In our day and time, there has been much clamoring over the minimum wage. The minimum wage is, of course, a creation of government. Our government is extremely arrogant in so many ways and this is just one. They think that they can tell business owners how much they have to pay for labor. They want to regulate and control every aspect of our lives. They honestly believe that we are incapable of looking out for our own best interests.
Nothing could be further from the truth. I am guided by self-interest. I look out for my own best interests. This is, of course, not at the expense of others. The fact of the matter is that if I do not look out for my own best interest, who will? The government wants us to look to them for direction in every facet of our lives. It is coming to the point that we are going to have to have a hall pass just to go to the bathroom in our homes. This is the control that government seeks in our daily lives.
When one does not accede all of God’s attributes to Him, then they take these characteristics to themselves. In other words, they replace the God of the Bible with themselves. This is the epitome of Genesis 3:5 right out in the open, "For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." All elites believe themselves to be omniscient. When their policies are put into practice, they always have the opposite effect of what was originally intended. In other words, they lack what they say they possess.
They do not want to be measured by the results of their programs, but by their good intentions. Good intentions have never provided a living for anyone. Only productivity has delivered the goods and to be productive one has to have a job. Minimum wage legislation keeps certain people out of the workforce. Before delving into why this is true, we must first ascertain what is the philosophy behind the minimum wage.
The first thing that ought to stand out to us regarding the minimum wage is the fact that is wholly arbitrary. Who can say with absolute accuracy that it is set at the right level for each and situation in the marketplace? To be wholly set at the correct wage would require the Godlike attribute of omniscience. Since men lack this attribute, the must make the best guess they can based upon the numbers that are applicable to their particular business.
One thing that needs to be pointed out from the hypocrites in our Congress (House and Senate) is the fact that these people have the ability to determine whether or not they get a pay increase each and every year. Is it not astounding that they vote themselves a pay increase each year? It should be obvious that these hypocrites are not bound by the minimum wage laws, even though they should be because any amount of money paid to them is overpaying them.
Who does the minimum wage really apply to then? Those who have few job skills, generally the entry level worker. We are not talking about anyone who possesses much job experience or skill level. The higher skill level will demand a greater price from the market. You do not trust brain surgery just to anyone and for good reason. Also, one does not hire a minimum wage worker to build a $500,000 home. No one could maintain a household on the minimum wage. Therefore, it would be applicable, generally, for single young workers.
The minimum wage works against incentives. It is a floor beyond which an employer cannot go below. Since it is a guarantee, there is no incentive on the part of the worker to improve his skills. The U.S. Government puts a gun in the belly of an employer and tells him that he must pay this amount or face the consequences. The minimum wage is therefore, paid by coercion and not voluntarily. The minimum wage is code for welfare. It is given to people who may not earn what they are paid.
The market rewards the productive. Minimum wage workers are hopefully trying to increase their skills. If they are not then, what this legislation has produced is a permanent underclass living in poverty and a strain upon a government’s resources. All of the government’s welfare programs would be open to these people. They would be living a subsistence level unless they are receiving some form of subsidy i.e. from parents or the government.
Basic economics are always in force because we live in God’s world. The unemployment rate is high among young entry level workers with few job skills because many small businesses simply cannot hire them at the artificially set minimum wage. The minimum wage guarantees permanent unemployment of the unskilled work force. Instead of allowing the market and employers to determine the wages of its workers, the government intervenes on socialistic principles. If anyone, wants to see the results of such policies, all we have to do is remember all communist governments. Because they take away all incentives to better oneself, they have set in motion, bankruptcy.
Government regulation and bureaucracies is an attempt by our government to legislate itself as god. Minimum wage legislation is an attempt at omniscience. It is, however, a failed attempt. It has failed everywhere it has been tried. If someone wants to make more money, then they must increase their job skills. The market will pay them what they are worth. Our legislators are only worth the minimum wage themselves. God has already legislated. Their legislation is fallible as they are and next to worthless.
Who then determines what labor should cost? The market and employers are best to make this judgment. The government who claims omniscience does not have clue and the sooner they butted out of people’s business in this regard, all the better for each and everyone of us. There should be no minimum wage.
No comments:
Post a Comment