Along these lines, anybody making over minimum wage but less than $40,000 or so is going to be really hurting from this. They are not likely to get a raise, but will have to pay much higher prices for everything. (OK, everyone making more than this, will also be hurt, but it's especially hard for those already pushing it.)
(Remember when this happened to Michael? Yes, he was a teen, but it seemed unfair that new workers got a 50 or 75 cent increase, while the wage he received, which he had worked many long hours to improve over months, was raised only 25 cents. Yet he still had to pay more for his Big Macs, like everyone else.)
I don't think our senators are stupid about it. I think they know the economics, and don't care, because it is currently popular and makes them look concerned. It's the people who need the economics class, because it's them (us) who are demanding it.
A very interesting article related to this is
http://www.paulgraham.com/gap.htmlIt's a bit long, but good, and relevant.
Melinda S.