FAQ: Short and sweet: Answers to your questions about the minimum wage

[eridani]

Economic Opportunity Institute
http://www.eoionline.org/blog/short-and-sweet-answers-to-your-questions-about-the-minimum-wage/

Who benefits from a minimum wage increase?

Short answer: People earning minimum wage, and near minimum wage.

Longer answer: According to estimates from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), almost 17 million workers nationwide would see an increase in their wages if the federal minimum wage were to increase from the current $7.25/hour to $10.10. EPI estimates another 11 million workers who earn just above the new federal minimum wage would likely get a pay increase as well.

Who earns minimum wage?

Short answer: Lower-income adults working full-time, many with children. Today’s minimum-wage workers are substantially older and better educated than they were in the past (for example, relative to 1979 or 1968).

Longer answer: Almost 90 percent of minimum wage workers are at least 20 years old; almost 70 percent are in families with incomes below $60,000 per year; over half work full time; and more than one-fourth have children. For complete demographic details, see this recent report by the Economic Policy Institute.

Watch out: The Bureau of Labor Statistics report, Characteristics of Minimum Wage Workers: 2012 doesn’t tell the whole story because it covers only hourly workers who earn exactly $7.25 per hour. Workers now earning $8.00 or $9.00 per hour would receive an increase in pay under many current local and national proposals.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

1. Question: How the hell can anyone be expected to live on minimum wage?

Answer: Who cares. If they were valuable human beings they'd be rich.

It would be so easy to be a RWer. All the answers spelled out for you by the Koch Bros and friends.