Gary, I appreciate your desire to help the working poor but I believe this increase will be counterproductive as the cost of many goods and services will increase when employers are forced to pay more for minimum experienced employees. Those of us who make more will be tightening our belts to adjust for rising costs. I know I will. Yes, outsourcing has hurt this country but trying to pay someone who pushes a broom at the local grocery store the same as the cashier defeats the purpose of ever trying to better yourself. Kind of like rent control, if you only pay $400 per mo. for a crappy studio apartment what will your incentive ever be to become a homeowner. Let the market dictate wages, not government. Raising the minimum wage hasn't ended poverty or having a working poor class yet, so why will this new increase change things?