patrick.net

edvard2 says

If raising wages is deemed harmful for the economy and jobs then I can only assume the OP feels that nobody should recieve raises either... right?

I believe the libertarian counter to your argument would be that nobody should be forced to give employees a raise. Only employees that are valuable and you want to keep from going somewhere else deserve a raise. While I agree with this theory for higher skill/income brackets, it is ridiculous at the bottom levels.

On paper the libertarian theory seems plausible. In the real, mucky world it is pure fantasy.

zzyzzx says

I already said that curtailing immigration and imposing import duties should cause everyone wages to increase. I happen to think it would be better if everybody got a raise, not just s small number of people.

And yet again you didn't really answer the question. Your one and only response to basically everything on this post has been to stop immigration and create import duties. Both of those ideas aren't based in economic reality and historically when tried in the past were huge failures. Let's delve into this further so we can move on from unrealistic solutions to ones that are at least remotely sound.

First:
The last time the US undertook a policy of creating import duties it basically threw the economy into a deeper depression. This policy was enacted shortly after the crash of 29' and the result was that every other country did the same, hence freezing global commerce. I suggest reading further about this. So that debunks part of your "solution"

Second:
The whole comment about immigration makes no sense. Your parents, my parents, and everyone else other than the native Americans who lived here before immigrated to the US. The whole country is one of immigrants. Again- I think you need to really study up on your history- but over the entire time period of the US, immigrants have played a vital role in the US economy. I mentioned previously before the countless immigrants from Europe and elsewhere who filled our factories during the 1800's-1900's. This economic reality is still true today, especially in the ag business.

So basically you're going to have to come up with other reasons for not raising the minimum wage beyond these two above since I've more or less proven them to be incorrect based on widely accepted and well known historical facts.

Lastly, a raise in the minimum wage would not affect a "Small amount of people"-as you said. As previously mentioned, the single largest employer in the US is the leading Big Box store.
rooemoore says

While I agree with this theory for higher skill/income brackets, it is ridiculous at the bottom levels.

The reason I mentioned this idea in the first place was to prove a point. Point being that raises are given all the time in the middle and upper classes and the outcome has not resulted in lost jobs or negative impacts to the economy, much the same as how doing so for the working class jobs at minimum wage wouldn't. The takeaway is that the suggestion that raises in minimum wage would hurt the economy are null and void basically because that doesn't occur in other wage brackets either.

But I do get your points as well.

rooemoore says

I believe the libertarian counter to your argument would be that nobody should be forced to give employees a raise.

Of course, employees demanding something, or voting to have it mandated, is bad. Employers banding together to demand more H1B visas is obviously good. Because AMERICA!