poor can't spend what they don't have. Pay more the economy gets stronger as the consumers buy more. Simple Economics even if the Republicans try to deny it!
The amount of the minimum wage increase will be directly proportional to the level of decline where employment and higher costs are concerned.
Pennsylvania is currently not suffering the economic troubles that plague Michigan either.
So, in Pennsylvania the minimum wage will be $1 higher by 7/1/2007.
Comparatively, in Michigan the minimum wage will be $1.80 higher by 10/0/2006.
My prediction would be that Pennsylvania's unemployment rate will go up just a little (given that no other variables come into play...which is a completely impossible "given"), and that costs will increase a bit.
My prediction for already struggling Michigan would/will be that Michigan's unemployment rate (already one of the highest in the nation) will increase even further (and certainly more than Pennsylvania's) and that costs will increase in a fashion such that the new minimum wage workers who still have a job will be in the same boat they are in now or worse when it comes to supporting their families.
Since no one would ever ever have all of the possible variables involved, let alone the existing differences between the governments and economies of Pennsylvania compared with any other state, there would not be enough scientific accuracy involved for anyone's predictions to be valid or not (i.e. Pennsylvania may or may not notice differences in unemployment rates and cost of living, but it would be impossible to prove or disprove that the minimum wage change carried any more weight than countless other variables that would have to be weighted and factored in such that scientifically accurate predictions could be determined.
Touche,
Fairy Godfather
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