That families making minimum wage are struggling to put food on the table. Roughly one percent of Americans are working for minimum wage. And of that one percent, nearly half are teenagers. The minimum wage is outdated and no longer serves any useful purpose. Nobody has to work for minimum wage anymore. Any young person working for minimum wage can quit and go to Walmart. They pay much more than minimum wage, they are always hiring and they will hire literally anyone. Minimum wage is obsolete.
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The great minimum wage lie was and always will be that it will be passed to the consumer as it rises. As we can see with the tarrifs that is and always was a lie
The intent of “minimum wage” is that it’s for a job that requires a minimum skill set. Teens and young adults that can only work part time are the perfect candidates and is the intent of minimum wage. The larger problem is sperm donors vs fathers in the home. When children are raised responsibly, getting their education and being guided into adulthood…..there are many candidates for a minimum wage job. There are also many jobs requiring a minimum skill set making the products or services more affordable for all.
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It doesn’t always get passed on to the consumer. many times all, or part, of the increased cost is absorbed by staff reductions and automation.
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When the argument was being made 20 - 30 years ago when the states started raising it. There was no automation.
The jobs cuts were often exaggerated too. Though yes i am sure some businesses did that
When a cost goes up in business, you can either reduce profits, pass on the cost through increased pricing, or find savings through other internal efficiencies.
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Right.
I am mot trying to derail - but just my thought process - The question becomes whether the reason we didn’t see tarrifs cost being passed down to the consumer is because minimum wage is permanent and the tarrifs are generally not
Nope. I already posted the lie. Families are not working for minimum wage. Maybe a few illegals and high school kids are. Anyone else who is working at minimum wage can do two things. Learn a skill that employers want or quit their current job and go to Walmart or McDonalds. Either choice would take them off of minimum wage.
25% of the working age people in the united states are not employed or working for low wages.
Allan
The 25 percent need to learn a skill that employers will pay them more for. That’s what I did.
…and that is their personal choice.
Minimum wages only drive up the labor portion of cost. And labor is often the highest portion and easiest addressed cost item in low skilled jobs.
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They need to stop waiting for more productive people to transfer money to them.
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Let me tell you the story of the 3 little pigs and it will explain quite clearly life as adults. 
The national minimum wage has become a pointless floor. Indexing it to inflation made sense back when it first moved to 7.25 but by now it’s not a meaningful figure. Let the states decide.
As for its impact on labor markets, Minor at best.
Nope…
The intent of the minimum wage, established by the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, was to create a floor to protect workers against “starvation wages” and ensure a basic standard of living, rather than simply matching skill levels. While often viewed as entry-level, the policy aims to prevent employers from paying less than a decent wage.
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….and there it is. Thanks for making my point.
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i love to debate this.
i have been of the belief for a long time that there should be no “minimum wage” at all
horrible idea. especially nowadays.
Thanks for acknowledging mine,
the minimum wage, established by the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, was to create a floor to protect workers against “starvation wages” and ensure a basic standard of living,
To counter your assumption:
minimum wage earners are not mostly teens. While workers under 25 are disproportionately represented (around 43-44% of those earning minimum wage or less), over half of all low-wage workers are actually adults over 30. The workforce is generally older, with women, part-time workers, and service industry employees making up the majority
1.) Correct that is a lie when told.
Wages are only a small part of cost streams in the economy.
Increasing wages does not drive consumer prices up much.
(EX: Wages are ~15% of food costs. A 10% wage increase drives up food prices a paltry 1.5%)
2.) The far more common argument against minimum wage has to do with unemployment. The unemployment argument is true, and (though my fellow cons sometimes overstate it) is far more common.
(EX: An increase in the minimum wage for California fast food workers – chique 5-star restaurants, vineyards celebrity chefs and bakeries exempt – led to a major rash of McClosings)
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