
When the federal minimum wage first became law in 1938, it was only 25 cents. Can you imagine?! Now as we have entered 2018 wages are going up for 18 states and about 20 cities and counties, according to the National Employment Law Project.
Come check out where there will be a pay rise in the new year, and how much you can expect to make [here] (http://money.cnn.com/2017/12/29/news/economy/2018-minimum-wage-increases/index.html).

Raising the minimum wage causes inflation, it's not necessarily how much you make, but what you can buy with your salary. If you make more but can only afford to buy less, was a salary increase worth it? Again, you have to factor inflation into the equation.

In today’s working world it is amazing to me how much has not changed when it comes to employee pay rates. I remember starting out in my first “professional” position back in the early 1990s and making $10.25 an hour. Today I see employers who are paying minimally $8.00 an hour to people as if anyone could even live on this. When I was making $10.25 I had a place to live by myself, was making a car payment and generally didn’t worry that I wouldn’t make it to the next payday.
So, why is it that nearly 30 years later people are still being paid less than they were all of those years ago? The answer to this is quite simple in my opinion and that is this… Capitalism without generosity leaves people in poor financial conditions.
Let’s face it, we all know that in 1990 the cost of living was a lot less than it is in 2017 and yet people mistakenly think that raising the minimum wage will solve the problem. It does not.
Here are a few questions that come into play when looking at hiking the minimum wage…
1. What happens to taxes (sales, property and income) when cities, counties and states have to increase their workers’ pay? Where does this money come from?
2. What will employers do to cover the cost of the pay increases? Will they reduce hours on people? Will they raise the cost of what they produce, sell, etc.?
3. What happens to those on Social Security who will not see am equivalent raise in their income?
Taking these three items and giving these very short answers here is what will more than likely happen 1. Taxes will obviously have to increase in order for the cities, counties and states to afford to pay their employees or else they will reduce the workforce which creates new problems within communities. 2. Employers will obviously raise the cost of good they produce or sell in order to not lose any profit margin. {A law cannot, at this time, be passed to prohibit the raising of cost so up our costs go} 3. People on Social Security will obviously be hit hardest as they will become the lower bottom of the pool of poor since their income is not based on “wage” income and nothing will allow them to have a "non wage discount" when taxes and prices go up.
To put it simply, if the Federal government raises the minimum wage to $12, 15 or whatever an hour we will see an increase in cost of goods, cost of taxes and a decrease in the amount workers have as spendable income. We know that companies will increase costs to cover the increase in wages, but to what extent? Will they say, for example, the increase was 50% so we will increase costs by 60% so we now make more profit? Again, Capitalism without generosity!
So, before you shout YES to an increase in the minimum wage I would suggest you think about the impact it will actually have on people, yourself included.

This makes my job hunt even more depressing.

Smart thinking

A good way to start 2018!
A lot has changed since 1938. I am hopeful with business and manufacturing coming back employment will go up hence the rule of supply and demand will take over.