Female Restaurant Workers Face Harsh Working Conditions

Female waitresses or servers making money though tips outnumber male waiters or servers by a 2-to-1 ratio.  Tipped workers have a fixed minimum wage of $2.13/hour with the rest supposedly coming though tips.  Employers are supposed to make sure they get the minimum wage of $7.25/hour when they do not get enough tips, but too often fail to do so.  The workforce percentage of women in the restaurant industry is 52%, which means men are guaranteed more stable wages.  It also gives them higher pay at $25,000 annually versus $17,000 for women. 

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/02/19/1064413/-Restaurant-industry-screws-women-while-2-13-tipped-worker-minimum-wage-makes-it-worse?detail=hide&via=blog_1

Tuition for Four Years Could One Day Cost $420K+ (For 1/16/12)

The 4-year total tuition to attend one of the U.S.'s most prestigious colleges will rise to $422,320 in 2034, if current trends continue for children born this year. Public universities will average $81,000 by comparison. Students will pay off debt to attend college for the rest of their lives. The main reward for taking on student loans to get a college degree is a higher-paying job. Manufacturing job losses have shrunk income and benefits for Americans without college degrees. Minimum wage has not kept pace with inflation because of Republican policies. Without reform, only students from households of the Top 1% will be able to afford college. http://www.alternet.org/story/153788/%24422%2C320_for_a_college_degree_with_tuition_skyrocketing%2C_it_is_time_to_rethink_high

San Francisco 1st American City With $10/Hr Minimum Wage (1/3/12)

Ten dollars per hour is not a lot live on, and this would therefore make a decent minimum wage as opposed to the current minimum wage of $7.25/hour. Despite employer opposition, San Francisco's minimum wage rose to $10.24 per hour starting this year. Many studies show that a higher minimum wage helps retain workers and cut down on employee turnover-related costs, such as recruitment and training. They also show that it does not really hurt overall employment. If San Francisco is the first city to do this, will other American cities be smart enough to follow? http://www.alternet.org/economy/153620/san_francisco_becomes_first_in_nation_with_%2410_minimum_wage_%28and_the_sky_isn%27t_going_to_fall%29?page=entire

U.S. Senator: Good Workers Quickly Advance Beyond Minimum Wage (for 12/13/11)

During a meeting with unemployed constituents, Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson said, "when you're a good worker, you don't stay at minimum wage for long." He defended his views on keeping minimum wage low by saying that regulations have put too much of a strain on businesses. He does not want to spend on unemployment insurance because of the amount it increased the National Debt.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/13/ron-johnson-minimum-wage_n_1146194.html?ref=unemployment