please support a minimum wage increase.

More than 6 million workers are paid a minimum wage. The Senate has a bill now that would increase it from $5.15 to $7.25. It also gives 8200 Heirs in America $1.4 million each in Estate tax cuts. Also has some nice tax breaks for the timber industry. The Minimum wage has not been increased since 1997. Today, the $5.15 minimum is worth about $4 because of inflation. In 1997 Congress was paid $136,700 per year. Since then they have given themselves 8 pay increases. A total of 21 percent increase. Now $165,200. They are about to give themselves another raise to $ 168,700. As everyone knows most in Congress are already wealthy, many are Lawyers. Seven of the eight were called cost of living increases.
The minimum wage adds up to about $10,700 per year, which is about $6000 below the federal poverty level. In Ohio and six other states currently ballot initiatives to put the issue to a vote in November have been started by grass roots. They want a increase to $6.85 per hour.
Also 22 states have set their own minimum wage at higher than the Federal $5.15 per hour.
Washington currently has the highest at $7.63 per hour. Also 195 cities have raised the minimum wage with San Francisco having the highest at $ 8.82 per hour.
It is a bare face lie that a higher minimum wage will lead to price increases. It's just not true.
It also also not true that small business's will all close or be forced to lay off workers.
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton has a bill that will increase the minimum wage to $7.25 and link future wage increase to increases in the pay in Congress.
No one can show me any creditable data or report that supports the claim that “higher minimum wage's do the economy any harm”. Republicans in Congress want to talk about “flag burning or stem cell” and other non issues, that way they are not forced to talk about their failure in office.