In his State of the Union address, President Obama called for the nation’s a minimum wage increase from the current $7.25 per hour to $9 per hour, Politico.com reported on Feb. 12. Obama calls for tying the minimum wage to inflation.
The president told Americans that our “economy is stronger when we reward an honest day’s work with honest wages.” At this time, a full-time employee making the minimum wage earns $15,500 per year. Even with tax relief that has been put in place, President Obama said, “A family with two kids that earns the minimum wage still lives below the poverty line.”
The president told Americans that it is wrong for a full-time employee to live below the poverty level. Obama pointed out that since the last time Congress raised the minimum wage, 19 states have chosen to bump their minimum wages higher than the Federal mandated minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.
“So here’s the idea that Governor Romney and I actually agreed on last year: let’s tie the minimum wage to the cost of living, so that it finally becomes a wage you can live on,” Obama said.
According to a White House fact sheet, raising the minimum wage would mean a raise for 15 million wage-earners across the United States. The White House also claims that other workers would see indirect increases in their own wages.
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