Clarence Page’s column (Dec. 26) touting the minimum wage is full of holes, holes which lead to hurting the least qualified workers among us, denying them jobs by inventing some arbitrary “minimum wage” which keeps low-skilled, or no-skilled workers out of the work force entirely.
There should be no minimum wage. Then employers can take chances on low-skilled and no-skilled persons to train. Heads of housholds and other productive workers would start at much higher rates, probably higher than present-day minimum wage, due to their greater productivity and other qualities such as education, showing up on time, etc.
For example, an employer could hire four teens at $2/hr each for the amount that is now roughly minimum wage for one person. If one kid does well, she or he could get raises, rise to management, etc. If the other kids don’t pan out, they could be kept at the business to clean, paint, repair, etc., still learning skills. At 30 hours/week they would earn $240/month, enough to help buy clothes and food for their families, or enough to pay $200/month or more for a car, where repair skills could be learned, with the added advantage of keeping kids off the streets.
The mentality of Mr. Page and other socialists about the minimum wage hurts the least qualified among us. Why would anyone be so cruel to ban any willing workers from working? The minimum wage law does this.Skilled workers will always make more than minimum wage. Minimum wage schemes bar no-skilled workers from EVER getting job skills through experience. They are doomed do take government handouts forever.
Socialists want more people dependent on government so they, the self-perceived elite class, can justify their “benevolence” by forcing others, through taxation, to “help” all those without jobs. The free market works much better than forced, inefficient government policies. And the free market does not lead to tyranny, which socialism has led to almost every time it has been tried.
Socialists will probably not change even though their policies hurt a lot of people. Minimum wage laws hurt a lot of people. Drone strikes by our socialist president which maimed and killed many women and children are worse than hurtful. It seems socialists do not care about people, only power.
Kelsey Van Every
Columbus
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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