The Minimum Wage & The BEST Social Security
Modernization Plan
Should the minimum wage be raised? H*ll. Y*s! Saying that minimum
wages should be kept inhumanly low because minimum wage jobs should be stepping
jobs to higher ($.25 an hour more?) paying jobs is ridiculous.
Any job that exists is worth doing well, and it should be
capable of instilling pride in doing it right and in the job for its workers.
Here is an example: On my monthly wild spending spree, I go
to Taco Bell ™ and order the usual Fresco bean burrito and a Fresco chicken
soft taco. What’s different today? It tastes really good. Why? For one, the
food prep specialist (fps) gave me exactly what I ordered, and it tasted really
good, today. Why? The fps made my order exactly at Taco Bell ™ intended, (I did
not get someone else’s order, either!) no sour cream, no heavy cheese, and
included the diced tomatoes and cilantro, etc.
On my way home, the grocery sack boy (I, proudly, was one,
once!) didn’t put my loaf of bread under my six pack of Pabst ™ or next to my
bars of soap. Good job!
All workers should be held accountable, but they should also
be properly trained, and they should be motivated sufficiently to want to do a
good job. Paying just and fair wages can help motivated workers.
Companies can benefit, too, by paying higher wages. Less job
turnover and time spent training and supervising saves money. Competent
employees help businesses grow and thrive.
Every worker should be able to work any job with dignity,
provide for food clothing and shelter, and keep that job if that is what they
want to do.
The last time the minimum wage permitted someone to do that
was during the 60’s around the time of the Johnson administration.
Workers should not have to hold two or three jobs just to
get by.
How would paying a
living minimum wage (higher minimum wage) affect the BEST Social Security
Modernization Plan?
An increase of the minimum wage from its current $7.25 per
hour to $11.00 per hour would generate a 52% increase of payments into the
Social Security trust fund from minimum wage workers and employers. Admittedly,
minimum wage jobs represent a small percentage of the working force and wages
and self-employment earnings, but there is no one thing, alone, which will make
Social Security fully solvent and capable of expansion.
Every little bit
helps! So, go for it!
Here is a Bureau of
Labor Statistics table that shows the percentage of minimum wage workers by
state:
|
Table 1. Employed
wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the
prevailing Federal minimum wage by State, 2012 annual averages
|
||||||||||||
|
State
|
Number of workers (in thousands)
|
Percent distribution
|
Percent of workers paid hourly
rates
|
|||||||||
|
Total
paid hourly rates |
At or below minimum wage
|
Total
paid hourly rates |
At or below minimum wage
|
At or below minimum wage
|
||||||||
|
Total(1)
|
At
minimum wage |
Below
minimum wage |
Total(1)
|
At
minimum wage |
Below
minimum wage |
Total
(1) |
At
minimum wage |
Below
minimum wage |
||||
|
Total, 16 years
& up
|
75,276
|
3,550
|
1,566
|
1,984
|
100.0
|
100.0
|
100.0
|
100.0
|
4.7
|
2.1
|
2.6
|
|
|
|
1,083
|
65
|
31
|
34
|
1.4
|
1.8
|
2.0
|
1.7
|
6.0
|
2.9
|
3.1
|
|
|
|
194
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
0.3
|
0.1
|
0.1
|
0.1
|
1.0
|
0.5
|
0.5
|
|
|
|
1,472
|
68
|
17
|
51
|
2.0
|
1.9
|
1.1
|
2.6
|
4.6
|
1.2
|
3.5
|
|
|
|
725
|
50
|
33
|
17
|
1.0
|
1.4
|
2.1
|
0.9
|
6.9
|
4.6
|
2.3
|
|
|
|
8,805
|
127
|
45
|
82
|
11.7
|
3.6
|
2.9
|
4.1
|
1.4
|
0.5
|
0.9
|
|
|
|
1,234
|
42
|
7
|
35
|
1.6
|
1.2
|
0.4
|
1.8
|
3.4
|
0.6
|
2.8
|
|
|
|
853
|
23
|
2
|
21
|
1.1
|
0.6
|
0.1
|
1.1
|
2.7
|
0.2
|
2.5
|
|
|
|
219
|
11
|
4
|
7
|
0.3
|
0.3
|
0.3
|
0.4
|
5.0
|
1.8
|
3.2
|
|
|
|
103
|
5
|
1
|
4
|
0.1
|
0.1
|
0.1
|
0.2
|
4.9
|
1.0
|
3.9
|
|
|
|
4,164
|
214
|
49
|
165
|
5.5
|
6.0
|
3.1
|
8.3
|
5.1
|
1.2
|
4.0
|
|
|
|
2,114
|
136
|
60
|
76
|
2.8
|
3.8
|
3.8
|
3.8
|
6.4
|
2.8
|
3.6
|
|
|
|
331
|
14
|
7
|
7
|
0.4
|
0.4
|
0.4
|
0.4
|
4.2
|
2.1
|
2.1
|
|
|
|
404
|
31
|
16
|
15
|
0.5
|
0.9
|
1.0
|
0.8
|
7.7
|
4.0
|
3.7
|
|
|
|
3,065
|
85
|
21
|
64
|
4.1
|
2.4
|
1.3
|
3.2
|
2.8
|
0.7
|
2.1
|
|
|
|
1,785
|
93
|
50
|
43
|
2.4
|
2.6
|
3.2
|
2.2
|
5.2
|
2.8
|
2.4
|
|
|
|
920
|
46
|
25
|
21
|
1.2
|
1.3
|
1.6
|
1.1
|
5.0
|
2.7
|
2.3
|
|
|
|
780
|
44
|
29
|
15
|
1.0
|
1.2
|
1.9
|
0.8
|
5.6
|
3.7
|
1.9
|
|
|
|
1,147
|
60
|
30
|
30
|
1.5
|
1.7
|
1.9
|
1.5
|
5.2
|
2.6
|
2.6
|
|
|
|
1,043
|
74
|
35
|
39
|
1.4
|
2.1
|
2.2
|
2.0
|
7.1
|
3.4
|
3.7
|
|
|
|
378
|
11
|
3
|
8
|
0.5
|
0.3
|
0.2
|
0.4
|
2.9
|
0.8
|
2.1
|
|
|
|
1,327
|
67
|
25
|
42
|
1.8
|
1.9
|
1.6
|
2.1
|
5.0
|
1.9
|
3.2
|
|
|
|
1,567
|
62
|
17
|
45
|
2.1
|
1.7
|
1.1
|
2.3
|
4.0
|
1.1
|
2.9
|
|
|
|
2,449
|
90
|
19
|
71
|
3.3
|
2.5
|
1.2
|
3.6
|
3.7
|
0.8
|
2.9
|
|
|
|
1,522
|
60
|
35
|
25
|
2.0
|
1.7
|
2.2
|
1.3
|
3.9
|
2.3
|
1.6
|
|
|
|
700
|
45
|
21
|
24
|
0.9
|
1.3
|
1.3
|
1.2
|
6.4
|
3.0
|
3.4
|
|
|
|
1,538
|
97
|
49
|
48
|
2.0
|
2.7
|
3.1
|
2.4
|
6.3
|
3.2
|
3.1
|
|
|
|
274
|
4
|
1
|
3
|
0.4
|
0.1
|
0.1
|
0.2
|
1.5
|
0.4
|
1.1
|
|
|
|
561
|
32
|
17
|
15
|
0.7
|
0.9
|
1.1
|
0.8
|
5.7
|
3.0
|
2.7
|
|
|
|
730
|
23
|
9
|
14
|
1.0
|
0.6
|
0.6
|
0.7
|
3.2
|
1.2
|
1.9
|
|
|
|
370
|
13
|
5
|
8
|
0.5
|
0.4
|
0.3
|
0.4
|
3.5
|
1.4
|
2.2
|
|
|
|
1,777
|
103
|
49
|
54
|
2.4
|
2.9
|
3.1
|
2.7
|
5.8
|
2.8
|
3.0
|
|
|
|
488
|
23
|
6
|
17
|
0.6
|
0.6
|
0.4
|
0.9
|
4.7
|
1.2
|
3.5
|
|
|
|
4,075
|
224
|
113
|
111
|
5.4
|
6.3
|
7.2
|
5.6
|
5.5
|
2.8
|
2.7
|
|
|
|
2,206
|
137
|
74
|
63
|
2.9
|
3.9
|
4.7
|
3.2
|
6.2
|
3.4
|
2.9
|
|
|
|
205
|
7
|
3
|
4
|
0.3
|
0.2
|
0.2
|
0.2
|
3.4
|
1.5
|
2.0
|
|
|
|
3,277
|
147
|
31
|
116
|
4.4
|
4.1
|
2.0
|
5.8
|
4.5
|
0.9
|
3.5
|
|
|
|
890
|
64
|
29
|
35
|
1.2
|
1.8
|
1.9
|
1.8
|
7.2
|
3.3
|
3.9
|
|
|
|
982
|
11
|
3
|
8
|
1.3
|
0.3
|
0.2
|
0.4
|
1.1
|
0.3
|
0.8
|
|
|
|
3,450
|
195
|
87
|
108
|
4.6
|
5.5
|
5.6
|
5.4
|
5.7
|
2.5
|
3.1
|
|
|
|
298
|
10
|
2
|
8
|
0.4
|
0.3
|
0.1
|
0.4
|
3.4
|
0.7
|
2.7
|
|
|
|
1,084
|
59
|
28
|
31
|
1.4
|
1.7
|
1.8
|
1.6
|
5.4
|
2.6
|
2.9
|
|
|
|
253
|
12
|
6
|
6
|
0.3
|
0.3
|
0.4
|
0.3
|
4.7
|
2.4
|
2.4
|
|
|
|
1,554
|
86
|
46
|
40
|
2.1
|
2.4
|
2.9
|
2.0
|
5.5
|
3.0
|
2.6
|
|
|
|
6,060
|
452
|
282
|
170
|
8.1
|
12.7
|
18.0
|
8.6
|
7.5
|
4.7
|
2.8
|
|
|
|
758
|
37
|
21
|
16
|
1.0
|
1.0
|
1.3
|
0.8
|
4.9
|
2.8
|
2.1
|
|
|
|
184
|
5
|
1
|
4
|
0.2
|
0.1
|
0.1
|
0.2
|
2.7
|
0.5
|
2.2
|
|
|
|
1,803
|
123
|
48
|
75
|
2.4
|
3.5
|
3.1
|
3.8
|
6.8
|
2.7
|
4.2
|
|
|
|
1,705
|
29
|
11
|
18
|
2.3
|
0.8
|
0.7
|
0.9
|
1.7
|
0.6
|
1.1
|
|
|
|
453
|
26
|
13
|
13
|
0.6
|
0.7
|
0.8
|
0.7
|
5.7
|
2.9
|
2.9
|
|
|
|
1,745
|
94
|
41
|
53
|
2.3
|
2.6
|
2.6
|
2.7
|
5.4
|
2.3
|
3.0
|
|
|
|
173
|
9
|
4
|
5
|
0.2
|
0.3
|
0.3
|
0.3
|
5.2
|
2.3
|
2.9
|
|
|
NOTE:
Data exclude all self-employed persons whether or not their businesses are
incorporated. Users are reminded that these data are based on a sample and
therefore are subject to sampling error; the degree of error may be quite
large for less populous States. It is not possible to determine clearly
whether workers surveyed in the CPS are actually covered by the Fair Labor
Standards Act (FLSA) or by individual State minimum wage laws. Thus, some
workers reported as earning the prevailing Federal minimum wage may not in
fact be covered by Federal or State minimum wage laws. Also, there are a
number of States that have minimum wages that exceed the Federal minimum
wage. At the same time, the presence of a sizable number of workers with
wages below the prevailing Federal minimum wage does not necessarily indicate
violations of the FLSA or applicable State laws, because there are numerous
exclusions and exemptions to these minimum wage statutes. Hourly earnings do
not include overtime pay, commissions, or tips.
|
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