It has been almost a decade since congress has raised the federal minimum wage now set at $5.15 per hour. How can we expect Americans to get out of poverty if we can not provide them with the level of income worth their effort. With the constant rise of inflation and a stagnant wage that has not changed since September of 1997, one would begin to question whether our priorities are aligned with national interest.

There is the argument that a rise in wages will also create a rise in costs for businesses. Although true, the average business today enjoys real net profits that rival the prosperous post World War II boom into the 1960s. This level of profitability has been unmatched in recent decades. The fact is that it is becoming harder and harder to hold only one job. We hear the senario from people we know who say they have more than one job or that the responsibilities and duties of two people are being done by only one.

How has our standard of living increased if we do not have any time to enjoy life and maintain a healthy balance of work and play. Look at the second chart to compare how well the minimum wage compares to our national poverty line.

Workers are being pushed to the brink and the American dream seems to be drifting further into the distance for most people. Although the situation seems grim, nature has a funny way of shifting things back into balance. The majority has ultimate power and we had better work diligently to correct this wealth gap or it will grow into an uncontrollable problem.

Here is another chart showing specific states within the union with an emphasis on the state of Washington because of its high minimum wage level. One could argue that states could just set their minimum wage levels higher to offset national deficiencies, but we are not seeing many states pushing legislation that would back this argument. Some states, such as Washington are trying to lead the way by indexing the minimum wage to inflation.

Go here for an update on congressional legislation regarding the minimum wage issue.