Increases in the minimum wage should be tied to congressional pay raises.
The national minimum wage is currently $5.15 per hour. This wage has not been raised since 1997. Meanwhile, congressional salaries have gone from $133,600 in 1997 to $165,200 in 2006, an increase of $31,600.

If the minimum wage had been raised by the same percentage as congressional salaries each year since 1997, the minimum wage in 2006 would be $6.37. That's $1.22 per hour more over the course of nine years. That would have amounted to $48.80 per week for a full time worker (before taxes.) That would have meant an increase of a full-time yearly salary from the current $10,712 to $13,250.

If inflation and other economic circumstances justify yearly congressional pay raises, why do they not also justfiy minimum wage increases?

Below is a year-by-year graph of congressional pay increases compared with increases in minimum wage had they been tied.

YearCongressional
Salary		RaisePercentMinimum wage
if increased with
congressional salaries
2006$165,200$3,100 1.91%$6.37
2005$162,100 $4,000 2.53% $6.25
2004 $158,100 $3,400 2.20% $6.09
2003 $154,700$4,700 3.13% $5.96
2002 $150,000 $4,900 3.38% $5.78
2001 $145,100 $3,800 2.69% $5.59
2000 $141,300 $4,600 3.37% $5.45
1999 $136,700 $0 0.00% $5.27
1998 $136,700$3,100 2.32% $5.27
1997 $133,600 $0 0.00% $5.15


Poverty has risen across the past four years to 37 million and counting, by the government's own measure, while the number of homeless children in public schools is at 600,000 and up. In 2004, some 38 million Americans - including nearly one in five children - lived in households that found it difficult to afford food, 6 million more than in 1999. These are the numbers that should be driving the nation's lawmakers
Source: "Profiles in Pusillanimity" - NY Times - December 6, 2005


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Comments Contributor Date Submitted
I think your idea ia a very sensible, fair approach.
Alaska		 8/3/2006

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