Today's Poll: Should the minimum wage be raised to $10.50?

Are you kidding me!? That is the worst idea ever...

If we actually had a free market economy, then any minimum wage would be a bad thing. However, we live under government control of what people are worth, so therefor, yes it should be raised, Hell lets just make it 15 bucks an hour and get it over with. Mandate retirement at 55 and 30 hour work weeks, then we can be Greece.

I would love Mr. Cuomo to explain how I am supposed to pay a summer high school kid $13 + / hr.
People forget the employer also pays social security, workman's compensation, NYS disability, and NYS unemployment on that $10.50 / hr.

who in their right mind would vote no.....any raise in wages is a good thing for the economy...yes i know business owners are going to see this and say "how can i stay in business with having to pay these wages" but truth is the more you make the more you tend to spend and hopefully your business will benefit.

I agree Jeff, everyone should just get $1,000,000 per hour. Then everyone will spend like millionaires.

I think everyone is forgetting that the government has the option to take as much of a person's earnings as they want. So, higher wages, more money for them to seize and debate how to re-distribute. If that results in less jobs, then they can just raise taxes on those who are still earning. Rinse and repeat, until..........?

This is crazy........ took me 40 years to get to where I am at now. Pretty soon the high school graduate working fast food will be making as much as me. If min. wage goes up then everybody's pay needs to go up in the same amount. Sounds fair to me.
Rest assured that it does not matter what We want, The government will legislate to us what they feel is in our best interest, if you don't like it, too bad. There is nothing you can do but live with it.

Politician decrying the unconscionable recent increase in the cost of everything sold, manufactured or prepared by entry level workers in 3...2...1...

If you increase the cost of new workers, you will have less of them. Just sayin'.

It's sad that while the United States slowly sinks in so many quotients that measure standards of living, the Scandinavian countries (for example) remember what Henry Ford taught: pay your workers a living wage, and they will become living consumers -- at a profit for all. There's something primitive and failed in our current vaunted "free enterprise" psyche. Dare I say, a sense of entitlement? That is, the Calvinist concept of the Elect, and the ethos of a nation "conceived in liberty", yet bought on the backs of slaves.

Henry Fords workers were skilled adult laborers working in career positions.

The cost of living goes up, so should minimum wage. It`s not just the kids flipping burgers, it`s many others working all different kinds of jobs. Did you know that most Walmart workers qualify for food stamps and medicaid? If a person works a full week, they ought to be able to support their family! If that extra raise in wages puts your business over the edge, you probably didn`t belong in business anyway. If you don`t want to pay a high school kid, than hire an adult looking for a full time job instead of two part timers. The big thing is get rid of the temp services and make these companies hire full time workers!!! It is near impossible to get a full time job anymore.

Too much government control. Telling employers what to pay workers, telling employers to supply health insurance. I can't imagine what is next...

Jim, "make these companies"? Who the hell are you to tell anyone they have to hire anyone or for how many hours?

As for part time help, read the paper. Like Obama Care or not, it was that law that said 30 hours was full time. There is a bill in Congress to change it to 40 hours, but the Administration is fighting it.

And who are you to say somebody cannot run a temp agency as a business, wow!

"Did you know that most Walmart workers qualify for food stamps and medicaid? If a person works a full week, they ought to be able to support their family!"

The majority of Walmart employees work 28-32 hours a week, which is why they qualify for food stamps and medicaid.

"If that extra raise in wages puts your business over the edge, you probably didn`t belong in business anyway."

Is this from the Wee, Cheetum, & Howe business model? FYI, business covers mandated wage increases by passing that expense on to the consumer. You know, raise prices.

"The big thing is get rid of the temp services..."

So the presence of temp agencies and lack of full time workers is the downfall of the job market? When are you running for President again?

Businesses do not go to temp agencies to save payroll, quite the contrary, they go to temp agencies mainly because of the lack of applicants. Most manufacturing companies use temp agencies on a regular, daily basis to fill in gaps in their assembly operations, or other areas, due to regular employee absences, etc.

"...and make these companies hire full time workers!!!"

Isn't there enough Government in our lives already? Do we really need more?

" If that extra raise in wages puts your business over the edge, you probably didn`t belong in business anyway."

Here is some basic math.

So Min wage goes up ~$2 / hr..Just devalued my other employees wage by ~$2
I have 6 full time employees so raise them $2/hr
There are 2080 hrs / yr so each employee just cost $4,160/ yr more.
$4,160 X 6 = $24,960/yr increase in my base wages.
If my company is kicking A.. at a 20% profit I have to do an additional $124,800/yr in sales to pay for that increase.

Any body out there starting to get the picture?

John, the companies are using temp agencies because they create temporary jobs and they never hire anyone full time. When their trial period is up, they send you packing and hire the next round of temps. Is that good for business? They are scared to death to have to pay any benefits. Also, why should you be charged by an outside party to place you in a job? Most of the companies only hire you through temp services now. Whatever happened to filling out an application, getting an interview and being decided on by someone within the company?Ray, most of those Walmart workers would love to have more than 28-32 hours a week but that`s all they are allowed! Again, they do not want to have to pay benefits and are allowed to do so.There is no such thing as full time workers because the temp services have allowed the companies not to hire full time. Do you think that those temps wouldn`t take a full time position if they were offered one?Take your local company Chapin. They hire temps to do re-work that their great union workers who are ironclad screwed up in the first place! I know this for a fact because my girlfriend was one of those temps twice. Both times when it came time to hire full time, she was let go even though they loved her work ethic but the union wouldn`t allow a new hire for that position.Yes, we do need some government intervention at this time!Doug, all I can tell you is get your wallet out because it is going to pass at some point! If it puts your business over the edge, I am sorry and certainly don`t want to see a local business go under. On the other hand though, all the people must survive, not just you. Most of our young people all leave this area because there is nothing left of it as far as jobs go. The cost of living is as high as anywhere in the country and the only jobs around are temp jobs at minimum wage. Take a look around.

Jim, again you seem to miss the big picture. My "wallet" cannot support the proposed wages. Hell, I don't even make 6 figures!
As a side note I make it a point not to patronize Walmart because I too believe they have screwed too many people.
That said, don't make their problem mine.
We treat our employees the way we want to be treated and provide as many benefits as we can.
In the end if my business goes down I can always fall back on my degree and skills. Can you?

Like I said Doug, good luck but your argument isn`t with me, it`s with the lawmakers. If you have a degree and skills, then you have nothing to worry about here in our area right? There mist be jobs all around here for you. I hope you don`t have to start out at minimum wage through a temp service.

I agree Jim it's not personal.

I just get tired of everybody assuming all business owners are out to screw their employees.

As far as a minimum wage job goes, well it won't be the first time!

And I hear this STAMP project is big money jobs for all of us!

"the companies are using temp agencies because they create temporary jobs and they never hire anyone full time."

Not true. Companies utilizing temp workers from temp agencies are paying more in payroll costs than if they hired the employees outright. Getting workers from a temp agency comes with not only the wage per hour for the employee, but the agency is getting paid for providing the worker(s).

"Most of the companies only hire you through temp services now."

Again, not accurate. Businesses utilize worker(s) from temp agencies to fill gaps in their operations left by regular employees who are out with illness/injury, using vacation time, etc., the majority of the time. Very few use temp agencies to fill their workforce needs on an regular basis, again because of the cost associated with it. It's not as black and white as you would like to believe.

...

Well at least we have you Kyle to keep us straight!