If we are going to have a minimun wage, I think it should be set up by the states.Each state is different. It does not cost the same to live in all the states, so if you get $7.25 an hour in one state, you may be able to live on that. In another state like NY or Cal. you would probably need twice that amount at least.
Wages would probably be higher if there was no minimum wage and the employers had to compete for their help. If they could not get help at the same scale as others were paying, they might raise their rate to get more help.
Minimum wage stops all competition for higher wages as everyone pays the same.
I know that although the minimum wage is still $7.25, a lot of places are having trouble getting help and some have already raised the wage scale to double that and some have even offered bonuses to get help. Competition is what cause the wage or price scale to be different.

I understand how you feel. I got out of the Air Force in 1955. Went to work for the Federal Aviation Agency. Was at the Knoxville, Tenn, airport for about 9 yrs, they t***sferred me to Oklahoma, moved back here in 1989. Went to work at the local Radio station, worked there 26 years, then started delivering meals to Seniors at the Senior Center. Had to quit about 2 years ago. Can't walk like i used to. I'm getting old, I guess. Never was out of a job long enough to draw unemployment, so don't know much about any freebees. Loved my jobs. I wish I could find something else I could do, may yet. Still looking.
I enjoyed our correspondants. Hope you are well and have a great life.

I ran a ranch at one time for some people and they would not allow me to hire anybody but i******s. Why? Because they could hire 3-4 i******s for what it would cost for one local. They paid no taxes, so i kept no books. We didn't winter, It's all about the money. need them in the winter time, so they all went home in the winter and it didn't cost them anything for wages in the
The i******s do not do a better job than the locals, if as good,
We had cattle and sheep in the summer and they sold them in the winter. The money they got for the livestock was the same, regardless of who they hired in the summer so it didn't effect the price of the meat. They just made more profit because they paid a lot less for the help. We had about 10 people in the summer. We didn't hire the locals because we couldn't get them to work, We had locals come to the ranch pretty often looking for work, but we couldn't hire them..
It's not because they can't get locals to do the job, it's because of the money, no paper work, no taxes, nothing, Just give them their pay each week.
The i******s will take a lot of the jobs the American people need to care for their families, and the government will lose a lot of money becaue they don't pay taxes. If they did, the government would know where they were and they don't want that, the i******s or the people who hire them.

You are right on the income taxes. The i******s do not pay income taxes and most of the ranches I know don't want them to because it means they would have to keep books and pay the taxes for them. This way, no books, no tax records and no minimum wages.That's one of the reasons they want to hire them instead of the locals.
The only problem with an increased food tax is, it will cause the people living on SS and just barely getting by from month to month will not have enough left to live on. They have worked all their lives, payed their taxes each year and now are trying to just get by and that's what most people on a fixed income are having to do.
I am afraid I cannot agree with you on the food tax, because I'm afraid it would hurt more Americans than the i******s. I think the only answer is deport the i******s, fine any employer that hires them and he will have to hire the locals. I don't think it will make the price of the food to go up because the farms and ranches have to take wh**ever the market price is when their food is ripe and ready for market.

I Seriously doubt it is 20million i******s regardless of where your info comes from. BTW it's also vegetables and These corp farms are not going to raise pay to any reasonable level. The GOP is against a Living Wage cuzzzz It's Socialism. (As they have said Incessantly). There have been migrants picking produce since the 60's and even earlier. But go ahead and ask a local non commercial farmer if they can afford to pay $10/hr or more to pick their crops My guess is they will say You Are Nuts.

I ran a ranch at one time for some people and they would not allow me to hire anybody but i******s. Why? Because they could hire 3-4 i******s for what it would cost for one local. They paid no taxes, so i kept no books. We didn't winter, It's all about the money. need them in the winter time, so they all went home in the winter and it didn't cost them anything for wages in the
The i******s do not do a better job than the locals, if as good,
We had cattle and sheep in the summer and they sold them in the winter. The money they got for the livestock was the same, regardless of who they hired in the summer so it didn't effect the price of the meat. They just made more profit because they paid a lot less for the help. We had about 10 people in the summer. We didn't hire the locals because we couldn't get them to work, We had locals come to the ranch pretty often looking for work, but we couldn't hire them..
It's not because they can't get locals to do the job, it's because of the money, no paper work, no taxes, nothing, Just give them their pay each week.
The i******s will take a lot of the jobs the American people need to care for their families, and the government will lose a lot of money becaue they don't pay taxes. If they did, the government would know where they were and they don't want that, the i******s or the people who hire them.