Uncle Lamar Wants to Abolish the Minimum Wage

[gblowfish]

Because those Wal Mart workers are overpaid, damn it! This guy is the ranking GOP member of the Senate Labor Committee. Wow....

http://tinyurl.com/omaxldm

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), the ranking Republican on the Senate's labor committee, said in a hearing Tuesday that he would prefer to see the minimum wage abolished.

Alexander's declaration came amid a back-and-forth between a witness from the conservative Heritage Foundation and Sens. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). The trio had been debating what kind of impact a higher minimum wage would have on a theoretical worker, and it seemed Sanders wanted to know whether the witness opposed raising the minimum wage or having a minimum wage at all.

"There are some conservatives who do not believe in the concept of the minimum wage," Sanders said to the witness, James Sherk, a labor policy analyst at the think tank.

"Let me jump in," Alexander then said. "I do not believe in it."

The policy debate had been lively, with interruptions all around, and Sanders grew excited at Alexander's interjection.

"So we have a ranking member," Sanders responded. "Alright! There we go!"
Sanders turned to Alexander.

"So you do not believe in the concept of the minimum wage?"

"That's correct," Alexander responded.

"You would abolish the minimum wage?"

"Correct."

"And if someone had to work for two bucks an hour," Sanders continued, "they would work for two bucks an hour?"

Alexander went on to compare a higher minimum wage to a form of welfare. Instead of boosting it, as Congress is now considering, he suggested a common conservative alternative to a federal wage floor -- a higher earned-income tax credit.

"No, I would go for a much more targeted approach," Alexander said. "The question I want to ask, if we are interested in social justice, and we want to honor work instead of getting a welfare check, then wouldn't a more efficient way to help people in poverty be to increase the earned-income tax credit rather than do what we always do here, which is come up with a big idea and send the bill to somebody else? What we're doing is coming up with the big idea and sending the bill to the employer.

"Why don't we just pay for the big ideas we come up with," he continued. "And if we want to create a standard of living for people that's much higher than what they have today, then let's attach the dollars to the job and everybody pay for it. I don't want to do that. But if we were going to do it, then I think that's the way we should do it."

"That's a very interesting discussion for another time," Sanders said with a slight laugh.

Sanders then turned back to Sherk and asked him if he'd support a bill sponsored by Alexander abolishing the minimum wage.

"I believe the minimum wage hurts its intended beneficiaries," Sherk responded. "I do not support the concept of the minimum wage."

"I appreciate your honesty," Sanders replied.

[blaise]

Didn't really sound like he thinks they're overpaid, more like it's an inefficient system that doesn't end up achievng what it's supposed to.

But let's pretend he made some sinister statement anyway, right?

[seaofred]

Originally Posted by blaise

Didn't really sound like he thinks they're overpaid, more like it's an inefficient system that doesn't end up achievng what it's supposed to.

But let's pretend he made some sinister statement anyway, right?

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by blaise

Didn't really sound like he thinks they're overpaid, more like it's an inefficient system that doesn't end up achievng what it's supposed to.

But let's pretend he made some sinister statement anyway, right?

Not a big student of the Gilded Age, are we?

[Saul Good]

This is a situation where theory is trumped by practice. In theory, there should be no such thing as minimum wage. In practice, that would be a mess.

[bsp4444]

Should have been a "maximum' wage on congressmen. Way overpaid.

[Garcia Bronco]

Well stated

[seaofred]

I'm against minimum wage, because everytime it goes up I get poorer. The cost of living will go up, but my wage won't, because I make more than minimum wage.

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by Saul Good

This is a situation where theory is trumped by practice. In theory, there should be no such thing as minimum wage. In practice, that would be a mess.

Why? If someone offered me $2/hr to work I would simply refuse. In fact, nobody would work for that wage because it would cost you money to work (gasoline, car insurance, clothing, etc etc). On top of that it wouldn't compensate me for my leisure time i'd enjoy in lieu. So companies would never be able to hire people.


So long as there's a food stamp/welfare program, there's no need for a minimum wage really. If there really are folks willing to work for $2/hr, then I have no right to complain if an employer hired them instead of me.

[GloucesterChief]

Price controls always suck. It doesn't matter the market.

[DaveNull]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

Why? If someone offered me $2/hr to work I would simply refuse. In fact, nobody would work for that wage because it would cost you money to work (gasoline, car insurance, clothing, etc etc). On top of that it wouldn't compensate me for my leisure time i'd enjoy in lieu. So companies would never be able to hire people.


So long as there's a food stamp/welfare program, there's no need for a minimum wage really. If there really are folks willing to work for $2/hr, then I have no right to complain if an employer hired them instead of me.

"Are there no prisons?", asked Scrooge.
"Plenty of prisons", said the gentleman, laying down the pen again.
"And the Union workhouses?", demanded Scrooge. "Are they still in operation?"
"They are. Still", returned the gentleman, "I wish I could say they were not."
"The Treadmill and the Poor Law are in full vigour, then?", said Scrooge.
"Both very busy, sir."
"Oh! I was afraid, from what you said at first, that something had occurred to stop them in their useful course", said Scrooge. "I'm very glad to hear it."
"Under the impression that they scarcely furnish Christian cheer of mind or body to the multitude", returned the gentleman, "a few of us are endeavouring to raise a fund to buy the poor some meat and drink, and means of warmth. We choose this time, because it is a time, of all others, when want is keenly felt, and abundance rejoices. What shall I put you down for?"
"Nothing!", Scrooge replied.

.

[GloucesterChief]

Uh huh, because getting rid of the minimum wage would automatically lead to sweatshops.

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by GloucesterChief

Uh huh, because getting rid of the minimum wage would automatically lead to sweatshops.

But, but....what about the children?

[KILLER_CLOWN]

Originally Posted by GloucesterChief

Uh huh, because getting rid of the minimum wage would automatically lead to sweatshops.

Wages would probably drop and the government would have new handouts to give.

[Cave Johnson]

Originally Posted by KILLER_CLOWN

Wages would probably drop and the government would have new handouts to give.

Probably? They'd absolutely drop, as would government revenue. I'd say I'm surprised at this kind of economic fantasyland, but it is coming from the party of supply side economics.