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Can Oregonians Afford A Lousy 10 Cents?
October 2010 · Rick Berman · Statesman Journal
Back in 1996 when President Clinton was pushing for an increase in the federal minimum wage, his chief of staff Leon Panetta went on “This Week” with David Brinkley and complained that “we’re talking about a lousy 90 cents.” One can only imagine how Panetta would respond to criticisms of Oregon’s plan to hike its minimum wage by a dime. It’s just a lousy 10 cent increase!… -
What About the Lost Generation of Unemployed Youth?
September 2010 · Michael Saltsman · Washington Examiner
In the United States and abroad, young and inexperienced workers faced a harsh reality this summer: No one was hiring. Burger King had no need for new subjects. Supermarkets stopped adding shelf stockers. Outback Steakhouse had a mile-long line of applicants out back. America saw one out of every four teens in the labor force stuck looking for work – or playing video games instead of learning… -
The Real Cost Of Minimum Wage Hikes
August 2010 · William E. Even and David A. Macpherson · Investor's Business Daily
On July 24, 2009, the federal minimum wage increased to $7.25, the final step in a series of three hikes passed in 2007. Today, a year later, the unemployment rate for our nation’s teens remains stalled near 25%, with one out of every five unemployed teens searching for work for six months or more. This isn’t a coincidence. Though intended to lift American workers out of poverty… -
Roll Back Minimum Wage, Watch Teens Get Jobs
July 2010 · Michael Saltsman · Indianapolis Star
It’s one of the fundamental laws of economics: When you increase the price of something, you will ultimately decrease demand for that product. With the first anniversary of the recent 40 percent hike in the minimum wage upon us, we see that maxim in effect once again. A new study by labor economists William Even (Miami University) and David Macpherson (Trinity University) shows that the federal wage… -
Minimum Wage Indexing will Push More Teens to the Unemployment Line
July 2010 · Michael Saltsman · Atlanta Journal Constitution
In an effort to help economically poor families make ends meet, some Georgia legislators proposed indexing increases in the minimum wage to inflation. The idea is that low-income Americans should see their wages go up when basic necessities like gas and food become more expensive. But there are a few problems with their plan: Economists have shown that indexing the minimum wage to inflation does little to… -
Jobless Michigan Teens Can Thank the Minimum Wage Hike
July 2010 · Michael Saltsman · Detroit News
Teens have it pretty tough these days. From bullies and standardized tests to peer pressure and Facebook fights, modernity is adding stress to every aspect of the lives of young adults. This summer, you can add the death of the entry-level job to that list of woes. Young adults are facing unprecedented unemployment rates — and the figures for dropouts and minorities are even more staggering. No…