Speaker John Boehner is claiming a “1998 memo written by President Clinton’s economic advisor proves that the facts about raising the minimum wage haven’t changed” in a Facebook post leading to an article on his website.
The article Republicans’ Real Solutions For Creating Jobs & Boosting Wagesmakes several misrepresentations of fact and gets called out by people in the comments section.
Most notable, the article says that attempting to raise the minimum wage is “yet another election year gimmick” by Democrats and calling it a “policy that will cost Americans dearly – especially those it is meant to help.” To support this premise, Boehner says former Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Director Douglas Holtz-Eakin agrees and quotes an article written by him last December for the New York times, which reads in part:
“It is simply perverse to redistribute from the job seekers to the job holders. Who would be helped by a minimum wage increase? Teenagers and young adults from affluent families.” [emphasis added]
Among the comments accompanying this article are some real gems, most notably from user Kevin Hamak who goes by BullCitySprawl:
You base your whole assumption on several lies. You state that most minimum wage jobs are held by teenagers and young adults from affluent families. That is a lie. 50% of minimum wage workers are over 25.
70 percent are in families with incomes of less than $60,000, more than a quarter are parents, and over a third are married.
Boehner fan Charles Schlaff attempts to come to Boehner’s rescue, writing:
Most minimum wage jobs are held by illegals and people who have not educated themselves , yet want to think its k to have chlldren they cant afford.
Most minimum wage jobs are for kids and college students, seriously a career flipping burgers is not a real job .
I worked minimum wage putting myself through school and even had a kid I couldnt afford so I worked two jobs and went to school and coming out of basically the ghetto.
Self determination and reliance on ones self is what is missing, but you go ahead and tell people to breed and claim that some one owes you is frankly insane.
And BullCitySprawl responds writing: “So, since you state, incorrectly, that most minimum wages jobs are held by illegals, then obviously you are illegal since you had a minimum wage job and you had a kid you couldn’t afford. According to teabaggers only illegals and minorities have kids they cannot afford.”
In the next round, BullCitySprawl begins the festivities writing:
Lets try again and be politically correct. 50% of minimum wage workers are over 25 and 88% are over 20. 70 percent are in families with incomes of less than $60,000 and 52% are in families that make less than $40,000, more than a quarter are parents, and over a third are married. Not exactly the teens and young adults of affluent families as you represent them.
The average affected worker earns about half of his or her family’s total income.
Craig replies: “The CBO rep mentioned ‘affluent’ families. Lies and misinformation from another goosestepping socialist democrat.”
BullCitySprawl comes back: “Yep, the CBO stated that 29% would go to families making 3 times the poverty level or more than $60,000 for a family averaged between 3 and 4 people in the family. Yep, that sure shows that a majority of minimum wage workers are in a family of affluence.”
Do yourself a favor and go check out the comments accompanying Boehner’s article and see how this played out, and you can also enjoy several great slams on Boehner’s Facebook page, posted below.
Not one to be silent, Craig comes back a day later writing:
yes your lies are idiotic. please get a job.–ahummm a real job–you may have to work hard and get some education –but let me give you some advice—NO ONE OWES YOU ANYTHING—YOUUUUUUUU NEED TO BECOME YOUR OWN MAN AND MAKE SOMETHING OF YOURSELF—–THAT IS LIFEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE !!!!
However, BullCitySprawl is ready for battle responding:
Hmmm, where to start. I served in the US Marine Corps you little chicken hawk, I have a college degree and have started my own business after working for other people for 19 years after USMC and college. I was able to start my own business thanks to the ACA and being able to get affordable healthcare on my own. PS…I have never needed to be on any kind of assistance. By the way are you 12 years old, because with all your childish all caps screaming you appear to be child throwing a temper tantrum, or a teabagger, hard to tell the difference.
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