[eweissenbach]

I see a lot of "I've got mine - up yours" attitude on this issue. There are lazy, unmotivated people working at minimum wage jobs, just as there are in many higher paid occupations. There are also many well educated and well qualified people who have been forced to work minimum wage jobs because their formerly well paid jobs were eliminated and there is a glut of overqualified people looking for work. There are also many single mothers and fathers trying their best to provide for their family and that's the best job available to them. If the lower end of the income is raised it provides more money to purchase goods, generating a multiplier effect in the economy, and less welfare/food stamps, not to mention more tax revenue. A rising tide lifts all ships.