In 2008, after being elected to his first term in the White House, President Obama promised to raise the minimum wage to $9.50/hr by 2011. Nearly five years later and almost a half year into his second term, he now only hopes to raise it to $9.00/hr by 2015. The federal minimum wage currently sits at $7.25/hr which is just over $15,000 a year. As has been the case with so many hopes left unfulfilled, it seems President Obama missed his opportunity to deliver the change he promised when he had the chance and now his goals seem fleeting and unattainable due to the intransigence of Republicans in congress. To me, it seems that raising the minimum wage is a no-brainer and the fact that it hasn’t been raised is a testament to the abysmal state of affairs in Washington today.