President Obama Tells Cities, States To Bypass Congress On Minimum Wage (video)

[cal04]

While pressing lawmakers in Washington to pass legislation raising the federal minimum wage, President Barack Obama used his State of the Union address Tuesday night to call upon states and cities around the country to raise their wage floors in lieu of action by Congress.

"To every mayor, governor and state legislator in America, I say: You don’t have to wait for Congress to act," Obama said. "Americans will support you if you take this on."

The president's speech acknowledged a simple fact of the minimum wage debate: While the GOP-controlled House of Representatives has so far refused to raise the minimum wage, more and more local governments around the country are passing such raises on their own -- and they're often doing it with public support that crosses party lines.

(snip)
"This will help families. It will give businesses customers with more money to spend. It doesn’t involve any new bureaucratic program," Obama said. "So join the rest of the country. Say yes. Give America a raise."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/28/obama-minimum-wage-state-of-the-union_n_4684447.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003

[gopiscrap]

1. I agree

[Pterodactyl]

2. I agree. States should set minimum wages, not the feds.

[JaneyVee]

3. States CAN set minimum wages. Unless you're advocating for a lower min wage?

[Pterodactyl]

5. No way. States should set it as high as each state thinks is practical.

[JaneyVee]

6. The state isn't its own breathing entity, it is governed by politicians (and corporations)

State governments are free to set it at whatever they feel is practical.

[Pterodactyl]

7. And the federal goverment isn't governed by politicians?

[JaneyVee]

8. Of course it is. The Fed Gov just sets the floor, states can go higher.

[Pterodactyl]

9. And that's not what we do now?

[arely staircase]

4. they both should nt