The Mimimum Wage Debate

Art Carden posts on McDonald's and Minimum Wages

In my opinion the utilitarian debate on the minimum wage should focus more on the following two issues:

1. Whether it is better to have many people making more money with a little more unemployment or vise versa. One side could list the evils of unemployment and the other side the benefits of higher wages for low earners. This is seldom the focus of minimum wage debates but I think that it should be. (BTW I think unemployment is very bad and that working for low wages is not so bad so I favor ending the minimum wage (idle hands are the workshop of the devil). )
2. The other issue is that if you look at the difference between the wage an employer would pay without a minimum wage and what they pay with a minimum wage as a tax. Then you should ask who pays that tax. I would say that in the short run it is paid by those who employ low wage workers and in the long run by those who buy goods and services from those who employ low wage workers. So then we should debate why these parties should be taxed and not all of us?

An Observation About Politics

A problem with politics is that Democrats compromise too much with Democrat politicians and Republican compromise too much with Republican politicians even while Democrat and Republican people compromise too little with each other.  The result are policies that only serve the politicians.

Ironic Health Links

How Cubans’ Health Improved When Their Economy Collapsed Sometimes financial crises can force lifestyle changes for the better.

The doctors’ strike in Saskatchewan lasted 23 days and gained worldwide attention. While the doctors agreed to maintain emergency services and the provincial hospitals remained open with reduced staff, most private practitioners closed their offices. Ironically, the mortality rate in the province declined during the strike, primarily because of the decline in surgery.

Industrial action by doctors in Israel seems to be good for their patients’ health. Death rates have dropped considerably in most of the country since physicians in public hospitals implemented a programme of sanctions three months ago, according to a survey of burial societies.

These examples are far from conclusive but very interesting and deliciously ironic.

Could Doctors Greatly Reduce Medical Spending in the USA

My experience with medical care in the USA has lead me to believe that Doctors could and would greatly reduce medical spending if they knew that their patients were spending directly.  I have had Doctors change to much cheaper courses of action when they learned that I would be paying directly.

This is ironic in a way because their patients being part of all patents are untimely paying for everything.  No one cares about carelessly spending government or insurance company money.

Are Social Security and Medicare Disastrously Inefficient Programs?

From the Comments on Arnold Kling's Askblog

"Social Security and Medicare are the disastrously inefficient programs they are — with millionaires getting transfers from the young and poor — solely so the actually poor elderly can pretend they are not on welfare. It’s abominable."

MikeP