Raising the minimum wage sounds good if you've never worked in/owned a small business with employees. That's really all there is to it.
(Long)
This is the beginning/end of the argument.
We've moved so far away from a time when those in charge of the message (elected officials/academics/media members of all stripes) had any kind of business background
whatsoever. They haven't made a payroll, they haven't hired/laid off/fired people. They haven't had to weigh the benefits of a capital purchase
with their own money. They haven't had gov't regulations that threaten their bottom line or worse, their very existence.
That's what makes the minimum wage argument so incredibly academic, the folks discussing it at a national level or on here for that matter either simply don't have a shred of experience on the topic OR know the ramifications and just don't care....both are pretty damn disturbing.
For one, the ulterior pushers know good and well the unions will wait all of one K-Cup brew to demand renegotiations most of which (iirc) are indexed to MW anyways. Why else would unions push so hard for MW increases when their ranks make a crap load more?
Next...to answer Fuzz's response that all Mom and Pops have to deal with it too....well, that's true and I won't argue that...but that's not the real question. The problem is each wage level above MW (as with the unions) will be pressured to bump up. The business owner either eats it or pass it along to the customer (and eventually everyone). The latter runs the risk of the customer rethinking if they even need to keep outsourcing at all.
Also, the other problem with this is that while yes other Mom/Pops have to deal with it, larger competitors have an easier time absorbing the cost and spreading it across more customers. Basically helping the very people they rail against, bigger business.
A quick note about who actual MW on the streets....it's rare. But the squawkers don't know/care. They'll spout it anyways. I employ some people in jobs that believe me most talking heads would consider MW but I start at $9.50 and quickly get over 10. Market says so, that simple. In fact, the ONLY place I've encountered MW in business dealings with customers or vendors was at Kentucky Kingdom (under the previous Six Flags ownership 5+ years ago) where they employed 200+ high school kids for the summer at MW....the exact scenario most of us use to illustrate who actually makes this mythical number. I have my suspicions about some distant quasi-competitors that employ....well, "people that may have misplaced their documents"....when I see some public record bids and wonder how tf they plan to make any money, it usually goes in the garbage with a sigh that hopefully their ass gets shut down. Different topic, doh.
Bottom line, most people that spout about MW don't have a clue, seriously. Same with those "looking out for small businesses".....they aren't. They don't give a crap. They wouldn't know what a small business needs if it slapped them across the face.
/ rant
