It should be common sense by now that raising the minimum wage is a huge economic mistake that doesn’t make the playing field equal, but actually creates more poverty.
Many liberals are just dead set on ignoring the facts and raising it anyway, despite the mounds of data that exists proving it’s a really bad idea.
Well, the state of Oregon is coming clean as Democratic lawmakers are confessing that hiking up the minimum wage was a mistake.
From Townhall:
It’s only been three months since Oregon Gov. Kate Brown signed a minimum wage bill into law and Democrats already seem to be regrettingthe measure they pushed so hard to get passed.
But before the ink was even dry, Democrats, who control the state House, Senate and governor’s office, announced they wanted to change the bill that was rammed through in a five-week legislative session despite fierce Republican opposition.
“They just wanted to pass something,” said economist Eric Fruits, a Portland Republican. “They were really worried about the 15 Now people sending something to the ballot, and I think they got so snakebit they would have passed anything that was called a minimum wage increase.”
The end result was that three different wages were set for different areas of Oregon depending on population size. In rural Oregon, for example, the minimum wage would rise to $12.50, whereas in the greater Portland area it would increase to $14.75—all by 2022.
Last week, state analysts concluded in a prepared forecast the high wage will “result in approximately 40,000 fewer jobs in 2025 than would have been the case absent the legislation.”
Orchard owner John Zielinski said his family business will? take a big hit.
“When those pears and apples are sold on the market, they’re not going to give us any more money because we’re from Oregon and have a higher pay rate,” said Zielinski of E.Z. Orchards.
Rural counties threatened to file a lawsuit against the state, calling the minimum wage a maximum mess and an unfunded mandate. Oregon’s constitution allows local governments to opt out of state programs that raise costs significantly and are not funded by the legislature.
Hearing the outcry, Democratic leaders quickly admitted they may have messed up. They promised a fix-it bill next year allowing for a lower training wages for young workers and some new hires.
When will all of the nutty progressives learn that the minimum wage isn’t actually a solution to income inequality?
A minimum wage only builds barriers that make it difficult for low-skilled workers to get the experience they need to build a resume and get better paying work down the line.
Not only does it make life miserable for workers, but for business owners and local communities too.
This extra business cost makes it difficult for entrepreneurs to expand their companies, create jobs, and employ more people. In fact, most of the time, they have to reduce staff, which inevitably leads to more unemployment.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that self-entitled folk in America understand this simple concept, which is why they keep demanding a higher minimum wage, failing to realize this very thing could end up hurting them in the long run.