My thoughts on the minimum wage---

I think the minimum wage should a living--- non-poverty--- wage, and should be legislatively determined and tied to all the cost of living factors maintained by the United States Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Every three months this minimum wage should be re-calculated.

If a job needs to be done the worker doing the job should be paid a real living wage.

If an employer doesn't want to pay workers a real living--- non-poverty--- wage, the employer/stock-holder should just go ahead and do the job himself/herself.

Now, like the Chamber of Commerce; I feel real bad about using the levers of government to coerce employers to pay real living wages. So, my suggestion is that we look at all the cost of living factors and see how we can help these employers out by establishing universal social programs wherever possible... one example would be one of the most costly cost-of- living factors: health care. The solution is very simple--- a National Public Health Care System. Or, take childcare; another major "cost-of-living" factor: a National Public Child Care System.

If we go down the list of all the actual cost-of-living factors and implement universal social programs we might be able to bring wages wayyyy downnnn and keep employers happy enabling them to continue paying miserly low wages--- low wages from which they reap huge profits.

We need to re-focus this entire discussion on wages--- especially the minimum wage so that when we talk about wages politicians can't separate the minimum wage from real cost-of-living factors.