What harm do minimum wages do?

Re:What harm do minimum wages do? by AnimalMuppet on Wednesday August 19, 2020 @03:15PM (#24214871)

I believe that colinmhayes' point is that you dug the extra nine holes because there was a shovel, not because you got better at digging holes with your hands. The productivity gain was because a shovel was being used. It didn't matter who owned the shovel, it mattered that you were digging with one.

But that's not completely true, because a person who only knows how to dig with their hands still only digs one hole a day, even if there's a shovel just lying there. Knowing how to use the tools does in fact make you a more productive worker.

It seems to me, then, that part of the gain from the productivity from better tools should go to the worker who knows how to use the tools. And part should go to the person who bought the tools.

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Re:What harm do minimum wages do? by sudosysgen on Wednesday August 19, 2020 @07:38PM (#24218148)

Well yeah. But the thing is, someone had to make the shovel to begin with. The gains in productivity of the shovel are just unrealized value of the original labour (and materials).

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Re:What harm do minimum wages do? by imtringued on Thursday August 20, 2020 @03:06AM (#24220670)

The shovel maker is paid handsomely. He's the equivalent of a tech worker.

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Re:What harm do minimum wages do? by sudosysgen on Thursday August 20, 2020 @12:34PM (#24225031)

Sure. And ultimately the gains in productively are due to his labour.

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