Where is Obama�s promised minimum-wage hike?

During the 2008 campaign, presidential candidateBarack Obama made a pledge to raise the minimum wage to $9.50 per hour by 2011. Promises likethis one inspired a generation of young voters, excited long-neglected progressive voters and gavehope to millions of his supporters across the country.

President Obama ran a campaign of soaring rhetoric and uplifting ideas. Amidst two unpopular wars,a rapidly deteriorating financial crisis and the wildly unpopular presidency of George W. Bush,Americans were desperate for a change. He was viewed as a transformational candidate, a presidentwho would turn the page on the stagnant politics of Washington.

It is now four years later, and there has been no increase to the minimum wage. There has been nocongressional vote, much less a whisper from the White House on the minimum wage.

President Obama understood the importance ofthis issue in 2008. The merits of raising theminimum wage havent changed since then, but hispolitical courage has. The inflation-adjusted valueof the minimum wage has been in decline since the1960s, losing over 30 percent of its value andleaving hard-working Americans struggling to getby from paycheck to paycheck. At the same time,the cost of living has continued to rise steadily,further eroding the value of a minimum wage. Hadthe minimum wage kept pace with inflation since1968, today it would be at $10.57 per hour, insteadof the current federal minimum wage of $7.25.

Studies show that the minimum wage could help jump-start the economy and increase consumerspending.A 2011 study by the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank found that for every dollar increase tothe hourly pay of a minimum wage worker, the result is $2,800 in new consumer spending from thatworkers household over the year. And a 2009 study from the Economic Policy Institute estimatedthat simply by raising the minimum wage to $9.50 per hour, $60 billion in additional spending wouldbe added to the economy over a two-year period.

Opponents of raising the minimum wage claim that it would increase unemployment. In fact, moststudies not funded by front groups show that raising the minimum wage has no or little impact onunemployment. Also, small business has already received 17 tax breaks during the Obama

presidency.

The Barack Obama of the 2008 campaign would have stood up against these distortions. Instead,President Barack Obamas absence of leadership on this issue is shameful. Four separate pieces oflegislation have been introduced in the current Congress to raise the minimum wage, byRepresentative Jesse Jackson Jr. (Illinois, 2nd District), Representative Al Green (Texas, 9th),Representative Rosa DeLauro (Connecticut, 3rd), and Senator Tom Harkin (Iowa). The Democraticleadership in Congress and the White House has ignored these bills.

If President Obama is deliberately remainingsilent on raising the minimum wage because of apolitical calculation, it is a calculation based onfuzzy math. A recent poll by John Zogby showsthat 70 percent of likely voters support raisingthe minimum wage. Poll after poll has confirmedthat result. On top of its popularity, raising theminimum wage could help turn the economyaround, and it is an issue that speaks directly tothe 30 million workers stranded between the$7.25 and $10 span of wages.

And why not? The U.S. has the lowest minimum wage by far among large Western industrializedcountries.

Poorer voters have notoriously low voter turnout rates. They represent a voter bloc that, because ofthis fact, is usually written off by political consultants and strategists. But has anyone ever stoppedto ask why it is that they dont vote? Could it be that they dont feel as though the typical slate ofpoliticians and candidates speaks to the issues they care about? They may not have the money tomake campaign contributions, but to write them off so easily in a close election is foolish. With agrowing number of individuals below the poverty line, even a slight increase in voter turnout fromone election year to the next could make a difference.

In 10 swing states Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina,Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia more than 6.5 million voting-age individuals are below the federalpoverty line. What was President Obamas combined margin of victory in those 10 states in 2008?Less than 2 million votes. Florida has a total of nearly 1.8 million potential voters below the povertyline. There are 246,000 workers in Florida being paid at or below the minimum wage. What wasPresident Obamas margin of victory in Florida in 2008? Slightly more than 204,000 votes. Similarly,North Carolina has nearly 1 million potential voters who are below the poverty line. Among NorthCarolinas hourly workers, 140,000are paidat or below the minimum wage. President Obamas marginof victory in North Carolina in 2008? Less than 14,000 votes.

Both Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney, until he waffled earlier this year, have been clearly on therecord as backing a minimum wage that keeps up with inflation. What other issue is as popular withvoters, speaks directly to such a large bloc of deserving Americans, could benefit the economy, and

simply put is the right thing to do?

PHOTO:

http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2012/07/24/where-is-obamas-promised-minimum-wage-hike/