As a question of Constitutionality, it should definatly be left up to the states. The Congress should not set, nor forbid mimimum wage. The only correct choice for the states, however, is to have no mimimum wage laws. Economic laws do not change from area to area. The Law of Supply, Deman, and Marginal Utility stay constant in every area.

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"Sometimes it is said that man cannot be trusted with the government of himself. Can he, then, be trusted with the government of others? Or have we found angels in the form of kings to govern him? Let history answer this question."
-Thomas Jefferson in his first inauguration address

Yeah, democracy is bad. That is why I don't live in a Democratic country.

Tell me, if it was the will of the people to kill you, would you be aliright with that? Probably not.

Similarly, I don't like when the "will of the people" dictate how much I can work for.

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"Sometimes it is said that man cannot be trusted with the government of himself. Can he, then, be trusted with the government of others? Or have we found angels in the form of kings to govern him? Let history answer this question."
-Thomas Jefferson in his first inauguration address

As long as I have a choice in my leadership, and the freedom to leave the country, then the will of people is my own. The constitution specifically prohibits the loss of life without due process. So, yes, if the will of the peopel as expressed in our democratic processes results in someone death, I am ok with it.

I think each state should be able to choose. The cost of living in each state is different. The minimum wage should be calculated based on a the cost of living in each state.

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If the average person's butt caught on fire I'd be willing to bet the American media could convince them its not in their best interest to put it out.

Agreed. A one-size-fits-all minimum wage is detrimental to each individual state compared to states deciding on their own.

And that goes all the way down. Different markets, different business have different wage requirements to remain competitive. For example, in Destin florida there is a shortage of workers. Taco bell hires at $15 an hour with a $500 signing bonus. In Miami, its a low as possible since there is a glutton of workers. Forcing a minimum wage would keep people from moving to Destin to take advantage of higher wages, and prohibit businesses in miami from competing.

In previous threads I've also advocated that minimum wage laws should be left to individual states to decide (as should most other laws). One of the primary arguments I encountered was that it would lead to a "race to the bottom" among the states. I personally don't think the argument is very compelling. The significant differences between states and regions in this country seems to be the most obvious argument against a nationally mandated minimum wage. In addition to my fundamental concerns with the power and scope of the national government, ignoring the economic differences within the country just doesn't make sense to me.

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"Inflation is the opium of the masses." - Henry Hazlitt

Pure democracy, or anything near it, does suck. That's because a lot of the time, the people want to give the government the right to hold their hand and control everything because their life is hard. Minimum wage, welfare, etc...

The states can and do decide what their minimum should be, all the federal government does is set a baseline; a measure to which guarentees a minimum standard in every state. This is supposed to be the United States of America, not the Independent States of America.

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"Shake off all the fears of servile prejudices, under which weak minds are servilely crouched. Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call on her tribunal for every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear."

-Thomas Jefferson

Exactly how does letting a state set it's own standard of minimum wage make us not united anymore?

Still, the federal government is establishing a "minimum minimum wage." The states only have the right to set their wages at it or above it, not below it. Also, I don't really understand your comment about the name of this country, and emptypepsi brought a good point against it anyway. The Constitution was meant to establish a degree of indepedence in matters of state law - do you prefer a centralized federal government over more local government because we call ourselves "united" and not "independent?"

Back to the initial question, anyway.

Someone has already brought it up, but the issue of a minimum wage is something of a red herring here in America. It is more important elsewhere in the world, where multinationals are flocking to purchase the cheapest labor they can find, causing laborers to compete against other laborers across the globe - national minimum wages seemed to only occur when this competition could be seen at a national level. I bet sometime in the future (perhaps far after I'm dead, perhaps nearer) we will see the United Nations attempt to establish a global minimum wage.

I prefer that this matter is put in the hands of more local institutions than some cumbersome central bureaucracy, be that at a national level or even a inter- or supra-national level; I'm something of a localist in most matters. I'd prefer that even state governments hand that authority to more local governments, but at least we could bring that debate to a level closer to most citizens (rather than federal-state debate, it would be state-local debate).

Spoken like a true "libertarian" I see. Well, the "will of the people" also tells you a lot of other things, such as you cannot go aggressively kill your neighbor, or rob that pedestrian. I understand that pure democracy can sometimes prove unjust, as it is really just the "tyranny of the majority," but to make the blanket statement "democracy is bad" betrays your supposed libertarian tendencies.

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No man is an island...
Each man's death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in Mankind.
And therefore, never send to know
For whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.
—John Donne

I am not an advocate of minimum wage hikes. It does nothing for the economy, especially when a good portion of that economy is based on small business revenue. The only things these federal wage hikes seem to do is cause a price equilibration, damn the small business casualties, and foster future votes for those legislators who support the hikes.

They are trying to alleviate to impact of those wage hikes on small business with a small business tax cut bill, Rangel, McCrery introduce small-business tax cuts. I believe that our representatives do recognize the concept of multiple micro-economies across our nation and the effects of minimum wage hikes on those they affect the most, but the legislators also want to keep their jobs when the next election comes around.

Unfortunately, emotional issues drive many voters and our elected representatives know this, thus the support for wage hikes.

Also, the media gave the minimum wage hike a lot of coverage; that sure gets a bunch of ratings. Will the media give the small business tax cut bill a lot of coverage, too, so that the listeners and viewers can see what is needed to protect our economy? I doubt it. When our school systems choose to educate future voters on the basics of economics (and other subjects), perhaps we will see more informed voters.

Yes, you rarely hear from the media how the minimum wage would actually affect people. They leave you to believe that a large number of people are living off it, when that isnt that case.

Actually,

The Minimum Wage effects ALL wages in this country.

Could you elaborate?

__________________
No man is an island...
Each man's death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in Mankind.
And therefore, never send to know
For whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.
—John Donne