Des Moines Register: Obama- Tie wage rate to inflation

[Colobo]

Federal minimum wage increases should be tied to and adjusted with inflation, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama told a crowd in Des Moines this morning.

“Here’s the basic principal: If people work, they shouldn’t be poor,” Obama said to a crowd at Plymouth Congregational Church in Des Moines.

AMOS, a group that represents nearly 30 central Iowa churches, sponsored a conference Saturday aimed at educating voters about its top issues, including health care reform, education, recreational opportunities for kids and immigration.

Obama reiterated much of his long-time campaign goals, including universal health care during the forum. The issue about minimum wage came about after a question from an AMOS member.

The federal minimum wage increased in July from $5.15 to $5.85 an hour. Even with the increases, the majority of minimum-wage earners remain well below federal poverty levels of $17,170 a year for a family of three, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

This year's federal and Iowa minimum-wage increases marked the first in roughly a decade, which Obama said is not acceptable.

http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071027/NEWS09/71027002/1001/SPORTS

[Warpy]

1. In 1954, the minimum wage would support a family of four

on what was then called a "thrifty" budget. It was above the poverty line for a full time worker.

Now it won't support a single worker in safe housing, with nutritious but unfancy food (that thrifty budget), access to health care, and the ability to save a few pennies a week for emergencies.

The GOP Congress has allowed this to happen to us.