Minimum Wage

Assorted thoughts about a minimum wage increase:

• USA voters have decided that we should do most of our charity through government, presumably to force everyone to ante-up so it seems that we should not push caring for the workers with the worst options on to those who are already doing something we want, which is hiring the workers with the fewest options. If they are making a killing hiring those workers we have progressive taxation to get some of t back. Of course only in the short run the increase will be paid for by employers and in the long run by those who buy from those employers.

• Someone in favor of increasing the minimum wage says:

I would gladly pay more for a burger if it meant that the people behind the counter don't have to sleep in their cars to get by.

In a free to subdivide and build areas, people making $7.25 live in small cheap apartments and mobile homes (not bad really I lived in one).

In a supply constrained areas how much will be captured by landlords?

• I kind of want them to do it but all at once with a few months of the law passing, that way we can get some good data.
  

Of course I think it will be better for me because:
1. I will not get laid off.
2. I prefer the experience at In-N-Out to Popeye's but the food is much better at Popeye's, and I think a $15/hr MW would cause the worst employees to be laid off a Popeye's improving the experience.

 

• Steelmaning the other side: 

Interesting MW question:

If all the employers in industries with over 30% of employees earning less than $15/hr could vote on the $15MW, would they vote for it thinking as long as my competition must also pay it we'll all raise our prices and be in the same position?