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The Record Is Clear: Minimum Wage Hikes Destroy Jobs
April 2013 · Michael Saltsman · Forbes
There’s at least one minimum wage fact that both Republicans and Democrats agree on: Opposing an increase, as Republicans typically do, is a political loser. So confident are Democrats in the effectiveness of this “wedge” issue that they’ve made it a key part of their 2014 strategy to retake control of the House of Representatives. But as is often the case in politics, “effective” is not synonymous… -
‘High Road’ Hypocrites
April 2013 · Michael Saltsman · Washington Times
In political battles to raise the minimum wage, activists love to trot out a handful of business owners who support new mandates. These so-called “high road” employers — part of an umbrella group called Business for a Fair Minimum Wage — act as a foil for other businesses who warn of the consequences of forcing higher labor costs on low-margin employers. It’s a clever public-relations trick, but… -
Rotten Deal on New York Wages
March 2013 · Michael Saltsman · New York Post
Republicans in the state Senate have reportedly agreed to raise New York’s minimum wage in three steps over three years to $9 an hour, in exchange for some tax breaks for businesses. It’s a bad deal. Such compromises have national precedent: In a similar federal agreement in 2007, well-meaning legislators thought a series of small-business tax cuts would offset the damage caused by a minimum-wage hike. Oops:… -
Statistical Problem of Minimum Wage and Poverty
March 2013 · Michael Saltsman · Politico
On Thursday, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) will pick up where President Barack Obama left off in his State of the Union address, hearing testimony on a newly introduced bill to raise the federal minimum wage. Obama and Harkin differ on the specifics — the president had asked for a $9 minimum wage, while Harkin has joined with Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) to call for $10.10. But both… -
How to Keep a Teen Out of Work
March 2013 · Michael Saltsman · Las Vegas Review-Journal
It’s tough being a Nevada teenager in search of a job. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that Silver State teens faced a 25.6 percent unemployment rate in 2012, one of the highest in the nation. Unfortunately, President Barack Obama’s State of the Union proposal to raise the federal minimum wage by 24 percent stands to make the situation even worse. The president denies this, of course,… -
To put teens to work, lower the minimum wage
August 2012 · Michael Saltsman · The Bergen County Record
AS TEENS head back to school this month, any number of parents across the country are breathing a collective sigh of relief. For an alarming number of teenagers, their summer days were spent at home on the couch instead of acquiring work experience at a local restaurant or grocery store. The teen employment crisis has lasted through a fourth summer, and the unemployment rate for young jobseekers…