Exactly my point. A $17/hr minimum wage in Arkansas would correct that while still allowing small businesses to employ workers. $25/hr would ensure it remains a corporate-controlled state.
What… would actually make much more sense would be to index the minimum wage to some other, per state metric.
A fraction of median income, some formula that actually does a good job of estimating a minimum standard of living…
But, that will never happen, because … well basically half of voters and half state legislatures fundamentally either do not understand how to, or believe in laying a foundational safety net layer for society.
The income and CoL disparities within the US are… basically as wild as the differences between EU member states, but our governance systems are… well, pretty much fundamentally broken at this point.
So that’s what the states are supposed to do with their own minimum wage. The federal minimum wage is not the one we should be challenging for livable wages unless the wage is unlivable everywhere. States absolutely should be setting their own minimum wage to keep people out of poverty in their state.
For example, the federal minimum wage is currently $7.25/hr, but NY state minimum wage is $16.50/hr.
Exactly my point. A $17/hr minimum wage in Arkansas would correct that while still allowing small businesses to employ workers. $25/hr would ensure it remains a corporate-controlled state.
I get that.
What… would actually make much more sense would be to index the minimum wage to some other, per state metric.
A fraction of median income, some formula that actually does a good job of estimating a minimum standard of living…
But, that will never happen, because … well basically half of voters and half state legislatures fundamentally either do not understand how to, or believe in laying a foundational safety net layer for society.
The income and CoL disparities within the US are… basically as wild as the differences between EU member states, but our governance systems are… well, pretty much fundamentally broken at this point.
So that’s what the states are supposed to do with their own minimum wage. The federal minimum wage is not the one we should be challenging for livable wages unless the wage is unlivable everywhere. States absolutely should be setting their own minimum wage to keep people out of poverty in their state.
For example, the federal minimum wage is currently $7.25/hr, but NY state minimum wage is $16.50/hr.