Two Different State of the Union Addresses...Two Different Minimum Wages

In the 2013 State of the Union address, Obama called for a $9/hour minimum wage:

In this year's address, he's calling for a $10.10 minimum wage; a 12% increase over last year:

It's hard to believe that a 12% increase in the President's targeted minimum wage is warranted when inflation in the last year was only 1.5%.  Also, is $10.10 realistic when he couldn't get $9 passed through Congress?  One smells another political, wedge issue being served up by Obama for this year's election!

Now, while the President cited Costco as an employer that currently pays above minimum, that might not be the case in the future.  Let's not forget that, in 2007, Circuit City had an entry level pay of $8.75 when, at the time, the minimum wage was just $6.55.  They, too, thought paying a higher wage would reduce turnover and attract a higher level of employee.  A year later, they went bankrupt; citing wage management issues in the lead up to that bankruptcy.

By the way, $10.10 is another 41% increase since 2009, and the 2009 increase was 41% over the 2007 wages at the beginning of that year.  Has any other hourly wage group seen their salary almost double in just 7 years? Have you?

Reference: Circuit City: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circuit_City