Do you support an increase in the U.S. federal minimum wage?

I think it's a great idea and about time! With everything else going up who can live off of $5.15.

There is nothing I hate more than freedom. People simply should not be free to make their own decisions, including negotiating their wage. Minimum wage isn't enough. $7.25 an hour, how can you raise a family on that? Government should set all wages, not just a minimum wage. Pelosi and the Dems promised a raise for the American people, not just minimum wage workers, they need to give us all a raise by raising ALL wages.

I wish my husband would get a pay raise but he is making $7.00 a hour and it's only part time some times he doesn't even get to work he is a carpenter and only get to work when his boss finds jobs so sometimes we have to make it on less then $500.00 pay a month and we have to get assistance especially in the cpolder months. We have thought of starting a christmas fund as a means to save money all year for just the winter months to help pay bills and other things we need.

I definitely support an increase in minium wages I mean who could pay their rent off of minimum wage. Its is highly impossible i mean you would most definitely have to have food stamps and you definitely pay for daycare unless you have subsidy. I mean who keep up with $5.15 anyways.

I think it's great. The cost of living has gone up soo much, but minimum wage has not changed for years. It's time the wage is also raised.

I live in Alabama where minimum wage is $5.15 an hour. I work for a small buisness only making $6.50 an hour. I can barely support myself on the amount I make but if the wage is raised I fear I'll lose my job because the company can't afford to pay more than I already make.

In california minimum wage went up this year from $6.75 to $7.50....not much of a difference but I think it's also supposed to go up next year. No ONE can live off minimum wage anywhere in the US.Why do they call it minimum wage anyway!? They should just call it wage...I know that one of the places i worked at when it came to giving raises they did it so they wouldn't have to give you a big raise. They would rate us on a scale on different things and let me tell you only the managers favorite 'girl' got the best ratings giving her the biggest raise. Not Fair but see that job is on a Military Base and they can basically do whatever they want and they won't get in trouble for it. I was there for 2 yrs and was a Supervisor and made not more than 20cents more than a new person. Talk about unfair huh?

Here in Oregon, our minimum wage just went up on January 1st, from $7.50 to $7.80 an hour. We are one of the fourth highest minimum wage states. California is set to raise their minimum wage to $8 per hour this month also. Up till now, the highest minimum wage in the nation was Washington state's $7.63 an hour, which increased to $7.94 on Jan. 1st. Even at $7.25 an hour leaves families trying to survive on 40 hours a week at that wage, well below poverty level. As a nation, we have needed a uniform wage increase long before now. The inflation and economic factors over the past 8 years have crippled the poor and will make it hard for them to ever make a comeback.

Increasing the minimum wage is a horrible idea. Here is why. The minimum wage, while put into effect to supply the public with a "minimum wage as deemed neccesary to cover the national average wage needed to keep above the line of poverty" it actually contributes to poverty by upping the unemployment. Small businesses operated many times on a very tight budget. Forcing these businesses to pay the basic employees more is to force them to spend more money than they are willing to, which will lead to closing down and putting people out of work. Hypothetically, this raise in minimum wage will protect the people, but instead actually harms them. Furthermore, this is more of a government intrusion on a private business issue.

Of course I am very much in support of this issue of increasing the minimum wage! ^_^ I wonder how anyone can live on only $5.15 nowadays unless they are awfully frugal and good with their expenses! I say bring on the new minimum wage requirement as soon as humanly possible, please! *laugh* ^_^