My Thoughts on the Candidates, the Debates, and the Issues

A WORK IN PROGRESS

In my mind there seems to be three things that keep coming up as issues during this election cycle. They are wages, healthcare, and equality (mostly in the legal system).

When it comes to wages the phrase normally used is minimum wage. When I got my first job as a Steak-N-Shake curb boy in 1971 the minimum wage in Missouri was $1.60. However, Missouri is a state that has a different minimum wage for tipped employees that has historically been about half of the regular minimum wage. As I recall my pay was 90 cents an hour. So, 10 cents above half of the regular minimum wage. The premise is your tips should bring you up to at least the regular minimum wage. Missouri has normally been in line with the federal minimum wage which is presently $7.65 per hour. However, Missouri has now succumbed to the pressure brought on by the unambitious and has it's own minimum wage of $8.60 per hour. Tipped employees minimum wage is half of that at $4.30. During my time at Steak-N-Shake (one summer) it never occurred ro me to expect a higher wage. Ninety cents is what I was offered and what I accepted. However, I didn't expect to make minimum wage all my life. I was more ambitious than that.

Now for a minimum wage history lesson of sorts I will list various minimum wages from history and the lowest wage legally paid at that time.

1938 $0.25 per hour

1950 $0.75 per hour

1968 $1.60 per hour

1981 to April 1990 $3.35 per hour

September 1, 1997 through July 23, 2007 $5.15 per hour

2009 $7.25 where it has remained fixed for the past ten years.