The Real Impact of Minimum Wage, Part 2

Ruinous 'Compassion", by Dr. Thomas Sowell

"The following year, the Davis-Bacon Act of 1931 was passed, requiring minimum wages in the construction industry. This was in response to complaints that construction companies with non-union black construction workers were able to underbid construction companies with unionized white workers (whose unions would not admit blacks)."

The real reason for minimum wage laws was to prevent blacks from taking work away from whites, and it was effective.  Minimum wage laws do help masses of people improve their standard of living, as is implied by the term 'living wage'.  In fact, minimum wages prevent many people with little skill and experience from ever getting the skills and experience they need to improve their earning potential.

The Real Impact of Minimum Wage

Seattle's $15 Minimum Wage

"Substitution Effect" is what this is called.  When the price of anything goes up, people substitute lower cost for higher cost items and services.  The same thing holds true for labor as for gasoline, food, clothing, etc.

Businesses are not immune to the substitution effect either.  In fact, they must earn more than they cost, so finding lower cost alternatives is a requirement for staying in business.

More Settled Science

Global Warming - Walter E. Williams

I too am quite tired of hearing about how the global warming/climate change is settled science.  The summary of Dr. Williams column is quite appropriate.

"The most disgusting aspect of the climate change debate is the statements by many that it's settled science. There is nothing more anti-scientific than the idea that any science is settled. Very often we find that the half-life of many scientific ideas is about 50 years. For academics to not criticize their colleagues and politicians for suggesting that scientific ideas are not subject to challenge is the height of academic dishonesty."

Government Workers

I don't know if this will be true or not, but we'll find out in 61 years.  I do know that the government is involved in far too many aspects of our daily lives. 

 Ronald Reagan famously said the 9 most terrifying words in the English language are:
"I'm from the government and I'm here to help."

I’m from the government and I’m here to help'

He also said this about government:

"No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth!"

 

Most government workers are not elected, and most of them are protected by employee unions which make it difficult at best to downsize the government.  Laws passed are seldom if ever repealed, and agencies created never get decommissioned.  

 

In order to justify their positions the agency management in almost all agencies must created regulations that give them authority to act.  That authority also gives the nation reason to fear government.  

All new regulations require compliance.  Complexity of regulation requires experts to navigate the maze of regulations.  Hiring experts to help you through the maze adds to the cost of whatever endeavor you are involved in.

If you think it impacts only businesses you are mistaken.  Think about simple things like low volume flush toilets and incandescent light bulbs.  Think about tax credits for replacing appliances with energy efficient versions.

While many things the government regulates are good ideas, the free market will do what is smart and good anyway.  But the complex maze of regulation and red tape cannot improve upon the free market.

At Clintonemail.com

Hillary Clinton uses email.  Not surprising as most Americans anymore do also.  But Hillary Clinton has an email problem.  Her problem is not the email sent or received, nor the server on which it was processed.  Her problem is lack of credibility and lack of integrity.

Mrs. Clinton was not truthful in her dealings with the American people, and this revelation was brought to light when her email service was exposed.  If Mrs. Clinton expects others to follow certain policies and procedures, but not do so herself, she should not expect our support for her past performance, or support for her ambition to become the next President of the United States. 

Mrs. Clinton should not be the person who determines which and when certain emails are made available for scrutiny.  Mrs. Clinton should not be hiding behind ambiguous policy interpretations by political cronies in order to prevent those emails from being made available.  She should be allowing the server and contents to be examined.  Who does that is open for debate, but it should be voluntary on her part to make them available.

Until she does so, she should not be given consideration for election to any office.

Is It Any Wonder?

So Michael Brown did not put his hand up in surrender to Officer Wilson.  Instead he assaulted the officer in an attempt to take away the officer's firearm.  The grand jury heard the testimony and came to that conclusion, as did the US Department of Justice investigators.  Attorney General Eric Holder said so in releasing their report.

But all of that does not matter because Mr. Holder also said the cops in Ferguson are bad, real bad.  All during the riots in Ferguson in 2014 the AG told America that cops are bad.  The mayor of New York City told America their cops are bad.  The Rev. Al Sharpton told America cops were hunting down black youths in the streets.

So is it any wonder we have had 2 police officers shot dead in New York City, and now 2 officers shot and wounded in Ferguson?  Like elections Mr. President, words having consequences too.

Still Waiting for the Evidence

In my August 25, Wait for the Evidence post, I wrote about how so many people are jumping to conclusions without hearing all the evidence.  A couple of weeks ago the grand jury refused to indict Officer Wilson in the death of Michael Brown.  The crowds in Ferguson, Mo. and elsewhere protested, and many rioted.   While doing so they gestured with hands up in surrender, while shouting "Hands up, don't shoot".  All the while many were burning businesses, cars, trash and more.  They were destroying what many citizens of Ferguson had spent time, sweat and money to build up.

So even when the evidence is known, the same people who prejudged the events of the day promoted a lie.  That lie was that Michael Brown was shot while his hands were up and he was surrendering to Officer Wilson.

Several witnesses, three autopsies, and physical evidence collected and examined by police and FBI, all demonstrate beyond any doubt that Brown was resisting, and attacking Wilson, which forced Wilson to fire his weapon until the threat was no more.

I truly bothers me that people continue to lie, violently so, and many in the media, politics and all walks of life, refuse to call a lie, a lie.