Re:We shouldn’t push a positive mindset on those in poverty
by rossdavidh on Saturday February 19, 2022 @07:05PM
(#30401802)
Minimum wage is, sure, not the cause of deindustrialization. Rather, it's what people tend to advocate as a cure for a large underclass stuck in poverty, but it's not addressing the core issue. We have a larger underclass stuck in poverty, because the kinds of jobs that historically allowed them a way out of it were sent to places with even poorer people, and the change that allowed that was a change in government policy (tariffs, etc.). So a minimum wage, like a blood transfusion, might help out for a bit, but it's not addressing the underlying issue, which was a (major, sustained) change in government policy.
Re:We shouldn’t push a positive mindset on those in poverty
by seanmcdirmid on Saturday February 19, 2022 @03:10PM
(#30400071)
Minimum wage in the USA has always been paltry, and increasingly irrelevant over time: very few work for it now. Labor costs rise because people at the low end get better options, not because of a gov mandated increase.
But this is just the government being conservative, actual significant increases that affect more than one percent of the population will have an affect.
And people often wave the automation threat around - but why hasn't it happened yet? In concrete studies of minimum wage increases that actually occurred, we do not find job losses.