The Looming Minimum Wage Hike: Stuck on Stupid

American Thinker ^ | 04/18/2015 | William Sullivan

[SeekAndFind]

We might be inclined to laugh off the national demonstrations calling for a $15/hr minimum wage for burger-flippers, as the suggestion should be received as utterly ridiculous in any intelligent economic debate. But the left isn’t laughing. They’re undoubtedly ecstatic at the media legs such demonstrations have maintained against all odds, and they can’t wait to roll out these downtrodden fast-food workers as a reason to increase the federal minimum wage, victims as they are of an evil system of economic organization that dares assign a value to labor performed in the context of supply and demand.

That evil is, of course, a free market.

One might imagine that defending the “unfree” alternative to a free market would be an untenable position. And it certainly is, if the economic realities that govern marketplaces and history are any consideration. But what social engineers and statists lack in a cogent argument against a free market, they make up for with sly packaging. They suggest that the appropriate role of government is to rein in the excesses of the free market, thereby making the market (somehow) more efficient via sensible impositions in the marketplace.

What must first be understood is that government attempts to raise the minimum wage amounts to little more than price-fixing, and price-fixing is the touchstone of countless tyrants and Democrats of times long gone. So it’s astonishing that any of it can possibly be considered a novel policy position to make the current marketplace more efficient.

A prominent example in the 20th century might be FDR’s razing of agricultural products in 1933 to raise the prices of produce and livestock. Ever the humanitarian and man of the working class, FDR’s policy enactments culled over six million pigs and plowed under untold amounts of farm produce.

[Bob434]

[[but not difficult for those who have led responsible lives.]]

Those fortunate enough to have had good health and fairly good jobs- but the elderly, disabled and war vets are the ones that will... Heck ARE the ones suffering the worst of it- many losing their homes because everything has gone up to where these people just can’t afford it any longer- I wish I had stats on disabled, vets and elderly losing their homes in the last 6 years- But I’ve personally witnessed people having to give up their cars because they can no longer afford the insurance, gasoline etc to keep them running- now they basically sit at home and can’t get out- and they’ve had to severely cut back o nthe food they get each month, and can’t afford heating oil (though it’s lower for now).

People are really suffering- and I’m betting soup lines are quite a bit longer than they used to be 6 years ago- and it’s only going to get worse as these idiots on the left keep making everything so damned expensive no one can afford it but the upper middle class and the rich-

It’s so economically depressed around where I live now that people are sealing gasoline in the middle of night, stealing copper from unoccupied summer camps and houses, Heck- they’re even beginning to throw their trash over the banks because dump fees have also gone way up- I’m seeing trash everywhere now-

We may not become third world, but the times are beginning to resemble the depression era in some states and counties- and as bad as it’s getting where I live, I imagine it’s leagues worse in even more economically depressed areas-

It’s just sad to see this great nation deteriorating because of the greed on the left and all the ‘gimmedats’ who think big government owes them a free ride

[CorporateStepsister]

I’m disabled and I sincerely wish we put our vets first.

[central_va]

The laws of labor supply and demand only work in a closed system. If the USA is to continue an open border policy then a minimum wage makes sense- I would say peg it to inflation based on 1968 dollars. The Chamber of Commerce can KMA.

[central_va]

all of those countries have EXTREMELY strict border control and immigration policies.

[RipSawyer]

I DON’T believe in the minimum wage concept at all but I have no problem understanding why those who do favor a fifteen dollar minimum. The minimum 52 years ago was $1.25 an hour which would actually support a single person and allow some level of dignity. A married couple who each had a minimum wage fulltime job could do well enough and even raise a child or two. The current minimum of $7.25 is nowhere close to equaling that. I don’t care what the official CPI figures say, I was nineteen years old 52 years ago and I know what the price level was at that time.

What I DON’T understand is why those who believe that the minimum wage actually does someone some good stop at fifteen an hour, why not at least one hundred an hour if you are silly enough to think it works?

[Bob434]

I am too- and yes, it’s a real shame how this country has treated those who sacrificed their lives and health to procure our freedoms... NO vet should have to struggle financially! period! This country can find all kinds of money for ILLEGAL ALIENS, but it can’t find enough money for our vets to live proper lives after they sacrificed so much! I’m with you on that- I also think our most vulnerable citizens, disabled and elderly, should be taken care of because they are incapable of caring for themselves due to physical limitations beyond their control- instead our country’s money goes to giving illegals comfortable lives and loads of free stuff they are not entitled to

[Nowhere Man]

Yeah, I know I'll get into trouble but I do believe in some form of minimum wage but I think we need to keep it as it is now or leave it as an issue for States to decide. Basically, I think overall, we as a nation are like ants fighting over a dwindling supply of meat on a corpse. We can add in to the mix the fallacy of international "free trade" where we have lost so many such jobs for low skilled people to get and eventually learn and move up. We need to make things to bring in real wealth, most jobs today just shove money around, either be manipulating bytes in a computer or a service job. Also, we take in too many immigrants too, we can't keep doing that with the limited supply of jobs we have now.

So if we hike it up to an unreasonable level, looking into my crystal ball, you'll have fewer jobs, maybe more automation with robots and so forth. We might have to go hardcore socialist out of pragmatism and necessity due to things being so skewed. This will not bode well either, there will be an effort to call for a guaranteed living wage. The only way I can think of funding such an endeavor is to either charge huge license and registration fees for each robot or to tax the profits made by robot and automated labor, the only way out is if you employ people.

I can understand those who want to raise minimum wage, there are lots of people hurting out there, heck, I'm one of them, but it has a sort of a Zen Buddhist thing to it where it is like if you push more the less you get and the worse off you'll be. It is like the snake chasing and eating it's tail in a circle and then you'll get a downward spiral. Maybe that's how civilizations "crash" and reset themselves.

Ping to Cringing Negativism Network on the free trade issue.

[ridesthemiles]

I saw a blurb on TV bout a couple of young men who started a frozen yogurt chain.

You pay the cashier, get a cup & a spoon, and YOU SERVE YOURSELF at a dispensing machine. Bet that cut down at least 50% of the employees!!!