By Margaret Teague
Staff Writer
President Obama went to New Bristol, Conn. last Wednesday to discuss a national increase in minimum wage for Americans. In hopes of stimulating our economy and creating jobs, the president wants to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 per hour, where it has been since 2009, to $10.10 per hour.
In the midst of our divided government with a majority Republican congress, the House and Senate’s unwillingness to cooperate has been no secret. In January the president brushed on their refusal to cross party lines in his State of the Union Address.
Republicans believe that raising the minimum wage will only increase the U.S. unemployment rate, according to the Huffington Post. Companies will be unable to staff the same number of employees after the wage increase, resulting in more American jobs lost. According to the GOP, the economy will plunge further down.
Last week in Washington, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, Republican, attempted to defend the unofficial Republican refusal to partner with the president, saying that Obama’s call for wage increase is essentially “waving the white flag of surrender.”
This is ridiculous. Americans making minimum wage are earning $400 per week, an amount impossible to live off of. Forget supporting more than one person on that income too.
Republicans are opposing the president to win favor in their party. A national increase in minimum wage, for the first time in more than four years, will stimulate the economy. Employees that receive bigger paychecks will have more money to spend and will spend more frequently. This will result in more employees needed to work across the country.
I am disgusted by Congress’ Republicans refusal to cooperate with the president on this issue. They are ignoring their responsibility as leaders in our representative democracy to advocate for the people who put them in congress in the first place.
Where is the representation? I hardly see any delegates in Congress, just party-interested Republicans unwilling to advocate for American jobs. These elected officials should be feeling the pressure to ensure that low-wage earning Americans who have jobs can keep them.
“What we are talking about is bringing a level of relief to millions upon millions of people in the country,” said Governor Dannel Malloy of Connecticut to the Huffington Post.
The GOP needs to start collaborating with the president and should start by partnering with a national wage increase for Americans.
