A growing number of politicians in several states around the country are capitalizing on the economic ignorance of the population at large to push through economically detrimental minimum wage increases. The move, designed solely to buy votes among the most uneducated and unproductive amongst us, will surely translate into a groundswell of political support for leftist politicians this fall. Nevada, Arizona, Ohio, Colorado, Missouri and Montana have all taken steps to raise the minimum wage this year, mirror national efforts in Washington. This strategy highlights an ongoing effort by leftists in this country to convince the poorest amongst us that they are somehow entitled to a minimum standard of living, regardless of skill, regardless of merit and regardless of initiative. The minimum wage is another entitlement which rewards the undeserving for inaction, under the false guise of combating poverty, indeed raising the minimum wage does not strike at poverty, because it does not address the underlining cause of poverty in the first place, that being the individuals themselves who tirelessly pursue the wrong course of action.
Minimum wage earners earn low wages because they lack skills; their value to an employer is distinctly limited. It is foolhardy to demand employers pay workers a premium for the low skill drone-like work they perform. Advocates for raising the minimum wage argue, however, that low wages make it difficult to raise a family, implying that an employer must now assume the role of charity. The fact that minimum wage is too low to raise a family spotlights a point that is well taken, unfortunately such a reality is lost on the minimum wage earner who seek to start families with such meager earnings. Such a choice clearly demonstrates the poor decision making that has dominated the lives of these minimum skill workers. While many employees, especially teenagers and students, may see these positions as ad hoc or temporary, some look upon a minimum wage job as a career becoming a permanent characteristic of their meager lives.
The working poor, if they are to rise above the poverty that defines them, must reject decisions that perpetuate poverty and they must not look to government for handouts. The minimum wage does not combat poverty, if anything it exacerbates it as companies are forced to pay workers beyond what their worth, ensuring that employers will employ fewer individuals to perform such work. Those who wish to succeed in American can. Those who have drive and initiative can accomplish their goals in life.
While every American may not be born into a wealthy family, every American does have an opportunity to succeed if they embrace the opportunities presented to them, whether those are educational, financial or otherwise. Unfortunately, it is far easier for the average politicians to white wash problems through symbolic and detrimental solutions such as minimum wage bills, rather than challenging their constituents to achieve on the merits of their hard work, then again such talk does not win votes and end the end isn’t that what our politicians are all about?
Our success or failure, our wealth or poverty is a direct result of decisions we make each and every day. Those who are content to lead a sedentary life dependent upon the state, those who refuse to take the initiative, those who are unwilling to lift a finger to improve their fortunes and avoid high risk behavior, like getting pregnant while earning a pittance are doomed to languish in poverty until death and no amount of income redistribution will ever change that. The working poor should not be pitied, but reviled as they have not only doomed themselves and their children, but they seek to drag the rest of society down with them.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-05-09-minimum-wage_x.htm
