Should the minimum wage be based on regional costs?

[notbush]

Reading another thread tonight on limiting income, it became VERY evident that there is a huge disparity in housing,food,gas,etc...depending on WHERE you live.
$130,000 a year in New York city (a teacher married to a fireman) you're middle class. $130,000 family income in Wichita, KS. most people around here will think you're rich.
Six bucks an hour in N.Y or L.A., you're probably livin' on the street. Six bucks an hour in Burton, KS.(a little town 20 miles from Wichita)you can rent, or maybe buy a house....you'll be able to make it.
I think thats one of the reasons Repugs tend to be in control of rural states. When people from Kansas look at someone in California spending $500,000 for a 1,200 square foot home in an older neiborhood......We just don't understand.
I think "Cost of Living" needs to somehow be "figured" into minimum wage.

[rucky]

1. YES...and it wouldn't be that hard to compute

national corporations have already done the work.

[notbush]

2. Ahh, I agree

Why is it that I'm unaware of a politician from EITHER party that has promoted this.?

[JI7]

3. there should be a "global" living wage

but we have to start small since it's hard to get even a reasonable nationwide minimum wage raise passed.

[notbush]

5. Yes, but the disparity of what a dollar, or dinar,or frank will buy

in a given country, is analogous to the disparity between regions,states, or counties in the U.S.
If you live in Bangladesh ...$5000 a year and you're rich. In Mexico, you're middle class.U.S. you're poor.
The cost of living for an individual country has to play into the formula. The proposals for a "Global min. wage" I've seen don't address this directly.
It tends to be an argument that goes like this....Nike is taking away jobs at $10 per hour in the U.S. and replacing them with jobs in Bangladesh paying 30 cents an hour.
However a worker in Bangladesh making 30 cents an hour, is probably middle class.

[JI7]

6. right, that's why i said "living wage"

it the amount of the wage should depend on the cost of living in that area.

[notbush]

7. So 30 cents an hour, in Bangladesh is a fair wage there...

It's middle class....
How do you keep those 10-12 dollar an hour jobs in the U.S.(middle class) from going there?

[delete_bush]

4. Some states and even cities

have a higher minimum wage than the federal rate of $5.15/hr, in California its around $6.75/hr.

In 2006 Santa Fe New Mexico will be at $8.50/hr. and move to $10.50/hr in 2008 (with some exceptions).

[notbush]

8. I agree!!!

So why should the Federal Government even get envolved?

[lapfog_1]

9. Mostly

it's because of tax policy.

See, when I was employed here in California, I was "well paid" by
national standards, and paid the top federal tax rate. However,
I rent a two bedroom apartment in an OK neighborhood, drive a modest
car, eat out often but not at foo-foo places... but I can't afford
to even go to Mexico for a week vacation or buy nice electronic
toys or other things... and I was making $125,000 / year (15 years
in the software industry).

Course, I'm unemployed now... and have been for 16 months.

[notbush]

10. I'm not sure where you're headed.."It's because of tax policy"

The discussion is about a Federal Minimum wage.

[delete_bush]

11. I think it's because of

federal jobs and any activities involved in interstate commerce. Also child labor laws. Otherwise some of the red states located in the warmer climes would have a two-tier pay system with one rate for repukes, another for the rest at around $1.50/hr or so.

[notbush]

12. Ha, Ha