Joe Miller: There Should Be No Federal Minimum Wage

Alaska Senate candidate Joe Miller

/ AP Photo/Mark Thiessen

Alaska Senate candidate Joe Miller says he doesn't believe there should be a federally mandated minimum wage.

Miller made the comments during an interview with Politico and ABC News. A self-described "constitutional conservative," Miller is the Republican nominee in Alaska's three-way race for Senator.

He said in the interview that minimum wage standards were "clearly up to the states" and that regulation of those rates was "not within the scope of the powers that are given to the federal government."

"The state of Alaska has a minimum wage which is higher than the federal level because our state leaders have made that determination," Miller said. "The minimum level again should be the state's decision."

Miller, who won Alaska's Republican Senate nomination in an upset over incumbent Lisa Murkowski in August, is vocal in his belief that the federal government should be severely limited in its power.

"What I'd recommend that you do is go to the Constitution and look at the enumerated powers because what we have is something that we call the 10th Amendment that says, look if it's not there if it's not enumerated, then it's delegated to the states," Miller said. "Everything that's not there is reserved to the states and the people."

Miller also defended his position on federal unemployment insurance, which he believes is not authorized by the Constitution. He argued that, for the most part, federal regulations barring interstate commerce should fall under statewide jurisdiction.

"It still makes far more sense to have those kinds of decisions made at the level closest to the people, where there is more accountability, less inefficiency, where there is more understanding of where the people ought to be and what the state role of government is," Miller said. "If you like big government, move to Massachusetts."

A recent CNN/Time poll showed Miller in the lead of the three-way race with 38 percent of prospective voters, followed by Murkowski with 36 percent and Democrat Scott McAdams with 22 percent.

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Lucy Madison is a political reporter for CBSNews.com. You can read more of her posts here. Follow Hotsheet on Facebook and Twitter.

[realist51]

this was debated back in the forties i believe along with child labor laws and found by the supreme court to be legal. there are bills and legislation passed that are not in the constitution but are the law of the land.people can still work for what ever wage they want cash under the table or barter. the minumum wage was set to pay people a wage that was fare and equitble for what was being done. it has been proven through history time and time again that the wealthy feel they are entitled to everything and if you work for them your no better than the rug that they wipe there feet on. unions helped with this some what in the 20's and 30's but as of today only 12 to 15% of the work force is unionized yet the national average hourly wage is over 18 an hour.so minumum wage has little or no effect on average wage. it too is a wage created as a starting wage that would of or should keep an individual from living in poverty as of right now this is very close as 15,000 a year on forty a week just puts you above that level. mr miller just doesn't get the system as don't many republicant's. the next thing they'll tell you is that this is why we have a deficit. and yet there is never any outcry over the abuse of income's by ceo's or politians also as a side point miller is running for a job where they get to vote themselves pay raises and benefits. how many of us get to do that? i would bet miller would think differently if his wages and benfits were tied to the national average.

[johngalt_]

What if I'm jobless/poor/homeless and willing to work for $5/hour? No company will employ me because the government would then prosecute them for not paying me minimum wage.

That's not fair. I want to work... even for $5/hour, but the government makes that impossible with the minimum wage. Isn't this supposed to be a free country? Shouldn't I be able to work for whoever I want, for whatever amount I'm willing to work for?

Our government is now a Socialist, tyrannical group of thugs, incompetents and criminals who want to tell us what to do, what to eat, how much we can make, how to treat each other and send our children to die in wars based on lies, in the name of spreading Democracy, which hasn't worked here so well, has it?

Any government which has to force its citizens to pay them taxes, regulate their businesses, tell them how they can and cannot live, is not a government of peace, intelligence or compassion. It is a government of force and oppression. This is what we have done to our country by continuing to vote the same idiots into office, year after year. We've done it to ourselves America! Look in the mirror!

[RangerDan107]

If it wasn't for greedy, compassionless, businessmen that would take advantage of anyone who's down and out, their grandmothers, or your 5 year old children to make a fast buck, we could be totally free. Unfortunately these hucksters make us have to regulate everything we do. Blame the crooks and frauds for over regulation, not the people that try to create an even playing field. Forty years ago you could raise a family on one income. Thirty years ago it started taking two. Now the middle class is nearly extinct and eventually "Freedom" will put children back to work. I'm convinced that so called "Freedom" advocates won't be happy until they can buy and sell slaves on the open market again.

[JV1970]

Miller is right about the minimum wage in Alaska being higher than the federal mimimum wage. They do have a state law that mandates a set minimum wage that employers must pay and it is higher than the federal minimum wage. Alaskans have some of the highest wages in America. However, the cost of living there is much higher too!

[eddievroom]

So when do we start to burn things?

[RobAla]

He has a point. It is an artificial wage, that is used primarily for unions to pace their wages on. A minimum wage increase does very little, in that the economy adjusts to it fairly quickly - leaving no real effect in the long run. It just make people feel like they are helping low wage earners. It is mainly used by the union to jack up union wages. When this happens, the minimum wage earners fall even more behind. It is basically a scam.

[jabberwolf]

WOW the IDIOCY of the people making comments here.
Did you even bother to read the article? Really?!?!

The reason for this, was the most of the states have higher minimum wage standards than the feds do - so why bother?!! Stes seem to have higher standards and state voters are the ones raising the standards... not the feds!

Wow, at the knee jerk reaction from the left without using their eyes or brains - just WOW !!

[imusgrove]

...really? MOST states? It's like 13 dude. So unless there are like 20 states(fyi there aren't) that's actually a MINORITY. And most of that is a 5 or 10 cent difference.And then there are still qualifications such as age or number of employees for the minimum wage to be implemented in some cases. You're putting states on a pedestal they don't deserve. If the states are so compassionate then why are most states adhering to what the Fed mandates? And in the cases of the states that have a higher minimum...why aren't they THAT much higher than the Fed minimum? Seems to me that there would be a lot more people trying to survive off of illegal immigrant wages if it weren't for the Fed minimum . . better luck next time trying to make people look/feel stupid based on your own arbitrary assumptions.

[myth1958]

jabberwolf: We've had this sort of 'let the states do their thing' discussion before, remember? And the result was secession and civil war over the issue of slavery. Some states liked it mighty fine, and felt that the union was a club you could join or leave at will. When the Union won the war and officially ended slavery, the political manipulators threw the 1876 election to Hayes, who pulled federal troops out of the occupied South, allowing those states to do things as they saw fit: Jim Crow, chain gangs and the KKK. It is better to have all of us grumble a little over national compromises that take care of most of us than to let evil people control the lives of the powerless through manipulation of state legislatures, state by state. We are in this nation together, by God, by war, and by original choice. Backing out of progressive national programs (admittedly flawed, but functioning) will lead us past grumbling straight to hell for so many.

[tonyatq]

So I can pay my employees $2 an hour.

[PoorRichard2]

If the market bears that out, yes. However, more than likely, your competition would offer your employees $3 an hour and they would switch jobs, unless you offered some other benefit, like private health insurance. If the market dictated $3 an hour, the cost of producing your product/service would come down, which in turn would lower the cost of living. See how it works?

[teddpotts]

Yes, but unless your business is in Haiti you might find it hard to find workers! Let me explain: wages are set by the market, not politicians - regardless of what they (and you?) might think!

[smallbizwiz]

The Republican party is nothing like a Constitutional Republican or a libertarian. Democrats and Republicans are both sell outs who love big government and spending your money.

His arguments are sound, economies are largely local. The cost of living varies from state to state and even from city to city.

Which is better, having no job and no income or a job paying $3/hour? At least you could afford shelter. Unemployment insurance does not work, people abuse it, even people that can't afford to abuse it abuse it. Something for nothing. Sure, not everyone does, but the majority do.

As a small business owner, I could leverage the cost savings of paying someone less to hire MORE people. With MORE people I can grow faster and pay my people more. Of course this requires you to care about your employees and I do as do most small business owners.

The reality is, if you can't pay someone the minimum wage to help you, then you can't go grow, and therefore you close and everyone loses.

[liberalme]

At $3.00 an hour?? Is you business in China? That's a good wage over there!
NO ONE IN AMERICA could put a roof over their head for that wage--sheesh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A shelter you say------obly a ""homeless" shelter---if it isn't already full of people making $3.00 an hour---where do people like you com from???????

[liberalme]

Joe Miller: There Should Be No Federal Minimum Wage*****************************************************************

Yep that's the GOP way!!! Let corporations pay sweat shop wages and we can bring jobs back to America---This guy is the pocket of Big corporations already!!

[texasborndemo]

This kind is on crack,he wants you to work for nothing,lose your job and starve to death while his rich cronies get richer ,typical wingnut

[owenthal]

Yea since he could force you to work for nothing. Don't be an idiot. If you don't want to work for $5/hr then don't. No one is forcing you, but some people might be willing to work for less. Should they be prevented from doing that? Cost of living is different in New York than New Mexico. Shouldn't the minimum wage be different?