The Minimum Wage Debate

Maybe the most certain outcome of the recent elections was the passing of minimum wage initiatives. Eight states had minimum wage on the ballot and the voters in all eight states voted to support an increase in the current minimum wage. If the Democrats winning both houses was a surprise the most unsurprising event of the elections was the passing of a minimum wage increase, and maybe that is the problem. No one should be surprised when these types of issues pass because of the mindset of the current voting populace. Minimum wage and universal healthcare are issues that Democrats know appeal to a large segment of Americans and which will be politically advantageous for them to keep trumpeting. Democrats feel it is their duty to coddle, protect, and provide for every citizen like an overly protective parent who feels their child cannot make it on their own. This welfare mentality is what absolutely disgusts me about liberals. Instead of trying to help people in a way so that they can achieve on their own merits Democrats simply want to provide handouts that make them look good to voters. The problem also rests with the voters who need to be informed on the issues and not just listen to talking heads. It does not take a college degree to be educated on these issues it just takes a motivated citizen who cares about the end result on their actions in the voting booth. People seem to think that increasing the minimum wage will not have any negative impact. On the contrary increasing the minimum wage will increase unemployment as employers are forced to increase wages. Small businesses will be hurt as they must come up with the money to pay for these increases. Another result will be higher prices for consumers as businesses pass the burden onto us to make up revenue. We need to realize that there will always be a bottom rung of wage earners no matter what the minimum wage. Raising the minimum wage to $7.25 will not solve the problem. If that were the case why not make the minimum wage twenty dollars an hour or one hundred? Readers can go to the Heritage Foundation website located on this blog and read their findings on the minimum wage for themselves. I don't know about you but I don't want the guy making my Big Mac earning the same as the person teaching our children how to read and write. A large segment of minimum wage earners are teenagers earning money to buy a car or spouses whose household income is above the average. These kinds of jobs are mostly entry level positions and are meant to be vacated after a period of time to move on to better opportunities. We should be educating voters about education as one tool to help individuals better their lives so they do not have to work a minimum wage job. My fear is that these words will fall on deaf ears. The sad reality is that many or most Republicans will probably support minimum wage legislation because their political futures depend on them doing so.