$7.50

Illinois is about to increase the state minimum wage to $7.50 an hour.

The Democratic-led Senate sent Gov. Rod Blagojevich legislation Thursday to increase the state's minimum wage by a dollar an hour, a move that would make Illinois' new $7.50 wage rate among the nation's highest and place it atop neighboring Midwest states.

Blagojevich, who championed the increase during his successful re-election campaign, said he looked forward to signing the bill into law. After taking effect in July, the rate would continue to rise a quarter a year until it hits $8.25 an hour in 2010.

Hundreds of thousands of low-wage workers will now have $2,080 to put right back in the economy.

"People working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year earning minimum wage bring home just $13,000," Blagojevich said in a statement. "That's just not enough. Raising the minimum wage will make it a little easier for these families to get by. It means more than $2,080 a year in extra wages next year for workers to meet the obligations of daily life."

This will have a real effect on people daily lives for the better. American workers will have an increase ability to pay the rent on time or to buy a simple necessity of life. This is not something that is abstract just like Conservative economics in which you increase the wealth of the wealthy and hopes it trickles down to the lower classes. The minimum wage will bring actual results for the common good of the American people.

Yes, call me a class warrior. I rather see hundreds of thousands of workers putting $2,080 back in the economy than a hundred of wealthy Americans putting their tax breaks back in the economy.