In a debate Monday night, Rep. Barbara Lee defended her previous advocacy for a $50 minimum wage.
“In the Bay Area, I believe it was the United Way that came out with a report that very recently $127,000 for a family of four is just barely enough to get by,” Lee said. “Another survey very recently: $104,000. For a family of one, barely enough to get by low income because of the affordability crisis.”
A wage of $50 an hour would total $104,000 over the course of a year.
“Just do the math. Of course we have national minimum wages that we need to raise to a living wage,” Lee said. “We’re talking about $20, $25 – fine. But I have got to be focused on what California needs and what the affordability factor is when we calculate this wage.”
Republican Steve Garvey said he was not in favor of changing the minimum wage.
“Again, minimum wage is where it is and should be,” Garvey said. “If you look at what California has done to fast food franchises right now, increasing the minimum wage to $20. Then what’s going to happen? That’s going to increase costs for hard-working Californians to go to a franchise.”
In the past, Schiff and Porter offered a more measured approach.
At a previous debate in January, Porter suggested the minimum wage should be around $20 at the national level and $25 in California.
In the same debate, Schiff suggested a $25 national minimum wage.
Okay, why not $100 then? $1000? Why not just make the minimum wage a billion dollars an hour? Then we'd all be richer than Elon Musk!
Economic illiteracy like Rep. Lee's has been around for centuries. Every country that adopts it becomes a dystopian nightmare.
There is no such thing as a livable wage. There is only a wage that someone can afford to pay. You have to tailor your living around your wage, not have government tailor your wage around your living.
@OppositionJackConstitution4mos4MO
You can fix inflation if you have the government take back all the money that they spent during Covid.
@ISIDEWITH4mos4MO
@SmeltChloeRepublican4mos4MO
Just do the math??? Based on Barbara's 'affordability' index - a fast food burger will now set you back $75 to pay that $50.00 minimum wage and let's not even discuss the cost of fries to cover the OT at time & a half... We cannot afford clowns in office.
@ISIDEWITH4mos4MO
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