Minimum Wage...

     So, who thinks we should raise it? And if we should, by how much?
Let me tell you what happens when we raise wages above what the market will bear itself:
Let's take the little family-owned market down the street from me as an example.
If they were forced to pay $15.00/hour to all their employees, they would have to lay off 40% of them just to stay in business and be able to make rent and other expenses. They're not rich. The only other option they would have would be to raise the prices of their goods. This would also likely put them out of business because many people who depend on that store would drive to the larger stores who can afford the raise hike to do their shopping.
       That brings into question another scenario: How about we force the large stores and businesses only to raise the minimum wage to $15.00/hour? You know, give the little guys a break and allow them to pay less for the same work. Well, people would be lining up to work there. No one would want to work at the small local businesses anymore because they pay less. So again, who gets hurt? The little guy. The small business, while the large businesses just absorb the cost.
     Both of these scenarios also contribute to a higher unemployment rate for low-skilled workers and harm only the poor. It just puts more poor and more young people just getting started out of work. The only people it helps are the lucky ones who are retained beyond the layoffs. Id that really how we want things to be in this country? Businesses will demand more work from the folks who do stay because they will still need to get just as much done, only with fewer people on staff.
     Now let's talk about the market. If we pay people more than the market says they're worth, prices will rise and fewer people will work. In a free market society such as ours, the whole point is for people to be able to work and obtain a level of salary that they desire based on their individual skill or knowledge. The bottom of the wage scale is intended for kids and people who do not yet have any special skill or knowledge. They are very abundant and therefore, not very valuable. I'm talking about their skills now, not them. When I say one person is worth less than another I'm not talking about their worth as a human being, I'm talking about the value of their particular skills in the workplace. Anyone can flip burgers and run a cash register. Therefore, their value in the workplace is very minimal and according to the market, worth only what the market will bear. Of course minimum wage forces businesses to pay some of those people even more than they are worth already. As we develop a skill and gain knowledge, we become worth more and now have the option to bargain for a higher wage or go somewhere else. If, however, one does nothing to gain more skills or knowledge, he does not deserve a higher wage.
     It's ridiculous to think that someone deserves to make more money just because they show up every day. We can build machines that will do that for free. Be thankful you have a job and if you don't like what you agreed to work for, create a better skill set for yourself. Make yourself worth more money and you will make more money.