Minimum wage hikes impact a work in progress

[TexasTowelie]

4. I certainly agree with your point that if you have money, then you spend it

which is the argument for increasing the minimum wage. It certainly is fine if you are employable and capable of getting that job. It's when you are not employable for some reason (disability, age, being a caregiver or parent) where that argument is no longer true. With 3/8ths of adults not in the workforce the increase in the minimum wage makes products is less affordable and the people that have little or no money see their purchasing power diluted--instead of being able to go out and eat 5 meals during the month it gets trimmed to 4 meals per month.

The argument about whether to increase the minimum wage is dependent upon each individual's circumstances. For those that have the ability to work then it could be advantageous if what they receive in wages exceeds their expenses. For those that are not able to increase their income it works against them.

Instead of people having a livable wage the issue becomes whether should have a livable income, regardless of their employment status. The decision as to whether to be employed should be to enhance that base amount of income.