# More political campaign garbage???? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 31, 2000, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-political-campaign-garbage/39027 "2000-10-31T02:17:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-political-campaign-garbage/39027/1 "2000-10-31T02:17:06Z")
I just watched a campaign commercial paid for by the Democratic Party saying how Bush kept the minimum wage in Texas down to 3.25/hr. WTF? Isn’t the minimum wage set by the federal government? What does a governor have to do with this?? I believe the exact words on the commercial was “minimum wage in Texas”. How can Texas have a different minimum wage LESS than that set by the Federal Government? Could someone please explain how this is possible. Or is this just more garbage and ‘fuzzy math’? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-political-campaign-garbage/39027/2 "2000-10-31T02:51:00Z")
The federal government has a minimum wage for federal employees, but states set the minimum wage in their state. California (I think) just set one of the highest ever - somewhere around ten bucks. W probably doesn’t have a whole lot to do with it; it’s a matter of legislation. But it’s very easy to blame whatever a legislature does on the cheif executive at the time. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-political-campaign-garbage/39027/3 "2000-10-31T03:07:08Z")
The minimum wage in California is $5.75. Recent legislation is going to raise it to $6.75 over the next two years. It’s not $10/hour. ---
**Author:** ![Arjuna34](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Arjuna34](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arjuna34)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-political-campaign-garbage/39027/4 "2000-10-31T03:40:48Z")
According to this site from the US Dept. of Labor, [http://www.dol.gov/dol/esa/public/minwage/america.htm](http://www.dol.gov/dol/esa/public/minwage/america.htm) the higher of the state or federal minimum wages applies. Several states don’t have any minimum wage at all. The site has a handy map indicating whether each state is higher or lower than the federal wage. Washington and Oregon are both higher than California, at $6.50/hr. Oklahoma is $2.00/hr for small companies. Arjuna34 ---
**Author:** ![peace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@peace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peace)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-political-campaign-garbage/39027/5 "2000-10-31T04:36:06Z")
More political campaign garbage??? Yes, Bear. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-political-campaign-garbage/39027/6 "2000-10-31T04:56:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Arjuna34 \* > the higher of the state or federal minimum wages applies. Several states don’t have any minimum wage at all. The site has a handy map indicating whether each state is higher or lower than the federal wage. So no matter what the state minimum wage is, all employees must get paid at LEAST the Federal Minimum Wage, Right? If the minimum wage only applied to federal employees then why bother requiring ALL employers to post the Department of Labor rules at the work place. Can someone REALLY legally be paid just $3.35 an hour at a McDonalds in Texas??? Why bother making shoes in an overseas sweatshop when we have Texas?? ---
**Author:** ![Nanook\_of\_the\_North\_Shore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bc8723/32.png) [@Nanook\_of\_the\_North\_Shore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanook_of_the_North_Shore)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-political-campaign-garbage/39027/7 "2000-10-31T05:50:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bear\_Nenno \* > \*\* > Can someone REALLY legally be paid just $3.35 an hour at a McDonalds in Texas??? Why bother making shoes in an overseas sweatshop when we have Texas?? \*\* Because overseas there’s no OSHA. Because overseas you can pay them 3 bucks a DAY as opposed to 3 bucks an hour. Because McDonalds and manufacturing are very, very different. ---
**Author:** ![Arjuna34](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Arjuna34](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arjuna34)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-political-campaign-garbage/39027/8 "2000-10-31T12:48:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bear\_Nenno \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Arjuna34 \* > > the higher of the state or federal minimum wages applies. Several states don’t have any minimum wage at all. The site has a handy map indicating whether each state is higher or lower than the federal wage. > > So no matter what the state minimum wage is, all employees must get paid at LEAST the Federal Minimum Wage, Right? If the minimum wage only applied to federal employees then why bother requiring ALL employers to post the Department of Labor rules at the work place. > > Can someone REALLY legally be paid just $3.35 an hour at a McDonalds in Texas??? Why bother making shoes in an overseas sweatshop when we have Texas?? \*\* Well, Oklahoma is $2/hr, and some states don’t have ANY minimum, so Texas isn’t a sweatshop haven. BUT, according to the DOL website, everyone must get at least the federal minimum wage. I’m not really sure what the point of the state minimum is, if it’s lower than the federal. Perhaps at one point they were higher, and they never bothered to change it when the federal changed. Arjuna34 ---
**Author:** ![Aglarond](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@Aglarond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aglarond)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-political-campaign-garbage/39027/9 "2000-10-31T15:30:33Z")
Texas checking in. It’s more political garbage from the Gore campaign. When I was 15, minimum wage was $5.75/hr. I know it’s gone up at least once since Bush took office. ---
**Author:** ![Aglarond](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@Aglarond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aglarond)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-political-campaign-garbage/39027/10 "2000-10-31T15:32:32Z")
Addition: They could be talking about wages for waiters/waitresses. I believe they make about $3.25/hr. It’s because they’re compensated by tips or something like that. I thought all states were tlike that, though. ---
**Author:** ![Satan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Satan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satan)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-political-campaign-garbage/39027/11 "2000-10-31T15:54:04Z")
Servers make $2.13 an hour. * * * Yer pal, [Satan](http://www.members.tripod.com/jmspoofe/sdmb/satan.jpg) \*I HAVE BEEN SMOKE-FREE FOR: Six months, three weeks, one day, 13 hours, 59 minutes and 30 seconds. 8223 cigarettes not smoked, saving $1,027.91. Extra life with Drain Bead: 4 weeks, 13 hours, 15 minutes. **David B used me as a cite!** \* ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-political-campaign-garbage/39027/12 "2000-10-31T16:25:05Z")
Some jobs, mostly agricultural, are exempt from the federal minimum wage, and thus are controlled by the state’s minimum wage. Since at least 1997, the Texas state minimum wage has been $3.35 an hour, according to [What Minimum Wage?](http://www.texasobserver.org/subjects/dateline/wagemrry.html) from the _Texas Observer_. This ad apparently has been running for a few months. A September Associated Press review of the ad is posted at: [Ad watch: Dems hit Bush on minimum wage, children’s health](http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:www.the-election.com/cgi-bin/bbs2/conf.pl%3Fread%3D905). ---
**Author:** ![3waygeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/e95f7d/32.png) [@3waygeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3waygeek)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-political-campaign-garbage/39027/13 "2000-10-31T17:46:38Z")
friedo wrote: > [@](#): > > California (I think) just set one of the highest ever - somewhere around ten bucks. You’re referring to Santa Cruz, CA, which in the last week or so set a “living wage” in the $10-$12 per hour range. There are two separate wages, one for employees who get benefits, and a slightly higher one for employees without benefits. There have been other living wage movements in CA, but Santa Cruz is, as far as I know, the only locality that has acted. According to [this article](http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2000/October/25/top/stories/1top.htm), the wage applies only to city employees, social service agencies, and anyone providing services under contract. ---
**Author:** ![Aglarond](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@Aglarond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aglarond)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-political-campaign-garbage/39027/14 "2000-10-31T18:08:01Z")
OK. I failed to take into acount agricultural wages. The campaign strategy is still misleading. ---
**Author:** ![peace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@peace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peace)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2000, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-political-campaign-garbage/39027/15 "2000-11-01T03:39:55Z")
The campaign strategy is stillmisleading.\>\>\>\>\>\>\>\>\>\>\>\>\>\>\>\>\>\>\> Right. That’s the purpose.