On its face, the plan to raise the minimum wage, first for federal contract workers through executive order, and then for all through the shaming of Congress, seems innocuous enough. Those at the bottom cannot sustain themselves at the current minimum wage, there is resultant increased money in circulation, and because there is income inequality shut up.

Leaving aside the argument that the minimum wage is an entry wage, and not meant as a permanent niche, nor are minimum wage jobs meant to be career positions, the raising of the minimum wage is, variously, a cruel scam, an incredibly inflationary measure, a sure path to job destruction and increased overseas (read Chinese) manufacturing, a path to the increased usage of illegal aliens and a further weakening of the United States.

I was going to make this a long, nuanced treatise. But other events are demanding my attention and/or pissing me off, so I'll try to make it short and unsweet.

First, there is the false claim that there would be minimal impact to costs because the number of persons working at minimum wage is relatively miniscule (I think the percentage being bandied around is 1.2% of the workforce; I may be mistaken). It is not only false, but it is disingenuous. If the minimum wage is increased, not only would those who are actually working at that wage receive an increase, but those who, either by longevity or effort, receive wages between the old minimum wage and the new minimum wage would necessarily receive a raise, as well. So if the SCoaMF (see: http://www.urbandictionary.com) raises the minimum wage to $10, all of those making $8, $9, etc. would necessarily be boosted to that minimum of $10.

The cost of raising the minimum wage must include the cost of raising the wages of all those whose wages fall between the old and the new minimum wage. And that is, assuredly, much more than 1.2% of the workforce. While the lowest paid receive a, say, $3 raise, others receive raises which may be less, but still constitute a real expense. Don't see that mentioned much, do ya?

But here it becomes even more hairy. What do you think employee reaction and/or the liberal (spit) tears about equity and fairness would be if, after longevity and/or effort to rise above minimum wage, that employee's wage was again at or near the starting salary level? Persons who, through dint of effort, have managed to work to reach the new minimum rate, or somewhat above it, again find themselves back at or near the lowest rung of the wage scale with the FNGs or the chronically inept? And so it goes up the ranks of hourly employees (and salaried too, at least up to a certain point where no matter the raise in the hourly rate, the hot breath of the hourly employee is not felt on the back of the neck).

Basically then, the rising tide of minimum wage raises almost all wages by (say) $3. The minimum wage worker is still a minimum wage worker. Costs have gone up with all the increased wage expenses.

Did I hear someone say that this is inflationary? If costs go up, either prices go up, and/or employer profits are diminished or turned from positive to negative, and/or employees are discharged to try to keep overall costs down, and/or product quality/size suffers to try to maintain profitability, and/or illegal aliens (sic) are used with sub-minimum wages and conditions, and/or fungible jobs and processes are increasingly exported to nations with lower costs.

And the poor minimum wage worker is still the poor minimum wage worker who still can't afford stuff, and the collectivists and the low information population starts wailing again. Final (disguised) solution (and I use that phrase knowingly, because it would be the "final solution" for the country as we know it): "To each according to their needs, From each according to their ability." Well, fuck you, you treasonous, treacherous communist (again, in the strict application of that word) tyrants. Fuck you very much.

Just sayin'.