by Respectfully - Supposn

Created on: July 20, 2008

Due to the U.S, dollar's ever changing purchasing power, (i.e.; due to inflation) the U.S. Congress has been compelled to intermittently increase the minimum rate. The minimum wage is "fair" but congress has never increased the minimum to a generous amount. Within the duration between increases the minimum's value has always been permitted to evolve from insufficient to become more or drastically more insufficient.

The minimum rate affects all labor compensation rates. It affects lower income rates more, higher income rates less and has always been expressed as a finite hourly rate of U.S. dollars. It is beneficial but it would be more economically beneficial if the timing and extent of its modification were not based upon the fickle political determinations of the U.S. Congress.

We should refrain from unnecessary dependence upon government discretion. We are dependent upon panels, committees and judges until we find superior methods to arrive at some determinations. We do have a superior method available to keep our laws abreast with the dollar's changing value.

Congress has recognized the inequity and hardship due to finite amounts of social security retirement disbursements. The decreasing value of the dollar was continuously increasing a financial hardship upon retirees and their families. This was also increasing federal state and local governments' welfare expenses, (an additional burden to taxpayers).

The Social Security administration now annually calculates a "cost of living adjustment", (COLA) based upon the U.S. Department of Labor's "cost/price index", (CPI). They then apply the COLA) to the disbursements for all beneficiaries. Congress should adjust the minimum wage rate in the same manner and for the same reasons.

Any law or regulation that refers to finite dollars becomes some what less effective and less true to its purpose due to the changing value of the dollar. The extent of this perversion of a law is dependent upon the finite dollar's amount relative to the law's purpose and the extent of the dollar's changing value.

Within our tax regulations the finite amounts of income brackets and deductions per dependent induce what due to inflation are effectively tax rate increases. The alternate tax method was to affect only the wealthy. Due to inflation it began to affect upper-middle income earners and then more mid-level income earners.

Penalties expressed as finite dollars for disregarding our laws and regulations become less effective; Due to the decrease of our dollar's value, it's often preferable to risk the decreased value of the penalty rather than assume the expense of obeying the law.

Congress is a poor micro-manager. Our nation would benefit if all federal laws, but particularly our minimum wage and tax laws referred to indexed rather than finite dollars.

Congress's time and efforts should be devoted to the concepts of our national policies and overseeing the operation of our government's other branches. The task of simply crunching numbers is best left to computers.

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