  Amy Chasanov wrote a great article for the Economic Policy Institute arguing against those who oppose raising the minimum wage. nbsp;  She points out that it has been seven years since Congress last raised the minimum wage,  even though lawmakers have raised their own pay a total& nbsp; of six times.
nbsp;  Senator Edward Kennedy ( D- MA)  has recently sponsored a bill,  the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2004,
nbsp; that would raise the minimum wage to $ 7. 00 an hour,  but Republican lawmakers oppose the bill,  saying that it will harm the working poor.
nbsp;  History tells us that Republicans are wrong in this case,  in that after the minimum wage was raised in 1996 and 1997 unemployment went down. nbsp;  Also,  the effect on the economy would be negligible being that the wage increase will only affect 7 million workers,
 less than the 9 million affected by increase in 1997,  one which did not negatively affect the economy then. nbsp;  The wage increase will also help employers in that it will improve work behavior among workers and lead to lower employee turnover,  lower recruitment costs,  lower training costs,
 and higher profits per employee,  examples that Chasanov presents in her article. nbsp;  So,  Republican opponents to increasing the minimum wage are either ignorant of the effects of wage increases among workers,  or are beholden to special interests that favor cheaper labor and higher short-
term profits. nbsp;  Check out Amy Chasanov's article urlLink here .
