Minimum Wages

California Governor Schwarzenegger is trying again to get a $1.00 per hour boost to California's minimum wage of $6.75 an hour. http://www.kesq.com/Global/story.asp?S=4923590&nav=9qrx
Who will benefit from the increased wages? Not the consumers! The 'State' will benefit through higher taxes. Minimum wage earners would see 14.8% increase in pay. Some of this would go to income taxes which would help the California budget. Some low wage earners would have more money to buy cigarettes, which have over $3.00 per pack in sales taxes. There would be more money for low wage earners to buy lottery tickets which half of prize money goes to taxes.

I think more good will could be done by setting a "maximum" wage. Just think of the number of people a business could afford to hire if the maximum wage they could pay was $3 per hour! Think how that would increase employment and lower the cost of products and services to the consumers. Why not? If the government employees have the power to set a minimum wage they have the power to set a maximum wage.

Chicago wants to force big box retailers to pay a minimum wage of $10 per hour plus $3.00 per hour in benefits. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14027483/ The community leaders were at a press conference backing the proposal. Some of the community leaders were church leaders who saw church contributions increasing, if only their members were paid more.

One of the good Samaritans who advocates for higher wages said, "I see nothing wrong with 'asking' WalMart to pay a living wage". The lie in this statement is 'asking'. The good Samaritan will not ask WalMart and other retailers to pay higher wages, the good Samaritan will use force and aggression to compel retailers to pay higher wages. When someone tells you they want to make the world a better place, hold on to your freedoms and wallet because they will use force on you to make the world a better place. Very few people who want to make the world a better place will do so by using the techniques of Edward Jenner (vaccination) or Mahatma Ghandi.

Most people think it is only fair to use force and aggression, which is immoral, to make the "big, greedy" companies pay a "decent' wage. Those big greedy companies like Wal-Mart have small profit margins. They will not be paying the increased wages. The consumers will be paying the increased wages. From the cradle to the grave we are all consumers. Who is advocating for us? Who is thanking Wal-Mart for providing us with goods that are inexpensive?

"The contrast between government and business power is striking. The largest company cannot tax you; the smallest unit of government can. The most profitable corporation cannot throw you in jail; the smallest municipality can." Murray Weidenbaum

Bilbo Baggins