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Raising wages not a good choice

To the Journal editor:

The article by Jeff Karoub printed on Sept. 1st highlights an alarming misconception held by many lawmakers, and apparently some members of the press.

Despite the supposed economic recovery, employers are not compelled to treat their employees any better than they have to. Karoub states that the wage hike “could help some who [make] more since employers likely will adjust their payscales.” This concept is almost laughable. I worked at a restaurant as a dishwasher during the last wage hike, and remember how unhappy the cooks were that I was suddenly making almost as much as they were. Now I’m at a job in a completely different industry, and I am seeing the same situation only this time from the cooks perspective. Raises, hard-won in low-paying workplaces, are basically lost when the minimum wage rises. Employers know they have the upper hand because these days there’s always someone else scrambling for a job.

Results of the same nave thinking can be seen in the post-Obamacare work environment. Requiring employers to offer insurance to full-time employees while at the same time lowering the amount of hours required to qualify for full-time sounds like a win for workers, in theory. In fact, the opposite is true. The administration seemed to forget that we live in a capitalist system amidst a struggling economy. Naturally, businesses began limiting part-time employees to only 28 hours a week. While before it was easy to work a “part-time” job and get 35-40 hours a week, the new norm is to work two part-time jobs. This is all the more common because full-time positions are that much rarer now.

Instead of just dumping more cash into the system, lawmakers really need to address the bigger economic picture. The current system is only increasing income disparity and favoring Big Business. I can’t claim to know if the country would benefit more from a shift toward a more loosely controlled capitalist system or a more responsible socialist economy. I do believe, however, that the cocktail currently being mixed from the two economic systems is sure to leave America’s besieges middle-class with one nasty hangover.

MARK?SCHNEIDER

Marquette

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