If we raise the minimum wage to $12, $15 or $17 as some desire, won’t all those now earning in those ranges and even above $17.00 seek an increase in pay too now that their value has been diminished?
Won’t everything associated with the economy, including prices, adjust to the new minimum wage?
Won’t individuals who remain working in minimum wage jobs be in the same position they are now in – at the bottom of the economy?
Will a significant higher minimum wage be accompanied by changes in eligibility for various assistance programs?
I am not opposed to a higher minimum wage and in the future adjusted for inflation, but let’s not kid ourselves about the real life impact – which in my opinion is very little and perhaps negative if the minimum wage is raised too high.
QUINNSCOMMENTARY 
The minimum wage means different things in different states and even in some cities. They set their own minimums mostly well above the federal minimum. That is if the federal minimum is still 7 dollars and change per hour. The minimum is what you can hire an employee for at a wage they will show up to work for. That is why I see signs at fast food places-now hiring $12-$14 to start. Nobody will show up for less, even though I don’t think the minimum here is set at that range. I don’t keep up with it because I’m retired but I do hear some employers complain about what it takes to get a worker on the job.
The point I guess is that most concerns over the minimum are not worth spending time on because the minimum is a moving target.
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That’s true. Completion for workers should be the driver with the real goal of getting out of any minimum wage job. My 16 year old granddaughter just got a summer part time job showing people where to park at a concert venue. $16.00 an hour.
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When I retired, I was making about 7x federal minimum wage to run a nuclear reactor. I’ll be damned if I would put myself through that hell for only 4 x the minimum wage. Now if you want to keep the wage scale value the same, I might come out of retirement to make 7x a $16 minimum wage. I would actually have to due to the inflation that will happen when everybody wages go up but nobody changes jobs or careers.
When the USSR still existed, the scientists, engineers, and even nuclear power plant workers got special privileges in housing and other perks since the system didn’t allow for more pay. This is still true in communist China today.
The minimum wages should be based on local labor supply and demand. Even with high minimum wages in many cities and rust belt states, people still moved to the South where the jobs are located. Which is better? Making $10 / hr or being laid off from a $15 / yr job. An article this week stated that Wendy’s is starting to experiment with A.I. taking orders at their restaurants which will do away with another unskilled labor position.
The solution is to improve your skills and certifications. College doesn’t mean a thing unless it is in a STEM field. Any other degree is just checking off a box and nobody will ever ask again about your college degree. Learn a trade and make money. When your sewer is backed up, you’ll pay whatever you have to pay to keep the crap in the pipes and not in your house.
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