Raise minimum wage, say some on the right
As East Bay Rep. George Miller spearheads a Democratic drive to raise the federal minimum wage, he is getting support from unlikely quarters, including Silicon Valley millionaire Ron Unz and conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly.
"People are starting to realize how much in federal subsidies are given to these employers that pay less than a living wage," Miller said.
The federal government supplements low wages through such programs as food stamps, school lunches, Medicaid, housing vouchers and the earned income tax credit, a cash grant to the working poor.
Most minimum-wage workers are adults, not teenagers, and the vast majority are women. A study last fall by the UC Berkeley Labor Center found that half of fast-food workers were enrolled in at least one public assistance program.
http://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Raise-minimum-wage-say-some-on-the-right-5137020.php