@geniusmusing @storm Also, as I mentioned to my brother, even Arkansas has raised its minimum wage (currently $11.00/hour). I haven’t really been there (accidentally drove across the state border from #MO once), but my impression is that it is one of the poorer states. If #AR can do it, then probably only MS, AL, TN, KY, and WV could honestly say they don’t think they can afford it. That means states like IN and OH can just shut up and raise minwage themselves instead of waiting in dread for the feds to do it.
@storm The thing is, all those prices continually increase anyway. The last time federal minimum wage increased was 2009. Since then, prices have increased an average of 25%, with housing prices having doubled in many areas. If prices are going to increase regardless of whether people get paid more, why not pay people more?
There's zero chance KY can't afford it. The people in Lexington and Louisville just don't want to. Same is definitely true of Alabama (though its Huntsville and Tuscaloosa) and Tennessee (though it's Nashville).
MS...well, idk all that much about it. My suspicion is there are enough lawyers/bankers/physicians from Memphis and NOLA that they could make it work.
WV...it's literally part of the DC train system, so I suspect they could do it. Of course, the mountains do limit traffic between DC and WV.
An easy fix would be to just make it $11, see what happens and go from there.