Chuck, do you think increasing the minimum wage will slow down the
illegal immigration across our southern border? Or, will it just
become worse? If the situation is so bad, why do we get three million
illegals a year?

John H

I believe an employer should follow all the applicable laws regarding hiring
and employment, and that nobody should be expected to work for less than the
legal minimum. The minimum wage is a state's right issue, (over and above the
$5 something federal requirement), so nobody can say that across the board the
miniwage has to be increased.

An individual working 40 hours a week ought to be able to, in the spirit of
fairness,
live an an adequate shelter, enjoy adequate nutrition, and obtain the most
fundamental basic necessities of life. Those necessities don't include a new
car,
(or maybe even any car) a 35" plasma TV, etc.Nobody realistically expects the
people on the bottom rung to be awarded a
luxurious lifestyle- but if a person is offering his life's energy to an
employer it shouldn't fall to society at large to get that person off the
street and fed at least a subsistence diet.

Our $7 + miniwage around here might sound like a lot of money to somebody
living where rents are still $350 a month- but it takes some creative arranging
to stretch $14,000 a year in an economy where marginally liveable apartments
are
$700-1000 a month. Different states and local economies have different costs
and pay scales.